And Arran, Arran so far away...

Say hello to Arran, the last single-day Stablemate for Breyerfest 2020!



From the blog:

Our Arran has been created exclusively for this year’s Celtic Fling!  We love all things small, so what could be better than a Traditional pony in Stablemates scale! Originally sculpted by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig in 1:9 scale and carefully shrunk down to fit in the palm of your hand (1:32 scale), our Connemara Mare (mold #5745) will surely cavort straight into your heart.  Finished in a buckskin roan, a star on her face, and with attitude to spare!

Buckskin roan, eh? Well, she's definitely an interesting color, but I find myself slightly underwhelmed - I think they should have glossed her to match the other three single-day models. Well, she'll definitely be popular! I hope I'm able to get one of the 4-packs - the blog says they'll go on sale next week, so I'll be watching the website!

Also, I'm hoping this means we get a reveal of that green sneak peek tomorrow - could it be the pop-up tent Classic? I hope we get to see it tomorrow! 

Say hello to Skye!

I almost forgot to post about this - we've had another single-day Stablemate reveal! Meet Skye:



From the blog:

Dressed up in a luscious silver black and a high-gloss finish, his unique color is due to the silver gene over a black base coat, which lightens the mane and tail to a near flaxen color and turns the body a rich chocolate instead of pure black.

Ooh, he's pretty! Almost pretty enough to make me want to keep my Charleston and add him to the collection...but that neck still looks weird to me. He's tempting, though! So this means we'll probably see the mini Croi tomorrow - I bet she's amazing! 

There's also a new sneak peek in the April collector club newsletter (great job on mailing that while still technically in the month of April, guys):



It says we'll find out what this is in a few weeks, so I'm guessing it's the next Premier Club release. I'm not sure they'd do two Appaloosa-patterned Berries Ponies in a row, and that's the only other thing I can think of that it would be. Guess we'll find out eventually!

Nayati...or "Neigh"-ati! I know, I crack myself up...

Just when I think I'm safe from buying any more stuff from Breyer...



...they come out with something irresistible! From the website:

With his head tossed to the sky and a name that means “wrestler,” this proud stallion is ready to defend his herd.

So this is the next release on the super-popular new American Dream mold! These colors are all really nice - the dunalino and the appaloosa are glossy, but I kinda wish all three of them were - that pinto is spectacular. And the appaloosa is pretty much a mini version of Jackpot, but way more attainable! Wins all around. I ordered one on all three of our accounts, because I naturally need to get all three. I guess now I get to hope I don't get three of the same color...

In other news, the next single-day Stablemate has been revealed! Say hello to Orkney!

 

Okay, so he's a pinto version of this. He looks pretty nice, and I'll pick him up, but I still think they could have picked a different mold. Oh well...hopefully I can get my hands on a 4-pack before they sell out!

Joisey

So we have a reveal of the first single-day Stablemate! Behold:



His name is Jersey! Not to be confused with New Jersey. He certainly is pretty! I always like a nice glossy chestnut with a lot of chrome. Hey, if you read the Thoroughbred series of horse racing books from the '90s, he'd make a good Wonder if he was a mare. But anyways...this only makes me more sure that I want to try to get a 4-pack of these so I can be sure I'll get him. Can't wait to see the other Stablemates!

Featured Model - 4/25/2020, Voyeur

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Voyeur!



This handsome guy is item #1773, a regular run on the popular new Bristol mold sculpted by Morgen Kilbourn. He's a portrait of the real Voyeur, a successful show jumper.

While I'll admit I prefer the loose mane and tail on this mold, bay does look good on him. I'll also admit I'd prefer to see some white, like a sock or star or something, he is a portrait of a real horse, so I can't criticize too much (curse you, genetics!). His orange eyes are a little off-putting, though - are the real Voyeur's eyes like that? I'll have to look into it later.

The Bristol mold is kind of on fire right now - in addition to this regular run, he was also just used as the super-popular Redmond for the Seattle Soiree ticket model (insert my grumbling about inflated prices here), was the Best Customs Contest prize at Breyerfest last year, and will also appear as Barrington in the Vintage Club later this year. I doubt we'll see any other new releases on him since he's had so many already, but you never know - he could end up as a web special or something. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets another auction model for Breyerfest, though. Whatever he's used for next, I hope it's something I can get my hands on!

Breyerfest Single-Day Ticket Update!

