Leap Day sweepstakes and more!

 Hark, readers! It's me, posting on Leap Day 2024, a most auspicious date! For Breyer hath decreed that a sweepstakes will be held, in honor of Leap Day! Huzzah! 

Sorry, I just felt like being overly dramatic. Anyway, here's the items you can win! 

Three lucky winners will receive a Get Rowdy, Queen of Hearts and Clooney 51! What a fun little giveaway for Leap Day. This is only the second Leap Day that's occurred since I started this blog, and for whatever reason I didn't acknowledge the last one - oh well. There will be three winners, so good luck to everyone entering! Sunday is the deadline to enter, so don't forget about it. This would all just be sales fodder for me, so I'm not going to enter. 

There's also a new plush coming for Easter! Say hello to April:

The carroty ears are so cute! I like the ribbons, too. Nothing I need to buy, but these plushies are always so cute! 

Lastly, the VIP workshops for Breyerfest 2024 have been revealed! Check them out here. 

Happy last day of February, everyone! I can't believe it's already going to be March tomorrow.

February Collector Club newsletter and new photos of Horatio!

 Greetings, readers! Well, February is almost over and we have our Collector Club newsletter! If you're a Collector Club member, check your email for more. I'm surprised they didn't wait until tomorrow to send it out, but anyways...there's an article about the popular Bristol mold, featuring some droolworthy photos of Jackpot, Leap of Faith and other Bristols I haven't managed to get my grubby mitts on. There's also a link to Andrea Gurdon's "Horses of a Different Color" seminar in honor of her passing, a Clooney 51 giveaway and this inconclusive sneak peek:

From the description, it's the next entry in the Exotic Destinations web special series, but nobody's going to be able to figure out what it is. For randomness's sake, I'm going to guess Dundee, simply because he hasn't been a web special yet. 

In other news, we have some new photos of the Deluxe Collector Club Stablemate, Horatio! Check Breyer's Facebook page for more. 

Looks nice! But his tail is a bit different from the Trad-size one. It looks like they altered it to look wind-ruffled or something? I don't hate it, but I don't like it that much either. They probably wanted an easy way to tell it apart from the Traditional-size one in photos. The mini Brishen also has some minor hair differences from the Traditional one, so there's precedent. Anyway, the deadline for joining the Deluxe Collector Club is March 3, so if you're waffling about joining, you only have a few more days to decide! 

Breyerfest tickets and new Test runs!

 Amazing news today, readers - Breyerfest tickets are finally available for purchase! Find them here. But be sure you buy the exact tickets you want, because there aren't any refunds. If you're a parent who isn't interested in special run models, buy General Admission tickets for yourself and VIP/All Access for your horse-crazy kids. If you can't come in person, buy an online ticket, not an All-Access or VIP ticket, because the tickets are digital this year and anyone you transfer them to is taking the risk that you won't use the QR codes yourself before they can (not saying anyone would, but that's the risk with transferring tickets to other people this year). 

I did grab a VIP ticket on the off chance that they sell out (not likely, but you never know), and secured Fight Song and Fighter and Survivor for myself, along with Just Like Fire and Gascon the Great. I hadn't realized it before, but since I don't need any of the other Limited Editions, this means I won't even need to visit the Breyer Store unless I want to. I probably will anyway to pick up whatever inevitable mid-year (or 2024 releases) I still need, but it's nice to have the option. 

While I'm glad we can finally buy the tickets, I was a little irked to see the $8 processing fee for the online tickets included in the ticket prices. Why are they making us pay the processing fee for something we didn't ask for? I don't mind that the tickets went digital (though I will miss the short-lived ticket books), but don't change this all up on us and then make US pay for your decision. 

Okay, rant over. Next on the news list: new Test Run models to enter for! This time there are two of them! 

There doesn't seem to be any backstory for why these have the same paint job. They're pretty, though! Nothing I need. They're priced at $1200, which is actually fairly reasonable - $600 each, which is probably roughly what they're worth. Merrylegs and Midnight Tango aren't the most popular models. The pattern does roughly resemble that of the original Midnight Tango, but with a bit more white on the back. Anyway, enter for them here. Good luck to everyone entering! I'm not interested in them myself, so at least you won't have me for competition! 

Featured JAH - 2/24/2024, May/June 1998

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week's issue is May/June 1998 - fitting, since it's starting to feel like spring around here. Well, let's get going! 

On the front cover, Erin Go Bragh and rider take a cross-country jump. On the back cover, Hollywood Dun It's model makes its debut and Country Dun It (son of Hollywood Dun It) is announced as a Breyerfest 1998 guest horse. 

