Featured Model - 1/30/2021, Glossy Polaris

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it! This week's model is...Glossy Polaris! 

This handsome guy is item #703307G, and was a run of six produced on the Huckleberry Bey mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. 

What a looker this guy is! I've always thought Polaris was one of the best colors Breyer has ever done on Huck, and the gloss kicks it into overdrive. He's just so purty! I'm not exactly sure how he was obtained, though - IDYB lists him as a Breyerwest 2007 volunteer and raffle model and a Breyerfest 2007 raffle, but doesn't give any more detail than that. Maybe four were BW volunteer models, one was raffled there and another was raffled at Breyerfest? Maybe someone who knows more can enlighten me on this. 

As for Huck himself, I think it's time he got some more love. He's appeared in the Breyerfest auction a fairly large number of times, but his last RR appearance was discontinued in 2013, and I don't think we've seen anything else new on him since 2018. Let's see something new, dangit! 

Of course, that could end up being a monkey's-paw type of wish, and he'll end up being a raffle model or something else super-rare. But I can dream! 

January Collector Club Newsletter and Valentine's Day plush!

 Exciting news, everyone - the January Collector Club newsletter went out today! And it's even slightly early by Breyer's standards - usually that gets left until the last day of the month, but not this time! Anyway, check your email for more. There's a fun article about old-style dappling techniques, a Duke giveaway, and this tantalizing hint: 

My first thought was Duende, but that can't be right. To me it looks like a jaw/neck, but it could also be a hip, I guess? Not sure who else it could be. Maybe the Cleveland Bay? The hint says there's a new web special theme coming, but that's usually the case every year anyway, so...who knows. I hope we don't have to wait too long to find out! 

Also, this year's Valentine's Day plush has been released - say hello to Wild Love! 

You can get one for free with a $75 purchase, or just buy him outright for $15. I'm not into plushes, but he's definitely cute! 

There's a light at the end of the tunnel!

 …Let's hope it's not an oncoming train. 

Anyway, in today's Breyerfest Blog post, Breyer answered some people's burning questions, including what time the tickets go on sale on Monday! All tickets, including the VIP, will go on sale "around 1pm" on Monday. Huzzah, I get to sleep after all! There's other information there that might be useful, but rather than re-type it all, I'll let you guys read it on the blog using the link above. Now if they'd just show us the rest of the items in the store, like the plush and the Stablemate! 

VIP ticket waitlist!

 Well, the waitlist emails for Breyerfest VIP tickets appear to have gone out...and we weren't selected, unfortunately. Looks like I get to brave the Monday free-for-all with no sleep beforehand. I'm reasonably confident that I can manage to buy one ticket before they sell out...as long as I don't miss the presumably-very-short purchase window. Kind of like how I've been haunting Breyer's website all week, waiting for Lafayette to become available for purchase...because once he goes up, he won't be up for very long before they all sell out, and I'm determined not to miss it. So, good luck to everyone else trying for VIP tickets on Monday...and may the odds be ever in your favor! 

Also, if you have more than two Vintage Club memberships, check your email(s), because it looks like Breyer is finally cracking down on multiple memberships, and some innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire. I suppose I can see why they'd do it, but they really should have just made it a rule last year before people paid their deposits for the upcoming year. I don't have a dog in this fight, because I'm not in this year's VC, but that's my two cents. Also, Breyer, if you don't want people to have 4 memberships in the club...STOP DOING ALL THE GAMBLER'S CHOICE STUFF IN EVERY FRICKING CLUB! Sheesh. 

Oh, and also - Prince, last year's Deluxe Collector Club model, is finally shipping! So keep an eye on your mailboxes. Now if the bonus Stablemates for the PC and VC could ship too...

Featured Model - 1/23/21, Denim Othello

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...the Denim Othello! 

This model was a OOAK produced as one of the centerpiece/giveaway models for the Lone Star Experience collector event in 2009. He was produced on the popular Wintersong/Othello mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. 

This particular event was unique, in that the centerpiece models were all on different molds, making them all OOAK (one of a kind). Usually they're all the same mold, but Breyer must have decided to mix things up a little bit this time (much to our devastation). This particular model stands out because he looks kind of blah from a distance, but when you view the larger photo, you start to notice the details: he has eye whites, shading, he's glossy, his hooves are a different color than the rest of him, etc. His shoes may even be painted - it's hard to tell from that photo. And blue is my favorite color! Another one of those models I would LOOOOOVE to have in my collection - but I don't think I've ever seen any of these centerpiece models come up for sale since the event happened. Models to be jealous of, for sure. 