There's another update on the Breyerfest blog, addressing the Single-Day Tickets! Important takeaways: the tickets will be available in singles or packs of 4. If you order less than 4 tickets, the Stablemate you receive will be randomly-shipped. You have to order 4 to get all 4 Stablemates. So, par for the course. Most importantly, they gave us the silhouettes!



Ooh, it's Greyson, a mini Croi (!!), Charleston and...the G2 Clydesdale. Yawn...seems kind of random to have a 22-year-old mold in there with all the new ones, but whatevs. I hope he's a yummy color! More importantly, does this rule out Croi as the surprise? Unfortunately, I think it does...which sends us back to the drawing board. For a backup guess, I'm going to go with Idocus in a variety of hairstyles and colors. As for the Stablemates, I'll only need the Greyson and the G2 Clyde, so it'll be worth it for me to try to get the 4-pack - I don't anticipate having any trouble selling the Mini Croi and the Charleston afterward. Can't wait to see what colors they are!

Virtual Breyerfest update and another sneak peek!

So there's been an update on how some of the Virtual Breyerfest activities will work, which you can view here. The big news: raffles, auctions and contests will be limited to U.S. citizens due to various gambling laws (boo, but nothing we or Breyer can do about it), and the surprise model will not be revealed beforehand (I expected that). They say they won't reveal the surprise at all, but I'm hoping it's revealed on Friday morning, because...well, that's what usually happens, so I don't know why they'd keep it a secret longer than that except to torture us...Okay, I can see that happening too. So who knows.

In other news, there's another new sneak peek on the blog!



Finally, something green! From the blog:

It’s a chilly, grey day here in New Jersey, but when we look out our windows, all the signs that spring is coming are out there – flowers are blooming, the trees are budding, and a soft blanket of green is starting to emerge.  We think this sneak peek is the perfect reminder of greener (and warmer) days ahead!

Looks like the point of something's hip to me.  Well, my guess was that this year's pop-up-tent Classic would be on the new Brabant, and it looks like it could be him, so that's what I'm going with. Hopefully we find out tomorrow!

Whoa, another store special!

So Monday's hint has been revealed - it's another Store Special! Behold:

It's a portrait of the real Connemara stallion WH Topgun! And, well...the model is pretty and all, but it doesn't match the real one very well:



But, uh...here's what it does match pretty well:



That's right...the loose-mane bay Connemara from the Best of British set. Okay, so they're not a 1:1 match exactly, but it's close enough to make me scratch my head a little bit.

I'll probably still try to snag a Topgun of my own, but I don't anticipate him being a huge seller. I guess we'll have to see how the store specials are distributed.

Another new test run!

Another day, another ho-hum test model. Behold:

Misty's Twilight is another one of Breyer's less-loved molds - I can see why this one didn't go into production. She's very orange...but, whatever floats your boat. She does have nice shading, though. I'm sure someone out there will love her! Entries have to be in by 4/23, so don't waste any time! 

...Really?

So we got another sneak peek today, and...well...



...Seriously? It looks like it could be something's belly, but there's no way anyone is going to guess that. I'm really getting sick of the impossible-to-guess peeks. Is it even really a sneak peek when you can't tell what it is, like at all? Ugh. Well, hopefully we don't have to wait all week to see what it is...

Featured Model - 4/18/2020, Mont Tremblant

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it! This week's model is...Mont Tremblant!



This pretty girl was the holiday web special for 2011. She's item #712047 and was a run of 350 on the Weather Girl mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl.

As usual, silver filigree looks smashing on this mold! It's hard to screw up this type of paint job, though. I may be biased, as silver filigree is one of my favorite colorways. There's not much else to say about this one - she was pretty popular when she first came out, but I'm not sure if she's still popular these days.

The silver filigree colorway has been sadly neglected for the last few years - we got one every year for several years, but now it's been almost 4 years since we had one. I suppose Breyer must have gotten tired of being predictable, and it does get a little boring to see the same color released year after year. But maybe this year we'll get a silver filigree! I hope so.

As for Weather Girl herself, she was used at last year's Breyerfest, so I don't anticipate her showing up anywhere for this year's online 'Fest, nor do I see her being used as a web special. Maybe she'll get a new RR release? Or a web special release next year? I hope so!

Hubba Hubba

Well, in case you were wondering who won the "Makin' a Splash" contest at Breyerfest last year (splash pinto on Esprit, Duende or Desatado), take a look at our winner...Fabio!



