The final Limited Edition reveal and Flamingo!

 Good news, everyone - we have our final Breyerfest Limited Edition reveal! Say hello to Buggy! 

He's pretty, but very reminiscent of the blind bag Django from 2018. I feel like they could have been a little more creative with his color here, and the Buggy name honestly makes me think of bugs more than horse-drawn vehicles. Maybe Hansom instead? Then they could have made some sort of "Handsome" joke. Oh, I crack myself up. 

Anyway, Buggy is the online-only Stablemate Limited Edition, and they've said this is the last reveal for this year's Breyerfest. So there isn't going to be a single decorator Stablemate for the in-person store this year, I guess. Maybe the last few haven't been selling very well? Who knows.

Lots of people are wondering why we haven't seen an Old Timer among this year's offerings, and I have to wonder if he'll end up being a raffle model. It's not exactly set in stone that the raffle models be brand-new molds, so it's definitely a possibility. I was going to suggest that he could be the diorama contest prize (he'd be perfect for that, honestly) before I remembered that prize has been replaced with glossy Bravo 54 models - what a letdown. Anyway, let's hope they don't make us wait until July to see the raffle models (again), but I'm not holding my breath. 

In other news, my Flamingo unexpectedly arrived today! Last time I looked at the tracking, the delivery was estimated as happening tomorrow, so I was pleasantly surprised. Behold! 

What a beauty! She could stand to be a bit pinker, honestly, but she's not terrible.

Her dapples are nice and subtle, too. No chicken wire in this house! 

She isn't the worst thing I've ever seen, quality-wise, but has a lot of plastic goobers from a less-than-stellar cleanup job before being painted. A bit disappointing considering her price, but not horrible. 

That's all I have for today - keep in mind that Breyerfest tickets go on sale tomorrow! I'm hoping to snag a VIP ticket and then wait until later to buy the rest of my tickets - don't want to spend that much money all at once. Ciao! 

Breyerfest reveal and January Collector Club Newsletter!

 Greetings, readers! We have our latest Breyerfest reveal today - a beautiful Yasmin named Studebaker! Behold: 

What a pretty girl! Here's her other side:

I really like her - she's this year's online Limited Edition - only available to order online, not at the event. I hope I can get my hands on one! And I hope they don't do the matte/glossy split again this year...

The blog says the final Limited Edition model will be revealed tomorrow, which leaves me a bit confused - they haven't shown a singleton Stablemate yet (i.e. Wittelsbach last year), but they haven't shown an online Stablemate yet either (like last year's Torlinie). Maybe they aren't doing an online Stablemate? Seems weird that they'd discontinue the single Stablemate Limited Edition, but I guess stranger things have happened. I can't imagine Torlinie sold that well (probably would have sold better if they hadn't used such an overused mold), so it could go either way, I guess. We'll find out tomorrow! 

In other news, the January Collector Club newsletter is out in the wild - Collector Club members, check your email for more. Among other things, there's a fun Breyer Rewind article, a giveaway of the new Orren Mixer Appaloosa, and ...this sneak peek: 

...Boo, I say! Boo! Give us a real sneak peek! 

Looks like it ties in with St. Patrick's Day pretty well, though. 

Anyway, I'm excited to see tomorrow's Breyerfest reveal! And for that matter, a reveal of whatever that was in the December newsletter, because Flamingo doesn't match it. 

Breyerfest tickets on sale soon!

 Good news, readers - well, as good as we can get considering there wasn't a new Breyerfest reveal today. But anyway - Breyerfest tickets will be available for purchase on February 1 at 1pm EST! Woohoo! The ticket pages will go live on Monday so people can decide what they want, and there'll (presumably) be a new reveal on the blog as well! If I'm counting right, we're only waiting on the regular Limited Edition Stablemate and the online Trad and Stablemate, if they do those again this year. So I'm excited for Monday! Have a good weekend, everyone! 

We have a plush!

Greetings, readers! Today's Breyerfest Limited Edition reveal is...the plush! Say hello to Sulky! 