As for Othello, I think it's safe to say he's my favorite mold. I have most of his releases and whenever something limited comes out, I have to desperately hope it's not on Othello because then I'd have to figure out how to get one. So I was super-relieved when I was picked to volunteer at Breyerfest in 2018 and then he was the volunteer model! Those things aren't cheap either. So where will we see a new Othello? He was a Breyerfest special run last year, so he probably won't be used there for a while. My guess would be as a Collector Club special run, since he's been a web special twice (three times if you count his Christmas release). Maybe he'll be the second collector club special run this year? I guess we'll find out eventually...

VIP ticket selections!

 Well, the VIP ticket selections have been made - and I didn't get chosen, unfortunately. Neither did my husband, so it looks like we're going to have to hope for the wait list or try our luck with the rest of the teeming masses on February 1. From the mutterings I've seen on the interwebs, I think there's a decent chance one of us will get pulled from the wait list. So I'll be crossing my fingers! I'd rather get one from the waitlist, because I have to work all night on 1/31, and I'd rather not have to stay up all day after that to try to get a ticket...

In other news, yesterday it was announced that all of the Limited Edition models will be available for backorder throughout Breyerfest weekend, so if they sell out before you can get to them, you can still place an order for the model and get one in December. I'm in favor of this, because it's one less thing to worry about with regards to actually getting these things. Now if I could just get a VIP ticket and secure Pollock and Ansel...

New arrivals!

Well, this post is a little bit late, but...my Jol models are here! I was able to buy three of them, and these were the colors I got! Sorry for the lack of fanfare. 

Well, two out of three ain't bad. These arrived quite a while ago, though, so in the meantime...

I was able to trade one of the clears for a red! Huzzah! 

I wasn't terribly disappointed to not get a Coal, since I don't collect the Galiceno mold, so it all worked out in the end. Woo! 

My glossy Cheesecake and WH Topgun models also arrived. Check out Cheesecake! 

Isn't he pretty? I still need to set him up next to my matte one and see how they look together.

I love that kind of "milky" look his paint gets with the gloss added to it. Pamplemousse has the same type of effect and it's great.

Lastly, here's WH Topgun! 

I'm not as happy with him as some of the ones I've seen on the Internets - I feel like his dapples could be blended a little better. I like how he looks like a nicely weathered deerskin glove or something (sorry if that's a weird comparison), but the comparison works better if the dapples are more subtle. 

He certainly is handsome though! And he looks good on the shelf next to his matte counterpart. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of the new arrivals, which didn't have many flaws to speak of, he's not the greatest in the quality department. More specifically, he looks like something snagged the edge of his ear before he was glossed, and both of his ears have rubs. He's got a few other minor flaws too, which all add up to something less than ideal...but I'd rather not deal with the hassle of trying to exchange him, if they even have any to exchange.

So, I'm glad Breyerfest 2020 is finally over for me! Haha! 

Anyway, the draw for the Breyerfest 2021 VIP tickets happens tomorrow! Good luck to everyone who entered. I'm seriously afraid I won't be able to get a Pollock if I'm not drawn, so I'm hoping against hope that I get one! 

Stablemate Four-Pack Revealed!

 Good news, everyone - this year's Event Stablemates (formerly known as Single-Day Stablemates) have been revealed! Behold: 

So those are Darley, the shrunken Fighting Stallion, shrinkie SCO and the new Fjord Stablemate. Fun! 

From the blog: 

This year’s BreyerFest has been inspired by color, creativity, and community, and we felt there was no more inspiring way to bring that theme to life than through an exploration of the art world.  We’ve travelled back in time and across the globe learning about historic works and influential people, but for this year’s Event Stablemates models we’ve been inspired by broader strokes – art movements!

I definitely need the Darley and the Fjord for my collection! I love that purple hue with the darker legs versus the white mane, tail and feet. Nice! And the  Darley is blue - my favorite color! Gotta have it. 

I think the only reveals we have left now, other than raffle and prize models, are the Limited Edition Stablemate (formerly the pop-up tent Stablemate) and the plush. Hopefully we get to see those tomorrow!  

Favrile and Apollo!