I voted for the Esprit, because I thought it looked best on him, but Duende looks good too, honestly. So I ordered one! Hopefully he looks nice in person.

That Girl Is On Fire

Yay, we got a reveal of that sneak peek the very next day! Say hello to Boudicca!



Ha, she looks like somebody went a tad overboard with the woad! She'd make a good companion for Alejandro though! Anyway, it looks like we're getting a ninth special run this year! Took them long enough - it's been eight for years, so I'd say we were overdue for an additional model in the special run line. I'll definitely be tracking this one down - she's so unique! I was also familiar with her name in passing:

Our homage to the ancient Celtic Queen of the Iceni, Boudicca famously led an uprising against the invading Roman forces in Britain during the middle of the first century CE. 

There's a movie about this, starring Alex Kingston, that I'm vaguely interested in watching. Maybe I'll get around to that eventually, with all the lockdowns and stuff going on!

Another sneak peek!

Breyer posted this on the blog today, calling it a, "pick-me-up..."



I probably sound like a broken record by now, but...if they really wanted to give us something to cheer us up, they should have just posted the whole photo instead of teasing us....AGAIN.

Anyway, that looks like a Weather Girl foot to me, but I could be wrong. Let's hope we don't have to wait the rest of the week to find out!

Well, It Happened

As you're no doubt aware by now...Breyer finally pulled the plug on Breyerfest 2020 today. At least...the in-person part of it. They're saying it will be done virtually instead, which I suppose is better than the alternative (nothing, or having to wait until next year). They've asked us to give them until the end of the month to come up with an alternate plan, and I can't say I blame them - Breyerfest takes a LOT of planning to start with, and now they have to basically cancel everything and start over. How will they pull off a virtual Breyerfest? Well, that remains to be seen - I guess we'll find out at the end of the month. While I am definitely sad about it, I'm not as sad as I could be, because I know it was the right thing for them to do. It only takes one infected person to start an outbreak, and with how closely packed people are at the CHIN and in the covered arena, it would be a disaster to have an outbreak and people dying because of Breyerfest. I hope we can still have fun at Virtual-Fest!

Featured Model - 4/11/2020, Chalky Yellow Mount

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...my chalky Yellow Mount!

This handsome guy is item #51 on the Adios mold sculpted by Chris Hess. While the Yellow Mount production run lasted from 1970 to 1987, the fact that he's chalky places his production date sometime in the 1970s.

The vintage section of my collection is admittedly pretty small, but I do have a soft spot for Adios, and this guy is no exception. He's a product of the oil crisis of the 1970s, when Breyer couldn't always find pristine white plastic for molding. Consequently, other colors of plastic showed up, which had to be basecoated white before they could be painted. So, this guy could be any crazy color underneath his paint! Not that I want to strip him to find out. This guy also has the forearm spot that isn't present on later models from this run, so he's extra-special!

Where will we see Adios used next? He last appeared as Weston, last year's Live Show Benefit model, and before that he was the Breyerfest 2018 autograph model. He's not a pony, so I doubt we'll see him as a web special this year unless Breyer puts an animal pattern on him somehow. I don't think he's ever been used as a Tractor Supply special run (which seems odd, since he's usually used as a stock horse). Maybe he'll show up there this year? I don't anticipate seeing him at Breyerfest, but I suppose it's possible. My guess is a TSC special run!

The mystery is solved!

Hooray, we didn't have to wait all weekend for the new reveal! Behold:



...Definitely not what I was expecting, or hoping for. This guy is an easy pass for me. Uh, I could be wrong, but I foresee a lot of leftovers of this one, similar to all the leftover Peppers from last year. Not really sure what they were thinking with this one. But I digress. From the blog:

Named for thorn, the third in the sacred tree trilogy related to fairy lore, this plant has been long-considered sacred.  Combined with oak and ash, the thorn in folklore is said to ward off fairy mischief, but the hawthorn plant itself is regarded for its antioxidant medicinal properties – even today!

Ah, I wondered if we were getting the third member of the "tree trilogy." They solved the already-used-name problem by just lopping off the "Haw" and calling him Thorn. I guess that works!

 

Two Appaloosas and a dapple gray? I feel like one of them should have been a pinto if they really wanted to pay tribute to the trifecta. Oh well.

