A shipment of unicorns!

 Greetings, readers! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving - I know I did. And now I have some new unicorns to show you! I'll start with Altair: 

These photos don't quite do him justice, but he's definitely a stunning boy! 

I love the hint of pearl in his coat, and his blue eyes. 

Unfortunately, he does have some quality issues that I'm not terribly happy with. I'll start with his horn - clearly this model wasn't intended to have a horn added later, as his forelock covers the part of his forehead that the horn would come out of (not a knock on the sculptor, just an observation). So they clearly just stuck the horn onto his forelock. The base of the horn is somewhat skinnier than the rest of it (maybe other molds have a hole added in the forehead for the horn to slot into?), so this could make it easier to break off. I've seen a couple of these guys show up with broken horns on Facebook, so I'm sure there are probably more. The horn on mine is crooked, too, which is irksome. 

The bigger issue is this: 

It's somewhat hard to see in this photo, but the model has a seam line that forms an almost perfect square around his shoulders and across his withers/back (it's visible below the gloss drip on the horse's withers - another groanworthy issue). I've never seen this line on any of my other Shire B models, but it's probably a leftover seam from doing the switcheroo to the Shire B's lowered head. What's going on in the factory right now?  This is a fairly large prep oversight. Someone else posted about these lines on Facebook, so clearly mine isn't the only one with the issue. 

They also could have bothered to paint the model's ribbons, but that's a fairly minor issue compared to the things listed above. I'm not going to bother returning this guy, because I just can't be bothered right now (and would risk getting a worse one in exchange). I mean, it's kinda cool being able to see how they change out the heads on the models, but...I'd rather he have properly-cleaned seams. 

Oh well. On to Ceres and Minerva! 

I was happy to see that this pair is glossy! I don't think they were advertised as such. 

As described on the website, Ceres is a blush-pink color with gold mane and tail, whereas Minerva is more uniformly golden. They have a pleasing glittery sheen, too. 

I didn't see any quality issues with the foal, but the mare does have this unfortunate spot on her hip:

It's underneath the gloss, so somebody really screwed up there. 

Otherwise, though, they're both pretty nice.

The foal is for sale, so if you're interested in buying her, send me a message! 

That's all I have for today - I'm still waiting for my holiday Stablemates and the three Poppy & Ollie sets to arrive, so let's hope we get some exciting reveals in the meantime! 

November Collector Club Newsletter!

 Greetings, readers! I hope everyone was able to buy the Merry & Bright Stablemates they wanted- they certainly took longer than usual to sell out! Presumably that means they made more of them than usual. I ended up ordering four of them because, well, they qualified for free shipping, so why pay for shipping when you can get another model instead? I hope I get the three colors I want - good luck to everyone else too! 

Chadwick, the palomino Emerson, went up for sale this morning and appears to still be available tonight, so they probably made plenty of him as well. He is definitely pretty, just not something I need anymore. 

And lastly...is it a miracle? Somebody check the calendar. The November Collector Club newsletter has been released a whole week early, by Breyer standards! I'm shook. If you're a Collector Club member, check your email to find it. There's an article about Breyer polo ponies, the Ponies & Palm Trees recap (sheesh, Breyer has been all about the ampersands lately), a Snowbird giveaway, and this tantalizing sneak peek:

According to the Internets, this is probably Hamilton - say it ain't so! There go my chances at being drawn. Or maybe not, if they made 750 of them like Kalahari. I hope so, because if it is Hamilton I'm going to want him for the conga! 

Poppy & Ollie, and new releases this week!

 Lots of exciting news to share today! Firstly: the final release of the 2022 Vintage Club, Poppy and Ollie, is now available to order for Vintage Club members. Remember that the free Stablemate for this year, Dandy, is bundled with this set. Woohoo! 

Secondly, this year's second Collector Club release, Chadwick, is finally being released on Wednesday at 12PM EST. Here's a pic to jog your memory! 

He's nothing I need, but that's okay. More for everyone else! 

And lastly, this year's holiday Stablemate blind bags (groan) have been revealed:

They're definitely pretty, and I need three of them! They're limited to two per order, so I'm just going to order three and be done with it. That's the number I'd buy if we were allowed to pick the ones we want. So let's hope I'm lucky again! These will be available TOMORROW at 12PM EST. I expect they'll sell out fast, so if you want them, don't waste any time ordering. And good luck! 

Official reveal of Kit, and new arrivals!

 More exciting news today, everyone - we have an official reveal of Kit, the final release in this year's Stablemates Club! 

Very nice, though I don't really think the mold resembles a Haflinger very much - looks more like some kind of draft to me. I kinda want to see one next to another Stablemates mold to see how they compare, size-wise. I do like him though, especially his head and neck. Can't wait for him to be released! Looks like Breyer hopes to release him in early December, along with the bonus Stablemate for this year (Helios), so their shipping must have gotten back on track - at least, for the Stablemates Club. I guess we'll see if that happens or not. 