 Greetings, readers! Well, we have our two Breyerfest reveals for today. Oddly, I'm not as excited about them as I probably should be - but here they are, nevertheless. I'll start with Favrile: 

From the blog: 

Favrile glass is a type of iridescent glass that was first manufactured in Queens, New York in 1896 using a special, patented process.  This model, done on mold #669 and sculpted by Maggie Jenner-Bennett (released as the popular “American Dream” model), has been done in a kaleidoscope of colors inspired by Favrile glass.  He sports a bright, multicolor deco with a shiny gold pattern on top that is an amalgamation of zebra and tiger stripes, as well as Leopard and Cheetah spots, finished with a glossy topcoat. 

That certainly is an insane paint job. I like him and all, don't get me wrong, but I think I'd like him more if the gold areas were silver instead. Just personal preference. He definitely needs to bring his wild self to my house, though! I also feel like he needs just a little bit more pink/red in his color scheme. Not that much, but some, to even things out a little bit. 

Next, let's look at Apollo, another model that wasn't included in the Great Photo Leak! 

 

I'm kind of blah about this one too, honestly. He's like a rehash of 2019's champagne Hero's Welcome, right down to the complete lack of white markings anywhere. I know this one is based on a real horse, while the Hero's Welcome was supposed to be fictional, but...still. Maybe he'll look better in person? I mean, I'll still buy him, but I think other Limited Editions will be higher on the list for me if I get drawn for a VIP ticket. 

The blog says we'll have more reveals tomorrow, so I'm excited to see what those are! I'm guessing they'll be the plush and the Stablemate 4-pack. I can't wait to see what they are! 

Featured Model - 1/16/21, Tom Thumb

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Tom Thumb! 

This cute little guy was the Overall Reserve Grand Prize model at Breyerfest 2011. He's item #711460 and was a run of nine created on the popular Bouncer mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. 

What a cute little pony! I love his soft buckskin color. He's unassuming, but still totally handsome when you really look at him. He almost looks like he'd be soft to touch, like a nice deerskin glove. Ha! 

As for Bouncer himself, he was used as a web special last year (that I still haven't managed to obtain - sigh), so it's hard to say where we'll see him next. Despite his popularity, he really hasn't had all that many obtainable releases - anything other than his original release and maybe Icicle can't be had without laying out three or more figures' worth of cash. So, I wouldn't mind seeing him get a new regular run or some kind of special run, or even better -a Breyerfest special run! Aside from the crystal, he's never appeared there other than as prize models or auction models. Maybe they think people wouldn't want to pay Breyerfest prices for such a small mold? Who knows...but I hope poor Bouncer gets a new, attainable release soon! 

Ooh, pretty!

 Our next two reveals have appeared on the blog - let's start with this year's Best of Breyerfest Stablemate set! 

From left to right, we have the G2 Paso Fino as Perrault, Darwin as Nottingham, the G3 Highland Pony as Tom Thumb, the G3 Stock Horse as Camelot, and the Warmblood Mare as Happily Ever After. Interesting that all of the inspirations this year were from 2011 - I don't think that was the case last year. Oh well - this is a great set! I've always wanted a Nottingham, so it'll be fun to have a miniature one on Darwin. The only other mold here in my collection is the Warmblood Mare, and that dapple gray looks really nice on her. Hopefully I'll be able to snag a set! 

Today's other exciting reveal is a model that didn't appear in the Great Photo Leak of last week! Say hello to Rheverence+! 

Ooh, another Ashquar - yes please! Wow, he looks good in buckskin, and that's certainly a unique pattern. This will be the third time Ashquar appears as a portrait model, after Empres and Thunder. The more the merrier, I say! I hope I can snag this one as well! 

VIP ticket lottery and more new reveals!

 Good news, everyone! Breyerfest 2021's VIP ticket lottery is now available for entry! Check here to enter. It looks like there are 1000 VIP tickets, with 800 of those being distributed through the lottery and the rest to be sold first-come first-serve in the beginning of February. So if you don't get drawn in the lottery, there's still hope! 

In other news, we have two Limited Edition (formerly Store special/pop-up tent items) reveals today - let's start with Queen of Hearts! 

As I suspected, she's a portrait of the real Queen of Hearts. From the blog:

While Josie looks every bit the typical bay warmblood on her right side, it’s her left side that has been known to turn quite a few heads, as it’s covered in unique white brindle markings that resemble stripes! These markings, which only appear on one side, may possibly be the result of her being a chimera, which occurs when two non-identical embryos fuse together in utero.

While I'm seeing rumblings on the Internets that "Josie" probably owes her color to a somatic mutation, rather than chimerism, I definitely like the model! Definitely not something you see every day, eh? I'm a little perplexed at the oversprayed stand, though. They couldn't give it a quick acetone wash after they painted the model? Sheesh. Anyway, they're making 3500 of this girl, so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to add one to my herd. 