In the Editor's Desk, Stephanie talks about various new Breyer products and announces the Celebration Horse - Rejoice, the first time a brand-new mold was introduced as the Breyerfest Celebration Model. Also, the photo of Thundervision is revealed! I knew I'd seen him somewhere. On page 3 is a Breyerfest update with a brief overview of guest horses and workshops. 

On page 4 we have an article about Rejoice, and on page 5 is an article about Erin Go Bragh. 

On page 6 is the rest of the Erin Go Bragh article, and on page 7 is a preview of various 1998 special run models, including Europa, a model I badly wanted at the time. I did get one eventually, but sold him off later with the rest of my Hanoverian models (still a little sad about that because Art Deco was one of my favorite carpet herd models). 

After skipping an article about roans, on page 10-11 we have a Brushstrokes article about the creation of Cigar. Gotta say I like the almost-completed sculpture better than the eventual final result. 

On page 12-13 is an article about various vintage models and their value (the price estimates may be a little outdated). 

After skipping an article about the gaits of the horse and a western arena trail judge's clinic, in this issue's centerfold is the reveal of the new Rejoice mold. She was a sensation at the time! 

On page 22 is the rest of the 1998 special runs and the Breyerfest preview. On page 23 is the beginning of an article about three-day eventing horses, including eventual Breyerfest Celebration Horse Molokai. 

On page 24-25 is the rest of the article about three-day eventers.

After skipping an article about propmaking, we come to page 28 and some short blurbs about Country Dun It and Hollywood Dun It. I always thought Hollywood Dun It was so beautiful, but never had his Breyer model. I cropped out the first page of Horse Trader on page 29. 

Finally, we come to the conclusion of this week's issue, with the Vintage Point article featuring the Indian Pony. 

That's it for this week - check back next week for July/Aug 1998! 

Finally, some news about the Breyerfest tickets

 Well,  it's not quite what we were hoping for, but at least it's something - Breyer is aware of our concerns about the Breyerfest tickets. They sent out an email today (and posted on the blog). It's a little light on specifics, but reading between the lines would indicate they're having technical issues. Which isn't that surprising, considering the problems with the Heath release and other recent website issues. 

So let's hope we get our tickets soon! Though we should all be happy, really - this gives us more time to save up! 

In other news, applications to sell at Breyerfest are now open (swap meet, artisans' gallery, vendor marketplace, etc), so if you're interested in those, find more information here! 

Breyerfest Volunteer Applications are open!

 Well, we still don't have Breyerfest tickets, but at least we can apply to be volunteers! More information here. I haven't been chosen for a few years now, so maybe this will be my year! Good luck to everyone applying! 

Goodbye, Andrea

 I'm sure many of you have heard by now of the passing of Andrea Gurdon, aka Breyer History Diva, on Feb. 17. 

Like many, many others, I first discovered Andrea through her blog. I grew up collecting Breyer models and left the hobby in 2004 when I started college. At that time, the only Breyer website I was aware of was Breyer's own, and social media didn't really exist in the way we know it now. When I returned to the hobby after finishing college in 2010 (long story), social media was now a thing, and Breyer History Diva was one of the first things Breyer-related that I found. 

I've been a devoted reader of the blog since then, and was even able to meet Andrea on a few occasions (we were volunteers at some of the same Breyerfests, and we also attended the Sweet Home Chicago and Chasing the Chesapeake collector events), though we were never more than acquaintances. Some of my memories of Andrea include: we sat at the same table at Tempel Lipizzans while the hors d'oeuvres were being served. During a group discussion of Kentucky Derby winners, I pulled up Kauai King's Wikipedia page on my phone, which she promptly grabbed to look at. This made me inwardly geek out a little bit (OMG SHE ACTUALLY TOUCHED MY PHONE!) and jokingly swear to myself never to replace the phone. Another memory of Andrea: at Chasing the Chesapeake, she dressed up as a battered NPOD-attendee, complete with bandages and walker (if I'm remembering correctly). She had a sign alluding to the NPOD, though I can't remember exactly what it said. In any case, from a distance she saw me reading the sign and flipped it over so I could read the other side. I just wish I could remember exactly what it said! Curse my faulty memory. Anyways, I laughed and gave her a thumbs up. Come to think of it, I think Andrea coined the NPOD's name (Ninja Pit of Death). 

I saw her many other times at Breyerfest every year, usually in her Clarion room or at the Horse Park, but I tend to be awkward and weird around people I don't know that well, so other than being on the periphery of some conversations, I didn't try to talk to her much. The last time I saw her (I think) was on Breyerfest Sunday last year, going through the leftover line at the end of the event. Of course, I had no idea it would be the last time I would see her. 