In other exciting news, I had an exciting pony arrival day today! First up, my Deluxe Stablemates Club model, Ellington:

What a handsome boy.

Very few flaws to speak of too, which was nice. He does have a spot on his belly that looks...overly red, for lack of a better description:

But he's still a pretty nice model, and I was happy to see he came in the satin bag again like usual. I wish the Stablemates Club would go back to those, honestly. 

Next, my Kalahari arrived today as well! 

Certainly a striking paint job! 

He leaves a bit to be desired in the quality department, however:

He's got something weird going on with the paint on his butt just above the flipped part of the tail, and the tail itself is a little weird where it attaches to the model. 

His left front hoof seems oddly sunken all the way around, and since my other Marwari models are in storage, I can't compare models to see if they're all like that. I feel like I would have noticed it if they were? But maybe not. 

He's also got some eye-colored paint underneath his eye and numerous small flaws in other places, but honestly...I've seen worse ones on Facebook, including one where the tail wasn't even attached to the hindquarters, so I guess I'll just put this one in storage with the others and be done with it. 

I also got my second Atli today and it was another chestnut, which is looking like the least desirable color (and hardest to trade), so the less said about that, the better.

So it was a pretty good mail day overall - let's hope we get some more fun reveals tomorrow! 

Official reveals and Breyerwest 2023 signups!

Greetings, readers! I'm excited to say we have official reveals of the Giorgio Stablemate and Poppy and Ollie sets from Breyer! It's good to have some better-quality photos. First, Giorgio:

He's really nice! Looking forward to getting mine whenever my Anamar arrives. The Premier Club blog says they expect these to ship early next month, so let's hope that time frame is accurate.

Next, here's Poppy and Ollie! 

So they are all glossy. Cool! The three colors are as follows: dappled primitive bay, alabaster-inspired perlino and shaded chalky palomino. I hope I can get all three - they look really nice. Primitive bay is one of my least favorite horse colors, but it doesn't look too bad on these two. Though the "alabaster-inspired perlino" is a little groan-worthy - they should have just done a straight alabaster and called it a day. And as I previously mentioned, the palominos look like that auction set from a few years ago. I hope I can get all three! I have tentatively managed to secure three sets, so let's hope I can get all three colors with a minimum of trading afterwards.

Lastly, signups for Breyerwest 2023 are now available, though I believe the live show and swap meet are already sold out. You can still get a glossy Chardonnay, though! 

He has to be picked up by the same person that ordered him, though, so plan accordingly. 

That's all I have for today - let's hope we get more exciting reveals tomorrow! 

More news! This year's JAH is showing up in the wild!

 Great news, everyone! This year's JAH has started showing up at people's houses, with many exciting reveals! I haven't seen an image of the cover yet, but there are plenty of fun things within. I'll start with the last release in this year's Stablemates Club - say hello to new Haflinger Kit! 

Looks cute - I guess she's been clipped, judging by the legs and butt stars. She looks promising, but I want to see the actual magazine photo before I decide if I want it. 

Next, here's the reveal of Giorgio, the Premier Club Stablemate for this year! 

So the much-awaited color reveal is that of Anamar! I have to say the mini Georg looks really nice in rose gray. Can't wait to get mine! As a reminder, they're shipping with the Anamar models this year, so keep that in mind if/when preselling yours. 

And lastly, here's the final release in the 2022 Vintage Club! 

That's right - they're on the Hermosa and Corazon molds. Gulp...I'm going to regret not having a VC membership this year. I'm pretty sure they're all glossy, too - or at least the bay set are. Interestingly, the palomino set strongly resembles this auction set from 2017, and the bay set is very similar to Mamacita and Chico from 2016. Hopefully the gloss will set them apart sufficiently. The alabaster set is making me think of a Barbie playset for some reason, though. Oh well. Anyway, if you have a set you want to sell for a reasonable price, send me a message! 

Lastly, though I don't have a photo I can use, the centerpiece model for Ponies & Palm Trees was revealed (and raffled off to attendees) over the weekend - it turned out to be a bay polo pony Smarty Jones, a portrait of one of the horses at the event. Nice! Makes me glad I decided to sell off all my Smarties. If you won one of them, congrats! Uh, apparently someone sold theirs for $8,000 right after they were raffled off, so keep that in mind if you ever need an instant house payment or something! 

A veritable avalanche of news!

 Wow, so many things to report on today! Okay, I'll admit I kinda forgot about updating some new reveals on the blog yesterday, so I'll start with those. Firstly, the special run for next year's Breyerwest has been revealed! 

