I guess CCA events in June are gonna keep going

 Well, I have news, readers! Not sure if we consider it good news or not? But the Collector Club Appreciation event is once again happening in June! It still seems a bit too close to Breyerfest to be doing this, but it must not have been that much of a problem if they're doing it again this year.

According to the email, four fan-favorite releases were glossed for this event and will be revealed around 1pm EST tomorrow when the event goes live. I'm thinking probably Vivaldi de Besilu, Get Rowdy, Battlefield Angel and maybe Sjoerd? I hope I'm wrong, because that's three glossies I'd have to get my hands on. But I did put together an order for when it goes live. Guess we'll find out the glossies tomorrow! 

Another sneak peek!

 Woohoo! I hoped we'd get another Breyerfest reveal this week, and it looks like my wish will be granted! Check out this sneak peek that was posted on the blog today! 

Of course, it's too zoomed in to see anything, but I'm going to guess Georg, because it kinda-sorta looks like a Georg belly. It's probably the live show overall grand prize, so I'm going to hope it isn't Georg simply because of all the congas it would ruin instantly! But I guess we'll see "later this week." 

D'oh!

 Whoops...I forgot we hadn't seen any of the Breyerfest Live show prizes yet. And then today's reveal reminded me in a big way! Meet the Breyerfest Live Overall Reserve Champion prize model, Stanhope! 

Somebody forgot to crop the left side of the photo there. Oh well! He's a beautiful model, and an older one, as some people were predicting. I guess it was an older Moody, just not Marabella! Haha. Nothing I need, but he'll make a great addition to 10 people's collections! 

From the blog:

A Stanhope is a light gig, buggy, or phaeton that typically had a high seat for one person, and a closed back.  These carriages were popular in the 19th century and developed by London coachbuilders Tilbury, and named after Captain Henry FitzRoy Stanhope.

Just in case you were thinking about making jokes about hopeful people named Stanley, or anything.

That's it for today - let's hope we get the Grand Champion model reveal this week too!   

Whoops! (Again)

 Well, it appears we may have a solution to the pinto sneak peek from yesterday - a chestnut pinto Fireheart named Mojave! Here's a screenshot from someone on Facebook:

Apparently he briefly showed up under the New Releases on the Breyer webpage, though it was gone by the time I looked for it. He had a 4-digit item number and cost $49.99, which might indicate he's a regular run, though he could be a brick and mortar or something similar. The trend for the last few years has been for regular run models to be portrait models, while "fictional" models like this one are special runs or limited editions of some type or another. Guess we'll (probably) find out on Monday! 

Two sneak peeks and a Collector Club Newsletter!

 Greetings, readers! I have a few things to report today - namely, the May Collector Club Newsletter is in member's inboxes! Peruse at your leisure - there's an article about vintage Fighting Stallions and Semi-Rearing Mustangs, a giveaway (ATP Power) and a sneak peek! 

Current speculation on the Interwebs is that it's an old Love Classic mold for this year's Classics gambler's choice release, though I kinda thought that was replaced by the Shelby release. I guess not? Maybe it's another Birds release? There's also some speculation that it's Marabella for a Birds release. I guess we'll find out in June! 

There's also another sneak peek that was posted on the Breyerfest blog! Check it out! 

It's an oddly cropped image, but I'm thinking it's probably a raffle model? I don't think we have anything else left to see, other than auction models - but they usually save those for the countdown to Breyerfest, don't they? I guess that should be coming up soonish too, so who knows. It's probably more likely to be an auction model, but who knows. Guess we'll find out on Monday! 

Lastly, I feel like I should mention I was drawn to attend the Hillcroft Farm tour that was only open to VIP attendees - I feel a little bad about it because I never made a blog post about it beforehand. I wasn't sure if I would enter because I didn't know if I'd be able to adjust my travel plans to be in KY in time for the tour - but I got things figured out! So I'll be at the tour on Wednesday if all goes to plan. I'm hoping to add in a tour of Warm Springs Ranch (home of the Budweiser Clydesdales) on our way to KY in honor of the driving horse theme, so this is shaping up to be a pretty good trip! Anyways, have a good Memorial Day weekend, everyone! 

Mid-year releases?

 Just a small update today- in this month's issue of Young Rider magazine, there's a photo of a new Breyer model that is presumably a mid-year release (this photo of the photo made the rounds on Facebook today), credit to whoever took it. 

Apparently this horse is a stablemate of the portrait model Cobra from a few years ago, and will be at Breyerfest this year! Exciting news. Nothing I need to buy, but that is a really nice-looking paint job on Strapless. I'm excited to see the rest of the mid-year releases! Let's hope they come out soon. 

VIP ticket book is here!

 Good news, readers! My VIP ticket book has arrived! Behold: 

I like this design - it makes me think of old-school decorations in people's houses, i.e. blue gingham, porcelain geese wearing straw hats, etc.