Although this is the eighth Breyerfest special run, we haven't seen a decorator yet...and the blog doesn't say this is the last special run, either. Could we be getting nine this year? That way they wouldn't have to jack up the run numbers so much. I guess we'll find out eventually...

The last special run sneak peek!

Are we done with sneak peeks now? The hint for the last Breyerfest special run is on the blog:



The color looks interesting, but I have no idea what the mold is. Looks like something's lower neck/shoulder area? I like the color, but we'll have to see what the mold is. Hopefully they reveal it tomorrow, rather than make us wait all weekend?

Also, if you haven't found a Crystalline yet, they're available directly through Breyer now, as is Winx. Crystalline gets you over the limit for free shipping, and apparently the Collector Club 10% off discount works on her as well (CLUBPLUS20). Breyer is also doing a 20% off all Unicorns sale this weekend as well (use code UNICORN20). Happy ordering!

The reveals are coming fast and furious!

So many exciting things have been happening in the last few days! First, the next release in the 2020 Stablemate Club is now available:



That's right - Florian is ready to ship! Can't wait to see mine - I've always had a soft spot for the G2 Warmblood.

And in other news, the Breyerfest Sunday raffle model has been revealed!



Sheesh, and I thought yesterday's raffle model was beautiful! But yeah, I figured Altynai would be a raffle model! If/when Breyerfest is cancelled, I really hope they do the raffles online so we can still win these! From the blog:

Heather, found abundantly growing in the wild in Scotland (it covers approximately 5 million acres of land), is one of the nation’s national flowers and Scots have found many uses for it – from bringing good luck to brides to aromatherapy! It also features prominently in Scottish folklore tales.  

The lithe and athletic Akhal-Teke mold (#805) was sculpted by Breyer’s own Heather Puleo, and will debut next month as our first Premier Club model of 2020. He is finished for our lucky Sunday Raffle winners in an eye-catching bay varnish blanket appaloosa, and now represents the unique Nez Perce Horse. He is fully decked out with amazing details, from his mottled nose to his detailed “toes,” and with plenty of mapping and spots in between!

(Emphasis mine) Because that has anything to do with a Celtic theme...sheesh. I guess I didn't complain about Order of the Thistle being a Saddlebred, so I can't really say too much. Either way, he's beautiful! Hope I can win one.

Wow, where do I start with all these reveals?

There have been a ton of new reveals today - maybe Breyer decided to stop holding back on information since the winter doldrums are now over? Well, anyway, I'm not going to complain - I always love the new reveals! I'll start with Crystalline!

In case you don't recognize her, this is the sneak peek that was in last month's Collector Club Newsletter, and I love her! Breyer has really been on a roll with their decorators lately, and this girl is no exception! They're limited to 4,000 pieces (a bit of an increase from the usual 3,000 or 3,500) so it shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on one eventually if you're so inclined. I reserved mine from Golden Oaks, so I can't wait to see what she looks like!

Next, there's a new spring release - Winx!

So we finally get a reveal of that blurry Winx photo from a while back! I'll have to get my hands on one eventually, but I didn't order one just yet - I can wait until later for this one.

Next, we got a reveal of one of this year's Breyerfest raffle models - say hello to Order of the Thistle!

My reaction: be still, my heart. Ugh - I knew this mold had "raffle horse" written all over it - I should have stuck with him as one of my raffle model predictions. He's basically the same color as Champagne Wishes. Hope I can win one...

Lastly, and most excitingly (or devastatingly...) we have the special runs for the now-canceled Seattle Soiree event! First, here's Puget, the Stablemate included with every ticket:

Whew, nothing I need. Wish I could say that about the rest of it. Well, here goes - I'll start with Bellevue and Nirvana:

They are runs of 104 and 96, respectively - ugh! A braided Idocus! If only he were the loose mane and tail, I wouldn't need him! Since his piece count is so high, maybe it won't be hard to get one later...

Next, here's Pinchot and Storm:



Their piece counts are 60 and 52. Ughhhhh, I'm never going to be able to afford Storm. He sure is pretty though! Pinchot is stunning too - I wonder if he's glossy? At least I don't need that one...

And lastly, here are Duwamish and Olympia!



Their piece counts are 48 and 40. I don't need Olympia, but I love Duwamish! Unfortunately, he'll be about impossible to find for a decent price too, but I can always hope.

