Featured Model - 3/12/2022, Bay Rabicano Auction PAS/PAF

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model that I don't own but has an interesting history behind it, give some stats on it and provide commentary on it. This week's model is...the 2004 Breyerfest Auction Bay Rabicano Proud Arabian Stallion! And the Foal, as well. 

These models were OOAK test models produced on the Proud Arabian Stallion and Proud Arabian Foal molds sculpted by Chris Hess.

Wow! I had no idea these two models even existed. I was perusing IDYB, looking for models to write about, and this guy jumped out at me when I clicked on the Proud Arabian Stallion's page. They're painted to match the Connoisseur Shalimar model on the Proud Arabian Mare mold. What a beautiful family they'd make! It would be amazing to have these in my collection. I hope their owner has a Shalimar so they can all be together. Here's the foal:

I guess that just goes to show that Breyer should make more family sets, since they don't seem to do that very much anymore - the only recent exception I can think of is the OOAK glossy Dominante/Fantasia Del C/Gozosa set that was sold at Breyerfest a few years ago, though I'm probably forgetting something. We get plenty of mare and foal sets, but not so many stallions (though I guess we do get plenty of  Classics/Freedom Series families, now that I think about it). Well, whatevs - we need a new Traditional family, says I! 

Not sure where we could expect to see the PAS/PAF used next - vintage molds tend to get shoved aside by newer ones, though I'll note we haven't seen the PAF in the Vintage Club yet, and we still haven't seen the full lineup for this year - maybe we'll get something there? Hmm, maybe a PAS/PAM/PAF family set in, like...Appaloosa Performance Horse paint? That's already been done on test models, but that doesn't necessarily keep Breyer from using it in a wider release. And I'm sure they'd be popular. Failing the APH colors, maybe buckskin? Probably wouldn't sell as well, though. Either way, it's definitely a possibility. They'd probably be spendier than the usual Vintage Club release, too, but I suspect collectors wouldn't mind that too much. It'd certainly be exciting to see!