My special runs and Limited Editions - I wanted to be sure I could get Nemea and Speos since they seem like they'll be high-demand items, and I had to be sure I'd get a FVA's Grand Design because Othello, and Via Lattea because, white trotter? Yes please. Interesting to see they kept the half-moon punchout thing in the center, considering those didn't really get used last year. 

The design of the tickets is top-notch, as usual. I love them! 

Also included was my 3-day parking pass, which made me realize in horror that I'd forgotten that was included with the VIP ticket and bought another one when I bought the rest of my Breyerfest tickets. Gah! And of course they won't give me a refund for it, because they aren't doing any Breyerfest-related refunds. So uh, if anyone wants to buy a 3-day parking pass for like, $12 (I paid $13), let me know! 

I did save my ticket book from last year as well, so I'll have to make sure I keep this one as well and start another collection. 

New Breyer stuff at Five Below!

 Greetings, readers! I can't remember if I've posted about those weird Paddock Pals that people have been finding at Five Below and other discount stores for the last year or so. The first ones found were done on modified Marabella and Avalon (the resin) molds. Now there are two more! Actually more than two, but this was the only listing I found on Five Below's website. Not only that, but the Paddock Pals now have their own website! 

This one appears to be a Latigo with a different mane and tail. 

This one is a bit more of a mystery, but I think he's a HEAVILY modified Sham. His legs (especially the hind legs) scream Sham. If anything, he's an updated Sham. Maybe the legs are all the same length now? Heh, just kidding. But it really looks like Sham with new mane and tail and a new head. The new head looks more like a Quarter Horse than an Arabian, honestly. There's not much description on the Five Below listing, so who knows what they were going for with him. 

There's photos of all of them on the Paddock Pals website I linked above, including a purple unicorn version of the above "Sham." None of these are anything I need, but young kids would probably like them a lot - which is good, because they'd be the target audience.

Also, today at 11:59EST is the deadline for submitting your special run preference form(s), so don't forget to get that done if you haven't already! If the deadline passes and you haven't submitted the form, you'll get Wild Card tickets and be at the mercy of whatever's left when you get to the line! 

Sparrow drawing and another new test model!

 Well, readers, after a bit of a delay, it finally happened - Sparrow winners have been notified! If you entered, check your email or your Club home directly to see if you were drawn. Congratulations to all the winners! I did decide to enter on the off chance I could trade Sparrow for a Magpie, Peregrine or Kingfisher, and whaddaya know - I got drawn! So I'm looking for a potential trade partner. 

In other news, there's another test model for Collector Club members to enter for the chance to buy! Check him out! 

Ooh, an Adios. This guy is making me regret deciding to sell off all my Adios models a couple of years ago. He's pretty, despite his plain brown wrapper. He has a nice sheen to his paint job despite not being glossy. I see they jacked the price up to $1200, but that's still a fraction of what he would go for on the secondary market - Adios has a lot of fans out there with deep pockets. He'd make pretty good trade fodder too, so I put in an entry for him. I hope someone gets him that wants him, though! 

Special run selection time is here!

 Happy Monday, readers! Good news - it's time for Breyerfest ticket holders to submit their special run preferences for this year! 

If you bought eligible Breyerfest tickets before yesterday's 5pm deadline, you should have received an email about making your selections. These selections must be submitted before midnight EST this Thursday, or you'll receive all Wild Card tickets and will be at the mercy of whatever's available when you go through the special run line, so don't delay! 

I did end up buying my usual number of tickets and submitted my preferences individually for all of them, since that seemed to work pretty well the last couple of years. So here's hoping I get some good draws! I'm also hoping the Stagecoach Surprise is something I don't collect, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get lucky two years in a row, so...I'm sticking with Goffert as my final prediction, at least until we start seeing some auction models! 

Mariposa and Flor are here!

 Greetings, readers - another exciting new arrival today (well, a couple of days ago): My Mariposa and Flor set! Behold:

Here's Mariposa by herself:

And here's a shot of Flor. 

I'm happy to finally get my hands on them after waiting since January! 

Quality-wise, they're fine - the foal has a rub on his ear and both could have been prepped better before painting, but those are fairly typical factory flaws. I'm happy with them! Let's hope this year's brick-and-mortar release is something I don't want, because I feel like I got pretty lucky ordering these since the molds are so popular. Here's hoping! 

The Sparrow drawing has been postponed

 Just a small update today, readers - the drawing for Sparrow was supposed to have taken place yesterday, but if you go to the Sparrow page on the website, they've added a message that the drawing was delayed due to technical difficulties. It's now supposed to take place on or around May 16, so sit tight! It's good that they gave us an update. And good luck to the entrants! In the interest of full disclosure, I did decide to enter for her purely to get some trade fodder, but I hope people who actually want her are drawn instead. Guess we'll find out in a few days! 