From the blog: 

For today's Limited Edition reveal, we are so excited to show off to fans this year’s adorably squishable plush! Sulky is ready to roll in his snazzy BreyerFest silks, featuring the BreyerFest logo embroidered on his front and the Driving Forward logo imprinted on his back.

Nothing I need, but he sure is cute!  

I can't help but notice the blog post doesn't say there's another reveal tomorrow, so I'm guessing we either get nothing or a sneak peek for next week. Boo! Well, let's hope we get something anyway. 

Another must-have!

 Good news, everyone! We have another Breyerfest Limited Edition reveal - the Best of Breyerfest Stablemate set! Behold: 

Ooh, nice! They're based on models from Breyerfest 2013 this time. Here's closeups, starting with Singletree: 

He's based on the Honky Tonk early bird model on the Nokota, all three of whom seem to have disappeared into the ether. Next, here's Liverpool:

She's a mini version of Music Row, the Open Show Reserve Grand Prize. For some reason I got really confused by this model and thought she had a different tail than the usual Magnolia, but I must be imagining it. In other thoughts...the first thing I thought when I saw this one was GIVE THIS MOLD A REST ALREADY, SHEESH. There have to be some other molds out there that have existed for twice as long as this one has but were given half as many releases. 

Okay, anyway. Next we have Whippletree! 

He's a mini version of the 2013 Breyerfest volunteer model Opry. I wonder if some of them will be matte in a sly reference to the fact that the three manager Oprys weren't glossed? Heh. 

Next, here's Landau: 

This one is based on Minnie Pearl, the Open Show Grand Prize model. Looks like her color matches pretty well! 

Lastly, here's Hames:

 

He's obviously a small version of Walk of Fame, the 2013 diorama prize model! Very handsome, though I feel something is missing without his ribbons. 

All in all, a pretty nice set! I only need two of them, though (Singletree and Whippletree, natch), but it shouldn't be too hard to separate them out and sell the others later. There's yet another reveal coming tomorrow, so I'll be watching the blog again tomorrow to see what it is! 

Breyerfest crystal and a new test run!

 Well, readers, we have our Breyerfest crystal model! 

Well, that's something of a surprise - I don't think anyone was expecting Calliope to be converted to crystal. From the blog:

For this year’s celebration of BreyerFest: Driving Forward, we’ve created Phaeton, a stunning crystal version of Kathleen Moody’s American Saddlebred porcelain model Calliope, who will be a part of this year's Limited Edition model lineup. Though the original porcelain release was about the size of a Traditional model, this scaled-down version is about 5” tall and a perfect fit for your curio cabinet.

Nothing I need, thankfully. There's supposed to be another reveal tomorrow - maybe it'll be the plush? Or the single Stablemate? Or something else? Let's hope it's something exciting! 

We also have our first test model of the year! Collector Club members can enter for a chance to purchase this test run, on the Misty mold:

It's rare to see Misty in any color other than the Misty colorway, and I think this one looks pretty nice on her. Not nice enough to enter for her, though - I'm not a Misty fan, nor do I feel like spending $1,000 right now. The entry deadline is 1/26 at midnight, so don't waste any time entering if you want her. Good luck to everyone entering! 

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

 Happy Monday, readers! It's the start to another week of exciting Breyerfest reveals - and Breyer definitely started things off with a bang! Say hello to the last Traditional Limited Edition for Breyerfest! 

From the blog:

When you think of the Drum Horse breed, the first thought that usually comes to mind is a horse carrying a large set of drums in a parade. FVA’s Grand Design, known as Tilly in the barn, is breaking the mold and showing the world just how versatile the Drum Horse can be!  

A new Othello? Say no more! He's pretty much my favorite mold, and this is the first time we've seen him as a mare, so I gotta get one. This means I don't have to worry about him being the surprise (not that I was worried anyway), and I don't think we're likely to see a glossy version of him later - I think she'll sell well enough not to need the glossy treatment. Although I wouldn't say no to a glossy preorder option. I've seen some complaints that she looks too similar to the regular run SBH Phoenix, but honestly I don't think it'll be hard to differentiate between the two, especially with the white tail on this one. 