That's right - it's a glossy version of Chardonnay from this year's Breyerfest! I wondered if we were going to ever get glossy store specials. I believe they'll need to be preordered in advance, one per customer, and ID will be checked at the door - they're really serious about people only getting one of these. So if you want one, good luck! I don't need one, fortunately. 

Next, here's my first Atli model! 

Not gonna lie, I was hoping to get one of the other colors, since the chestnut doesn't seem to be very popular so far. I have another one coming at some point, though, so let's hope that one is a more exciting color than this one. Quality-wise he's fine - I didn't see any issues with him, except that the chestnut color on his legs doesn't go quite far enough to cover up the gold underneath, so it looks a bit like he has gold mapping. No biggie. 

Okay, on to the news from today! I'll start with the Black Friday sale (not sure why they opened it, uh, checks notes two weeks before Black Friday, but whatevs). Lots of cool stuff there for Collector Club members, so if you got anything, congrats! I didn't see the sale in time to buy anything, but wouldn't have gotten anything if I had, so I'm cool with it. 

It'll be interesting to see if anyone gets a matte Claude - I'm surprised they had any left over to start with. Same with Midas, honestly. 

And lastly, the Ponies & Palm Trees event is going on as we speak, and the special runs for the event have been revealed! Behold: 

Ugh...very sad I didn't get drawn to go. I need that Duende and Bouncer for the conga! Secondhand prices will be through the roof, but maybe I can trade for one someday or something. Anyways, congrats if you are there and get to buy some of these beauties! I hope attendees are able to get the models they want. Kind of a weird mix of molds for something that was supposed to be based on polo, but I guess that's Breyer for you. I guess the Strapless fits, but not the rest of them. 

That's all I have for today - I'm excited to see the centerpiece raffle model for Ponies & Palm Trees, though! Good luck to the attendees! 

Kalahari selections are out and Delray is revealed!

 Good news, readers - selections for Kalahari have been sent out, and I was drawn for one! This is the first web special I've been drawn for this year (though I've only entered for two others)! 

Can't wait to see what he looks like in person! And congratulations to all the other winners out there! 

In other news, we also know what the Delray Stablemate for the upcoming Ponies & Palm Trees event looks like! 

Evidently it was revealed to event attendees last week, as I saw a few listed for presale with this image. Sucks that it's a Cantering Warmblood - the prices are still pretty insane even for models included with the tickets, so I doubt I'll be able to add one to my collection anytime soon. Oh well. 

Hard to believe Ponies & Palm Trees is happening this week - I hope we get some fun reveals soon! 

Kalahari is revealed!

 Behold, readers - the latest wild animal web special is here! Say hello to African painted dog Kalahari! 

What a handsome boy! Gotta add him to my collection. Fortunately, my chances of doing that are higher than ever before, since they increased the quantity to 750. Funny, I can remember the days (not that long ago) when collectors turned up their noses at runs of 350 for being too many! How the turntables...or something. I just realized that the first release of this mold was named Kalahkaari - say those two names three times fast! Or try to. Anyway, good luck to everyone entering! 

Atli is now available for purchase!

 2022 Stablemates Club members, rejoice! This year's gambler's choice release, Atli, is finally available for sale! 

I guess he's only a little late, technically. But it seems like a lot. Anyway, I like the decorator the best, so I hope I get that one - I only have one membership this year, so I'm hoping to find the other three on the secondary market for not-ridiculous prices. So uh, hit me up if you have an extra Atli or three you'd like to sell! 

In other news, this year's Deluxe Collector Club Stablemate, Ellington (the glossy bay pinto Django) must be in stock and ready to ship - they've started showing up in people's order histories. If you've moved since signing up for the club last year, make sure you contact Breyer and give them your updated address, because they're currently shipping to whatever address you entered when you joined the club. 

We have a 2023 Celebration Horse!

 Greetings, readers! Exciting news today - the 2023 Breyerfest Celebration Horse (and Model) have been announced! Say hello to Bravour 54! 

From the blog:

The Celebration Horse for 2023’s BreyerFest celebration of Driving Forward is a true leader and the perfect combination of beauty and intelligence, with just enough fiery temperament to make him a standout driving horse!

The triathlon of the driving world, Combined Driving tests the control, agility, obedience, and endurance of horses and drivers over three phases of competition – Dressage, Marathon, and Cones. International driver Misdee Wrigley Miller ended up finding the perfect addition to her four-in-hand team in KWPN gelding Bravour 54.

 

He's definitely a looker! When it comes to the choice of mold, though...well, all I'm really going to say is there are going to be a LOT of people reselling them next year. But the owners are happy with it, and that's all that really matters, right? I wouldn't have picked the Trakehner myself (my choice probably would be Troubadour, though he isn't quite the best match for the horse), but them's the breaks, I guess. I hope we get to see more Breyerfest stuff soon!