Today's other reveal is the crystal! Take a look at Prisma! 

While I don't collect the crystal models, I admit it would be fun to set this one up so the light shines through it to make a rainbow. I see they bumped up the quantities on this one too - a more cynical person might wonder if they did that so they'd have more replacements for the ones that inevitably break in shipping. 

Anyway, can you believe we've had this many reveals so far? This time of year is usually a barren wasteland of news - a long, cold slog punctuated by occasional dribs and drabs from Breyer headquarters. But now it's the middle of January and we've already seen most of what this year's Breyerfest has to offer! I wish it could happen every year. But I guess that means the news wasteland will shift to March, April and May instead of the beginning of the year. I suppose there's a tradeoff for everything...

The last special run reveal and more VIP ticket information!

 Hello, readers! Well, first things first - the ninth special run for Breyerfest 2021 has been revealed. Behold! 

His name is Ansel. From the blog:

Ansel Adams was a life-long environmental conservationist who was born in 1902 in San Francisco and spent his youth in the Sierra Club.  He began his photography career in the later 1920s and is widely considered to be one of the greatest photographers the world has ever known.  His famous black and white landscape images evoke incredible emotion and his controls of exposure and film development to balance light and dark are unsurpassed.  He was a champion of the beauty and splendor of the natural world and it is believed that Adams’ photographs helped to preserve the unspoiled landscapes that were the blossoming national park system.

To pay homage to this incredible artist, our Ansel has been done in a stunning blue roan frame overo pinto, reminiscent of Ansel Adams’ evocative photographs. Done on the brand new Morgan (mold #807) sculpted by Kylee Parks, this model was most recently seen as 2020’s Premier Club release, Troubadour.

Mm, I approve! Troubadour looks great in blue roan pinto. I'll definitely need to add this guy to the collection.  What a handsome model. This one is probably my second favorite, after yesterday's Valegro. 

Today's other new development: there's a summary of all the ticket changes for this year, plus they've announced that the VIP tickets will be limited to one per account, and only available by random draw. I'm...conflicted about this, but I suppose it's for the best, since the VIP tickets are "limited," and this way the resellers won't be able to buy them all up before the rest of us can get to them. So, I'll be entering to buy one! The Valegro seems popular enough that I'd love to be able to reserve one ahead of time and not worry about being drawn for one during Breyerfest weekend.  

Two reveals today!

 Exciting news today - we got two reveals! Yesterday doesn't really count since we didn't actually see the 7 Arts Surprise (resisting the urge to type 7 Rings Surprise). Anyway, meet Tassili! 

From the blog: 

Tassili n’Ajjer is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park located in the Sahara Desert in Southern Algeria.  This massive site is home to sandstone rock formations engraved with over 15,000 images, including cattle, antelope, and people, that date to the Neolithic period – about 12,000 years ago.

Our Tassili model for BreyerFest pays homage to this amazing historical site that is a window into the past of humans and art.  He has been done as a bright, coppery chestnut tobiano pinto with a glossy finish, which reminds us of the color of sandstone. Originally sculpted by Brigitte Eberl, the Marwari (mold #722) was first released in 2012 as a Premier Club model, but has more recently been our 2017 Celebration Horse, Nazruddin.

I love this guy! His chestnut color really does look coppery. And I love that he's glossy! I'll be excited to add him to my herd. However, he's a bit overshadowed by the other reveal....

 

AAAAAAAHHHHHH THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANT IN A BREYER MODEL! NOTHING COULD POSSIBLY BE BETTER THAN THIS - I WANT IT ON EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME! I MAY BUY TWO OF THEM, NOT JOKING! 

Okay, anyway. Done hyperventilating now. The only way this model could possibly be better is if it also had color-shift paint and, like, glitter all over it or something. He's totally a Lisa Frank horse in 3D and I love it so much. Not that I had a lot of Lisa Frank stuff as a kid or anything...But I digress. His name is Pollock and holy crap, I have a new inspiration for that far-off day in the maybe future where I win the design your own Breyer at the silent auction. I want this color on everything! Here's his other side for good measure: 

MUST. HAVE. Holy crap. 

Fortunately, they're making 1600 of them, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get hold of one. Which is good, because this guy has to come to my house! 

More new reveals!

 Hello, readers! We have two new reveals on the blog today - first, our "hint" for the Breyerfest surprise models! 