In other news, Flamingo winners were drawn today, and I was one of the lucky winners! I really didn't think I'd get drawn for her, so that was one order I was happy to complete as fast as I could. Can't wait to see her in person! Congrats to all the winners!  

Scurry scurry

 Well, we have our ninth Breyerfest special run (clearly I forgot how to count yesterday)! Here she is - say hello to Scurry! 

From the blog:

For our final BreyerFest: Driving Forward Special Run model reveal, we wanted to make sure we included an adorable pony in the mix! Scurry driving is where a pair of ponies competes for the best time pulling a carriage through a course of cones. It was developed in the 1960s and stems from chuck wagon racing, another exciting equestrian sport!

It's good to see the Fell Pony get used again, even if she is similar to the mini Fell Pony that was just in the Tractor Supply blind bags last year. Oh well - I still want one! She's definitely going on my list. 

The blog says there'll be another reveal on Monday - my guess is the crystal or another Limited Edition. I'm sure we'll see the rest of the Limited Edition stuff next week, and if we're really lucky we'll get to see the raffle models! So I'm excited for Monday! Also thankful that they actually revealed this one today rather than giving us a sneak peek and leaving us hanging all weekend. 

In other news, the drawing for the six glossy Zafirah models from amongst the 2022 Premier Club members has evidently finally taken place, so be sure to check your email and/or your spam folder to see if you were drawn. I wasn't one of the lucky winners, but the odds of being drawn were pretty dang low, so I'm not that upset about it. Better luck next time, I guess!  

I stand corrected

 Greetings, readers! Another day, another Breyerfest reveal - and this one is a doozy! I guess I spoke too soon when I said we'd found our Pollock/Stein equivalent for this year - behold! 

His name is Jump & Drive (incidentally, I'm not a fan of this new ampersand trend). What a hunk - but somehow, I'm kind of underwhelmed by him. Not sure why. Maybe it's his blue eyes? Not that I don't want to buy him, and I'm not sure what could be done to make him even better. I guess he looks a lot like the sable champagne Seven Arts Surprise from 2021. But that isn't a bad thing - I just feel like I should like him more than I do. Maybe if his mane was inexplicably white too? I don't know. Either way, I'll probably put him on my VIP selections to be sure I can get one. Happily, the blog says the last special run for Breyerfest will be revealed tomorrow! I guess they're going back to 8 special runs after having 9 for the last three years.

Today's other exciting reveal was the first web special of the year! Good news - the Birds of a Feather series continues with Flamingo! 

I have to be honest here...I'm underwhelmed by this one, too. She's supposed to be a rose grey, but she looks more like the perlino Poppy & Ollie or Apollo, to name a few. I think she'd have matched her name better if she were red roan, or looked more like this Thoroughbred colt I saw at Taylor Made back in 2019:

His name is Ghostliner, if you'd like to do some career research on him. Anyways, that's a lot closer to pink than what we have in the photo above. 

Edit: I was going to mention that Breyer may have wanted to keep her an Arabian color and red roan doesn't occur in the Arabian breed, hence the rose grey instead. But rabicano is a thing in Arabians...so, that would have been an option. Oh well. Bonus: here's a photo of Ghostliner as of July 2022 when he was sold at a Fasig-Tipton sale.

But, Flamingo still pretty and I hope I get drawn for her! Let's hope I have better luck with web specials than I did last year. The run number on her is back down to 500 though, so the odds seem slim. Anyway, good luck to everyone entering for her! 

Holy smokes!

 Well, readers, we have our next Breyerfest special run reveal - say hello to Wells! 

Well, that knocks Shannondell out of contention for the surprise. Oh well. I like his smoky color, though I'm not a fan of the mold. I wonder if he'll be the matte/glossy split? He would look amazing in gloss. And I just saw a post by Sommer Prosser on Facebook that she designed his color - looks like she knocked it out of the park again. 

There's supposed to be another reveal tomorrow, so I'll be anxiously awaiting tomorrow!