Whoa, a new Bird!

 Wow, I'd completely forgotten about that impossible-to-decipher sneak peek in last month's newsletter, but presumably this reveal is it! Meet Sparrow, the next Birds of a Feather release! 

Like the last few web specials, she's a run of 500 and costs $185 plus shipping. She's pretty, but nothing I need, fortunately. I'm not too surprised that she's a web special, since she's also this year's volunteer model, but this is also her third appearance as a web special. I suppose the decision to use her was simply: she's a pony and sparrows are tiny. Though Rhian would be a better candidate. Wait, why am I arguing they should have done something that would make me spend more money? Gah! 

Anyway, she's pretty, but not my cup of tea. Good luck to everyone entering! The entry deadline is May 11 at midnight EST, so don't waste time getting your entries in! 

The Shelbys are here!

 Greetings, readers! Well, it's the moment you've all been waiting for (well, at least the moment I've been waiting for)! My Shelby models are here! First off, here's a pic of the boxes (and the hands of a very excited 4-year-old):

Next, the three models, carefully stacked and photographed without looking at them:

And the results! 

Score! All three colors! My luck was in today! 

The very handsome Appaloosa, who apparently had the same stencil as the 70th Anniversary Indian Pony from a few years back. He had a few smears on his spot edges but nothing major otherwise.

Here's the pinto, with the unfortunate masking mistake on his mane (not sure what happened there, but it seems to be present on all of them). I didn't spot any flaws on him other than the masking error.

Lastly, the glossy bay! What a handsome guy. I'd like to have gotten a picture of him with Bolero, but my Bolero is already packed away in the storage unit, so that's going to have to wait a while. I didn't see many flaws on this one other than the typical little bits of lint, and the gloss under his mane on the off side is a bit lighter than I'd like, but hard to avoid with that mane in the way. Also, shame on me as a former Mustang owner for not immediately recognizing the Shelby - Mustang connection. D'oh! 

All in all, a great mail day for me! So glad I got all three colors and don't have to bother with trading to get the ones I want. It looks like a lot of other people have gotten good varieties of colors too, so maybe the warehouse didn't take the "gambler's choice" thing too literally this time. I'm excited to see what we get from Breyer next! 

Washington is here!

 Greetings, readers! Good news - my Washington has arrived! Check him out:

Sorry for the slightly-out-of-focus photo. But isn't he pretty? 

Such a luscious blue color. He looks very similar to the blue Lancelot and the blue Dahlia from the 2021 Stablemates Club. Honestly, this guy could easily pass for a Breyerfest auction model. I love him! 

So majestic! But blue is my favorite color, so I may be biased.

Quality-wise he's pretty good, other than some smeared spot edges. Someone on Blab mentioned his markings look like cherry blossoms blowing off a tree, which I think is fitting! What a beauty. 

I've also been informed that my dealer's Mariposa and Flor sets are supposed to arrive next week, so hopefully my set will get here the week after that. Can't wait to see them! 

Sidewinder, and other stuff!

 Finally! If you're a Stablemates club member, Sidewinder is in stock and ready to ship! Check him out (again)! 

Nothing I need, but I've managed to sell mine already, so there's that. He's a pretty color, but I was never a SCO fan to start with, and then that too-short front leg...nah. 

In other news, the diorama contest prizes have been announced... and it's the glossy Bravour 54! 

I'm a bit sad that the diorama contest prize, which used to be its own model, is apparently a thing of the past, and they're replacing it with glossy celebration models instead. Like...why? They use(d) older, less-popular molds, for the most part, so...yeah, some confusion there. Oh well. 

Lastly, Washington and the Carltonlima Emma reissue are now available on Breyer's site! They can be found on Breyer's new releases page, so order away if you're so inclined! 

The feeding frenzy begins...and then continues!

 Well, readers, if you haven't picked up a Shelby yet, you may still be able to get one! I ordered three as soon as they went live on the website, and as of a few minutes ago, she has not sold out yet, apparently. So get your orders in, and don't buy the ones that are being listed for resale for double or more the original price! You can still get one for the original cost! 

I'm a little surprised that they haven't sold out yet, honestly. Breyer must have made an absolute TON of them - but that's a good thing, really. Nokota is a popular mold and many people (myself included) will want all three of them, so the more the merrier! Hopefully my three all arrive on the same day so I can do a grand unboxing in the usual fashion (opening each box, taking out the three models without looking at them, then opening all three and seeing what I get). Sounds like fun! I hope they don't take long to get here. Uh, and while we're at it, maybe we could buy the next Stablemates Club horse too? Or get an update on the status? Pretty please? 

Also, I do wonder if this means we aren't getting a Classics gambler's choice this year. They seem to sell pretty well, so...I'd be a little confused as to why. Hopefully we find out more about that later.