So it's called 7 Arts Surprise, eh? I wonder if that means there'll be seven different color/finish combinations? It's a quantity of 6,000, which doesn't divide evenly into seven, so the individual quantities must be more like previous years than last year. I'm not sure I want to see seven different colors here though, especially if there's a matte/glossy variant...that would be 14 models to track down! Gulp. If that's the case, I hope they pick a mold I don't collect. On that note, I don't have any guesses right now - I'll have to put some more thought into it before I make any predictions. 

Our other reveal is this year's animal release! 

Interesting that they did a brindle colorway. Does this mean they've finally worked out how to pull off a mass-produced brindle without it looking weird? He does look good from a distance, but we'll have to see what they look like up close. 

I like that it actually resembles the inspiration for it, unlike the Peruvian Paso from yesterday. 

I wonder if this means we'll see that amazing Valegro tomorrow? I hope so! 

The march of new reveals continues!

 Another exciting new reveal today, readers - the palomino Vermeer! Behold! 

Whew, they're making 2,000 of these guys! Well, it's a brand-new mold, so it'll probably sell well. I definitely want one! From the blog:

Georges Seurat was a young artist (he died at age 31) who lived and worked in France during the second half of the 19th century, and is most well-known for his use of pointillism in his paintings.  These incredible works displayed Seurat’s knowledge of color theory as he created stunning images composed solely of tiny dots.

Our Seurat for this year’s BreyerFest celebration isn’t composed solely of dots, but his many dapples reminded us of Seurat’s amazing paintings.  He has been done as a handsome dapple sooty palomino with a pearly mane and tail on the Friesian Sporthorse (mold #806), sculpted by Lynn Fraley and recently released in the 2020 Premier Club.

I don't know if comparing their own company's dapples to pointillism is really a good thing, considering some of the complaints I've seen about crapples, etc., but...whatever floats your boat, I guess. Anyway, I'm excited for the next reveal! 

And yeah, Featured Model was on hiatus last week because I totally forgot about it. I'll get something posted this week, I promise!  

The next reveal!

 Sheesh, I'm a bit late with this one, I know. I saw the reveal earlier, was going to write a post about it, then saw the bit at the bottom that said there was more coming later and forgot about the whole thing completely...until now. Anyway, here he is - Gran Cavallo! 

From the blog:
 

In 1482, the Duke of Milan commissioned Leonardo Da Vinci to create for him what would have been, at the time, the largest bronze horse statue in the world - standing at a massive 26 feet tall. In preparation for his creation, Leonardo did an extensive amount of research on horses, and even wrote two separate treatises dedicated to the project – one on horse anatomy, and the other included detailed project plans for this commission. Leonardo’s Horse, also known as Gran Cavallo, was unfortunately never created and the original clay model was ultimately destroyed.

Never mind the fact that the model doesn't look anything like the sketch...oh well. He's pretty, but I'm conflicted about him - a few months ago I decided to cull all of my Peruvian Pasos for shelf space, but haven't managed to sell any of them yet, so...I still have them...and this guy could easily be added to the collection...but I don't have room for them! Blargh. I guess I'll have to do some thinking about it. Anyway, he is definitely pretty! 

Pech Merle!

 Exciting news, everyone - the Breyerfest reveals continue! Say hello to Pech Merle! 

According to the blog, he's inspired by ancient cave paintings in France. He's done on the John Henry mold and will be a run of 1900. Sheesh, that's a lot - John Henry isn't the most popular mold, so I hope they can get all those sold. The color is amazing, though! I really like his two-tone tail. Nothing I need to buy, but that frees up funds for other things! 

So that's it for today. Looks like we're getting another reveal tomorrow - I can't wait! 

 

Uff-da, indeed!

 Well, we already have our first Breyerfest 2021 model reveal - Uffington! 

This brand-new longboi was inspired by the Uffington White Horse in England. Pretty! I like him a lot - and we even get a price and piece count with him! Excellent. I can't wait to see the rest of the reveals! 

Oops, they did it again...

 Lots of exciting reveals have been happening lately! For instance, Breyerfest tickets have been revamped - among other things, there will be a VIP ticket option that lets the buyer select their special run models and pay for them ahead of time! I hope this means we won't be stuck frantically refreshing our browsers all weekend again. See more about the ticket changes here. 

Also, a number of images of this year's Breyerfest models were leaked today, which brings back fond memories of the time someone made a website mistake and leaked all of the auction models, or that other time someone made a website mistake and leaked Breyerfest models and other upcoming releases. Fun stuff! The last time was 5 years ago or more, so I suppose it was about time for it to happen again. But, since Breyer has already announced they're going to reveal all of this year's models by the end of the month (!), we don't have too long to wait before they get officially revealed! I can't show any of the images here, because I don't want to end up with lawyers going after me. Here's the list of models I saw (I'm leaving a big space here, so if you don't want to be spoiled, stop reading here!
