I think we have our Pollock/Stein

 Wow, pretty exciting reveal on the Breyerfest Blog today! A lot of people thought yesterday's sneak peek was a Stablemate, but that is...not the case! Say hello to Nemea! 

Wow, this guy is amazing. 

From the blog: 

For our BreyerFest celebration of Driving Forward this summer, we were inspired by this beautiful 4th century BCE Amphora to create Nemea on the Akhal Teke mold (#805) sculpted by Heather Puleo, who has been shaded in a gorgeous orangey brown with a fiery mane and black decorative details, featuring a beautifully painted quadriga and driver on his barrel.

I feel like this one is going to be this year's Pollock or Stein equivalent, unless they reveal something more amazing in the remainder of this month. I'm a little surprised they'd use him again for a special run so soon(ish) after using him back in 2021 for Uffington, but I'm not going to complain too much. I need him! I hope he isn't the matte/glossy split, though - that would really make the collectors crazy. 

There's supposed to be another reveal tomorrow, so I hope it's something great!  

It's a Classic!

 Good news, everyone! Friday's sneak peek turned out to be a Classic on the Fairfax mold! Check him out! 

From the blog: 

 To commemorate this fun piece of art history, we’ve created Delft on Mindy Berg’s Morgan stallion, mold # 667, for our Freedom Series Limited Edition decorator model. The barrel of this striking blue and white resist splatter dapple decorator features a vintage-inspired horse and driver done in dark blue, reminiscent of the finely-detailed pastoral scenes found on vases, platters, and tiles that made Delft famous. 

I love the decal on this one! Definitely fitting for the theme, and reminiscent of Misty's Twilight (but I'm glad they didn't use Misty's Twilight for this, because then I wouldn't buy it). A great addition to this year's lineup. 

In related news, apparently we're half done with Breyerfest reveals, and we got a sneak peek for tomorrow! Check it out: 

 

Looks like something Crayola-related to me. Okay, I kid. But the buzz on the Internets is that it's something Greek pottery-related, which is fine with me, as long as we don't end up with any unintentional Xanadu references. So I'm excited to see what we get tomorrow! Breyer has done at least one cool Greek-themed thing in the past, so it'll be interesting to see what they came up with! 

As I suspected...

So, I was right to figure we weren't getting a full reveal today - instead we get another sneak peek! Behold! 

Not sure who it is at this stage, but it very well could be the Classic decorator. Although my first thought was something Babe the Blue Ox-themed, honestly. Guess we'll find out on Monday! But we'll have plenty to speculate about in the meantime, because the logo for this year's surprise model was also revealed today! 

Stagecoach surprise, eh? I'll admit I hadn't put much thought into possibilities for this year's surprise model. I imagine Shannondell is a possibility, along with True North and possibly Brishen if he doesn't show up anywhere else. Ruffian and Wixom could be contenders, also. But it'll be easier to make guesses when everything else is revealed, so let's hope we get most of the reveals this month! 

What a beauty!

 Well, we did get another Breyerfest reveal today after all! It's a Limited Edition (aka store special) portrait on the Troubadour mold, named HD Harkness! 

From the blog: 

With his famous “look at me” attitude, HD Harkness has picked up multiple wins from countless shows in Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, and Kentucky, and has won the attention and admiration of spectators! To honor these achievements, we’ve immortalized HD Harkness for this summer’s BreyerFest on Kylee Parks’ Troubadour, mold # 807, in an absolutely stunning bay.

This is a stunning model, indeed! Looks pretty similar to the Fireheart coming out later this year for Collector Club members, minus the gloss. Speaking of gloss...this guy would look absolutely smashing in glossy. Let's hope they decide to do preorders for glossy Limited Editions again this year, because I don't think my heart could take it if they decide to gloss this guy for Breyerwest next year. Perish the thought! Anyway, I can't wait to see this one in person! 

In other, less-Breyerfesty news, this year's Valentine's Day plush debuted today! Check her out! 