So I believe the way it works is that the attendees will send in their preferences for Group A (Bellevue and Nirvana) and Group B (the other four). Then they'll be assigned numbers in their respective color groups, a number will be drawn, and then the line "starts" and their preferences will be selected according to their spot in line. Sounds complicated, but maybe this is how the Breyerfest special runs could be distributed if it comes down to it? I suppose I could live with that...maybe. Anyway, congratulations to the lucky would-be attendees! I know I'd love to have had a shot at these. Maybe next time...

Featured Model - 4/5/2020, Corazon

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Corazon!



This cute little guy was the first release in the 2015 Premier Club, along with his mother Hermosa. He's item #90173 on the Corazon/Andalusian Foal mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. While Breyer has never released official production numbers on Premier Club models, the prevailing thought is that around 750 of these were made.

I liked how the color turned out on this guy and his mother, but it's hard to go wrong with a nice black pinto. Actually, they'd look pretty nice with Leap of Faith; too bad it'd be almost impossible to get one of those in my collection. It would be easier to match them with this year's 70th anniversary chase model, I guess.

Despite his cuteness, this mold has been rather lightly used since its 2015 debut - they were a Breyerfest special run in 2016, then got a regular run from 2017-2019 (with one of those sets glossed for the 2019 silent auction - yum!). They were also the extremely rare prize set for the 2015 Breyerfest Best Customs Contest and an auction set in 2017. So, the only other obtainable release they've had was the Mira and Antares set from winter 2019. I'd like to think they'll be used again soon, since they have such a thin resume to begin with, but you never know. I wouldn't mind seeing them as a web special - we don't get very many mare and foal web special sets for some reason. I doubt we'll see them at Breyerfest anytime soon, but I could be wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a set in the live auction this year. I guess we'll find out eventually!

Gah!

Breyer must have read my blog post on yesterday and decided to double down on the sneak peeks, because today there's another one!



From the blog:

We’re just having a little light-hearted fun here at the BreyerFest Blog. Can you guess who this is?

Light-hearted fun, eh? Well, if yesterday's sneak peek isn't the Altynai raffle model, this one probably is. Either that or Dundee - he's overdue for an unobtainable release. Looks like we get to wait until next week to find out what they are, though. We still haven't seen a reveal of that rainbow sneak peek, either - I'm getting sick of all the sneak peeks lately.

In other news, there are new carded Stablemates showing up at Walmarts. This time they're new releases on the mini Brishen, the G4 Driving Horse and Mirado. I still haven't been able to find the G3 blind bag unicorns, so that's one more reason I'll have to keep checking the local Walmarts. 

Raffle sneak peek?

There's yet another sneak peek on the blog!



That belly spot has mapping, so it's probably a raffle model. I think I predicted they'd do a raffle model on Altynai, so I'm just going to go with that (insert "other special runs on current-year Premier models" grumbling here). I'm also getting a little tired of the constant sneak peeks. Just reveal something for once and don't make us wait days to see what it is, especially since they keep using pictures so tiny nobody can figure out what it is! Bleh.

April Fool!

Well, as I'd hoped, the Stablemate Rugged Lark from yesterday was indeed an April Fool's joke. But fear not - we're getting another Traditional model as a Stablemate instead!



According to Breyer's Facebook page, the mini SCO (and other molds!) are coming later this year. Well, as long as they keep picking molds I don't collect...

I hope the SCO fans like the mini version, but I honestly think something went wrong with the shrinking process this time. His front end looks like it should be about 25% larger to match the back end - the front legs are way too short and his back has a noticeable downhill slant that doesn't appear to exist in the Traditional model. Methinks they need to put a little more work into this one!

April Fool! (I hope...)

So this was recently posted on Breyer's Facebook page:



Considering what day it is, I hope it's an April Fool's joke, but you never know. The Facebook post claims Rugged Lark is one of Breyer's most beloved stock horse molds, but...well..."beloved" isn't really a word I'd use to describe him. He comes from what's generally thought of as the "Dark Ages" of Breyer - that era in the late '80s and early '90s when Reeves had just taken over the company and hadn't quite found their footing yet. Other new molds from this era include the ever-popular Khemosabi (or "Khemosausage" in hobby parlance), Roy, etc. While I did have a Rugged Lark model at one point, I've since sold him and haven't felt any need to add more of them to my shelves, so a Stablemate version of him is completely lost on me. Rugged Lark does have his admirers, but I don't think there are enough of them to make it worth it to shrink him...but I could be wrong.