Altynai in cremello (named Uffington). More like Uff-da, am I right? I know, I crack myself up...
Vermeer in dark palomino
Spanish Fighting Bull in a brown pinto
Valegro in rainbow pintaloosa with gold spots (!!!!)
Peruvian Paso in dark bay overo
John Henry in bay extended blanket Appaloosa
Marwari in chestnut pinto
Bristol in bay with brindling stripes down his side (portrait of Queen of Hearts?)
Rainbow zebra(?) American Dream
Blue roan pinto Troubadour (raffle model?)
And the Best of Breyerfest Stablemates set (mini Nottingham on Darwin, mini Tom Thumb on the G3 Highland Pony, mini Perrault on the G2 Paso Fino, mini Camelot on the G3 Quarter Horse, and mini Happily Ever After on the Warmblood Mare). 

No idea if there are other things to reveal (probably), but I'm super excited about that Valegro! Can't wait to see the official photos soon! 

New year, new announcements!

 Hello, readers! There have been a lot of new reveals and announcements today - I'll start with the new Breyerfest Celebration Horse/ Model! Say hello to Danash's Northern Tempest, or Dani! 

And here's her model!

My reaction: WOW. This is a much more appropriate choice for Celebration Horse, and the model is amazing! Look at all those details! This may be the best Celebration Model Breyer has ever done! Too bad I don't collect True North...and can you imagine how much the glossy ones will be worth? Holy crap! I hope they give away a few more of them this year...well, anyway. 

On to the sadder announcement...Breyerfest 2021 is officially virtual again this year. While I'm not surprised the decision was made, it's still sad to know we won't be gathering in Kentucky this year. Let's hope Breyer can iron out some of the wrinkles from last year, eh? 

I do want to talk about the Kentucky Horse Park, though. The past year has been hard on all of us, and the KHP is no exception. Since we won't be traveling to Kentucky this year, I think it would be a very good thing if collectors would take some of the money they would have spent on this year's trip and donate it to the KHP. Here's their donations page - you can pick from a number of different areas your donation goes toward. I'm not sure how much, or any, funding the KHP gets from the Kentucky government, or whether they're eligible for any of the business loans from the federal government - and we all know the KHP needs all the help it can get anyway. I've asked Breyer to make the KHP one of the Breyerfest beneficiaries in the past, but it never seems to happen. I hope collectors can help the KHP survive! 

And lastly, the Coal model for this year's Christmas event has been revealed! I don't have a photo I can use yet, but as I suspected, it's not a black Icelandic - they used the Galiceno. It makes sense that they would use a different mold since we've already had a glossy black Icelandic (two, if you count the auction model from 2014), and they were probably angling for a mold that would have the same or similar size and weight to the Icelandic, so I can see why they picked it. My Jol models aren't scheduled to arrive until Wednesday/Thursday, so I'll be waiting until then to see what I got! 

Featured Model - 1/1/2021, 2017 Auction Idocus

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it (Happy New Year, by the way)! This week's model is...the 2017 Breyerfest Auction Idocus! 

This guy was a "Dark Bay Reverse Brindle," produced on the Idocus mold sculpted by Sue Sifton. 

Isn't his color interesting? Due to the complexity of painting brindling, we don't get brindle models very often - the only mass-produced one we've ever had was the brindle variant of Diesel back in 2016, and his paint job still left a little to be desired. So it doesn't seem likely that we'll get a mass-produced brindle model in the future...but never say never, I guess. 

This model is also one of the handful of releases that have featured the braided version of Idocus - and I don't know what it is about this hairdo, but I find him infinitely more attractive with the braided mane. Honestly, if they just did him with the mane on the other side of his neck, I'd probably like him more - I think the issue is with having his mane lay on his show side rather than the off side like usual. I'm also not a fan of banged tails, so that doesn't help either. But that's just my personal preference. 

Anyway, when will we see another Idocus? He had a (braided) special run for the Seattle Soiree last year, but isn't currently being used for anything else. He's never been the most popular mold, but maybe he'll get a web special this year? It may be a while before we see him pop up again, honestly. I don't anticipate seeing him used for Breyerfest or as a Collector Club special run, so your guess is as good as mine. In any case, I hope he still has a braided mane/tail in his next appearance!