Cute, but nothing I need. She doesn't appear to be sold out yet, so there's still time to buy, if you're into that sort of thing! 

Anyway, there's going to be another reveal (hopefully not a sneak peek this time) on the blog tomorrow - I'm excited to see what it is! See you tomorrow! 

It Begins

Greetings, readers! So it turns out today's Breyerfest reveal is a mare and foal set after all - check out Surrey and Axle! 

I wasn't really expecting another mare and foal set this year since we just had one last year, but I guess I don't make the rules. I really hope Axle's right front hoof is suffering from a bad Photoshop job, though (and they could have put a little more thought into the name - Fringe, maybe?) This set sure is pretty, if you can look past Lady Phase's nonexistent forelock and slowly-disappearing ears. Her mold is sorely in need of retooling, or doing something to fix it...but I digress. Fortunately, this set is nothing I need, and presumably is also our vintage mold for the special run releases. Nice to see the swish tail on Lady Phase, too. 

Predictably, this reveal also brought out complaints about the models not fitting the theme. Look, I've done plenty of complaining about models not matching the theme myself, but considering we've only seen about 1/4 of the releases for this year, it seems a little premature to be complaining about it now - especially since, you know, pretty much any type of horse can pull a cart. So let's maybe wait a little bit before we start nitpicking everything? I'm reasonably sure we'll see Georg as a raffle model this year, and probably a few other draft molds besides. Speaking of which, the blog says to check back again tomorrow! I hope it's another reveal and not a sneak peek, because it seems like my patience wears just a tiny bit thinner every time they release another sneak peek instead of just showing us the model. So I guess we'll see! 

Won't Get Fooled Again, and other matters

 Well, my Grab Bag #2 has arrived, with little surprise about the contents. Behold:

Could be worse, I suppose - I guess the people who ordered the Grab Bag #1 got hit by a warehouse snafu and only got about $200 worth of items in their box (they were advertised as containing $350 worth of items). It's not a complete bust, anyway - I'll keep the puzzle and the Stablemates painting sets, and the Classics will make good birthday presents for the kids. And I will admit it was fun to open the box and pull out all the stuff inside. Maybe next time the boxes will have a little more variety...not that I'll be buying. 

In other news, there's a new set of sneak peeks on the Breyerfest blog! Behold:

They seem to like posting sneak peeks that are about impossible to figure out, so it's hard to say what these are - but speculation online is that it's some kind of pony set, possibly including something on Midnight Tango. I guess we'll find out tomorrow! 

No One Ever Expects Mr. Peanut

 Well, we're back from the weekend break with another reveal on the Breyerfest blog! Check out Peanutine! 

As most collectors were figuring, it is a new Brighty - but I don't think anyone expected it to be named for an obscure old candy. Nice to see them making an effort to stick to the theme, too. From the blog:

In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Peanutine was a treat that was unique to the shores of Old Orchard Beach in Maine and sold to customers via a peanut-shaped wagon pulled by a tandem of donkeys. The recipe is simple and can be found here, and while there is little known about how many of these adorable wagons were made, their legacy lives on through beautiful postcards that have been preserved.

I have a terrible weakness for sweets, so I'm intrigued by the peanutine recipe. I may just have to get some peanuts and try it out! 

As for the Peanutine model, it's unclear whether this is the animal special run, since it's still an equine. Maybe we'll find out tomorrow, since there's another reveal coming! Let's hope so.  

Should Have Known

 Well, Breyer said we'd get another Breyerfest reveal yesterday (or, well, they said something along the lines of "see you back here tomorrow,"), so I took that to mean we'd get another full reveal! Rookie mistake, I guess, because we got a sneak peek instead:

Scuttlebutt on the Internets is that this is a Brighty. Easy pass for me if that's the case. I guess we'll find out on Monday! 

Nope

 Good news, everyone! Today's special run reveal is: Araba! 

From the blog: 

Araba is the Turkish word for a type of carriage or cart used in Turkey and neighboring Middle Eastern countries. These are usually heavy carts, without springs, that are often covered. They can vary in size and decoration and are used for all types of functions, from carrying goods to transporting people.

 

She's pretty and all, but nothing can hide or fix those front legs. Oh well - more for somebody else! There's supposed to be one more reveal tomorrow, so I wonder if it'll be another special run, or another Limited Edition? Time will tell. 

Also, I forgot to mention yesterday that the Grab Bag #1 bundle appeared and then sold out on the website. I didn't partake this time, which is probably a good thing, based on the photos of grab bag contents I've been seeing on Facebook. (Hint: Not worth it, like at all. Like, really?). But that shouldn't be surprising. Guess I'll see if mine is the same as everyone else's when it gets here! 

Fluffy and White

 Exciting news, everyone! We have a Limited Edition (formerly known as a Store Special) release for Breyerfest 2023! Check out Snuffles Snowball Via Lattea! 

Ooh, a beautiful white Constantia! I love her. She's based on a real-life white Italian Trotter. I wonder if she'll have a glossy option? Probably not, but you never know. 

I can't wait to see this one in person. 

That's all for today, but the blog says there'll be another reveal tomorrow. Let's hope it's something exciting! 

2023 Models are officially released!

 Good news, everyone -we finally have confirmation of the whole 2023 product line, including the 2023 Holiday Collection, Flagship model and more! Check it all out here. But here's the 2023 Holiday Horse! 

Highlander, eh? But there can't be only one - this is a regular run item. Uh, anyway...it's a nice color on the True North - looks a lot like the amber champagne models they've been doing lately, although the description calls him a buckskin. 

Next, here's the 2023 Flagship model(s), Mariposa and Flor! 

Ooh, a new release on the coveted Susecion and Le Fire molds. And what a rich shade of bay! I wouldn't have minded a white sock here or there, but they're still really nice. Triple Mountain is all sold out of these (I managed to snag a set from them), but there are probably still quite a few other retailers that can get them. Chelsea's Model Horses will have them at 6pm EST on 1/5, and Golden Oaks will probably have them at some point also. 

Next, let's take a look at the 2023 Halloween Horse, Spectre! 

He's an Ashquar, so I have to have him in any case, but I sorta wish he had a little more black in his design. Purple seems like a relatively recent addition to "Halloween colors," and I figure it would tie in a little bit more if there was some black. Oh well. 

The rest of the releases can be viewed on Triple Mountain's webpage. Now let's hope Amazon gets the new regular runs in stock soon, because I have some gift cards burning a hole in my pocket and I want to see that new Astrid in hand! 

Lastly for today, we got a reveal of a Breyerfest 2023 special run! Woohoo! I definitely wasn't expecting that today, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this guy! Say hello to Speos! 

What a beauty! I've seen some speculation on the Internets that this guy may be the matte/glossy split, and all I have to say about that is...I really hope not. But he would be stunning in gloss! 

What a beautiful prancy boy! 

Tomorrow we get another special run reveal, so I'm super excited to see what that will be. See you tomorrow! 

Breyerfest 2023 Single-Day Stablemates Revealed!

 Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone had a good holiday season. As promised last week, the single-day Stablemates for this year's Breyerfest were revealed today! First, here's Wheeler:

What a nice color for Kit! Looking forward to seeing this one in person. Next, here's Teamster:

Nice color on the Corbin as well! Next, here's Navigator:

Also a nice color on the G2 Saddlebred, though she seems slightly out of place for some reason. Saddlebreds can drive, though, so she really shouldn't feel out of place. Guess I don't know why. Anyway, here's Whip! 

Wow, I think I know which one of these is going to be the most popular! I might have to buy a VIP ticket just so I can be guaranteed to get one. Oh, let's face it, I'll probably buy a VIP ticket anyway - it's just too handy to be able to be guaranteed two special runs I want. Uh, unless I end up not wanting any of the special runs this year, but that...isn't likely. 

Anyway, these are all really nice reveals and they make me excited for Breyerfest! Also, this means we'll probably have a lot of reveals this month, since tickets go on sale in February. I can't wait to see what else they've got for us this year!