I still can't believe Andrea is gone. She was a fixture at every Breyerfest, and I always checked her blog to see her thoughts on whatever was happening in the world of model horses. She was my anchor to all things model horses, and I can't imagine the world of Breyer without her in it. I started this blog at least partially because of her, because she posted about wanting some kind of Breyer news hub and with my journalism degree I thought I might be able to fulfill that need. I hate the thought of her not being around at Breyerfest anymore - she had attended all but the very first one, and it's so hard to face the reality that she won't be there this year. It'll be strange to walk down the halls of the 300s at the Clarion and not see her in her usual room. If I think about it too much it makes me start to tear up.  

I've been looking through my past Breyerfest and event photos to see if I had any photos of her, and the only decent one I have is this one, from the Breyerfest 2015 costume contest:

She's the one in green - her costume was The Little Prince. 

Goodbye, Andrea. I hope you're somewhere free from pain and at peace. Hug your loved ones, people, because you never know when they'll be gone forever. 

Featured JAH - 2/17/2024, Mar/Apr 1998

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week we'll take a look at the Mar/Apr 1998 issue. It's slushy and wet outside, perfect for a spring edition of the magazine, so let's get going! 

On the (worn) front cover, Robert Redford works with Pilgrim in The Horse Whisperer. On the back cover, the Cowboy and Prancer set makes its debut. 

In the Editor's Desk, Stephanie shares some insight into the making of The Horse Whisperer, and Breyer staff pose for a photo with the real Niatross from the champion trotter's visit to Breyer headquarters. On page 3 is some various blurbs, including a photo of a Bucking Bronco that wasn't available in time for the previous issue. 

After skipping some schedule information about Breyerfest 1998, on page 8-9 is an article by Stephanie about the making of The Horse Whisperer.

On page 10 is the conclusion to the Horse Whisperer article, and on page 11 is some advice (circa 1998) for hobbyists wanting to travel from the USA to Canada. 

On page 12 is an article about Breyer portrait horse Niatross, and on page 13 is a Blast from the Past featuring the gold Secretariat, and a Just About...Breyer Animals featuring the Moose. 

After skipping an article about 4-H and some collector interviews, on page 16 are some blurbs about new for 1998 portrait horses, and page 17 contains a new caption contest and the winner for the previous one (I can't remember exactly when these got started). 

On page 18-19 is a tribute to author Marguerite Henry, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 95. 

In this issue's centerpiece we have the reveal of the models for The Horse Whisperer - Rimrock on Adios and Pilgrim on San Domingo. I wanted Pilgrim but never got one - I have a small fondness for San Domingo despite never owning one. If I had unlimited shelf space, I'd probably collect him. I did eventually get a Rimrock, but have since sold him off again. 

After skipping an article about the gaits of the horse and a broken ear repair article, we come to Dear JAH on page 26, featuring (as far as I've seen) the first inkling of a possibility of a Breyer website. The "we are looking into getting on the internet in the near future" gave me a bit of a chuckle. Also, I had forgotten someone actually managed to correctly guess the number of spots on that Tom Bainbridge-painted Lady Phase! Wow. On page 27 is an article about Lindsey Phibbs, winner of the 1997 AHSA/Breyer Junior Equestrian of the Year award. 

Having skipped Horse Trader, page 38 brings us Who Am I? featuring the chestnut sabino Clydesdale Foal and a Shetland Pony variation, and on page 39 is the first page of this week's Vintage Point, featuring the Jumping Horse.

On page 40 is the end of the Vintage Point Article, with photos on the opposite page. Interestingly, there's no photo of Thundervision, but I'm pretty sure I've seen a photo of him in JAH before - I wonder what happened. There's no entry for him on IDYB, either. Unfortunately, I seem to remember hearing somewhere that Thundervision was eventually lost in a house fire - can anyone confirm? 

And with that, we've reached the end of another JAH! Check back next week for May/June 1998 - this issue had a HUGE reveal, and the world of Stablemates hasn't been the same since! 

Finally, an update!

 Well, readers, it looks like we've reached the February doldrums again. Most of the Breyerfest reveals are over (other than the raffle and prize models, presumably), so there hasn't been a whole lot to post about...until today! I'll start with this year's first Vintage Club release, which was revealed today:

His name is Scorpion! What a handsome boy, although nothing I need. There was apparently a bit of a snafu right after he was released - some of the promotional copy was apparently not vetted well enough and called him a dunalino (I think) and said he would come with leg wraps. As far as I can tell, that wording has now been removed from the website. Still, uh, proofreading is a valuable skill, guys! Maybe give it a try sometime? 

Anyway, here's Scorpion's box! 

Wow, the model matches the picture on that box pretty well. 

In other exciting news, there's a new St. Patrick's Day plush! 

He's cute, and kinda reminds me of the plushie from Breyerfest 2020. Nothing I need, fortunately. 

In other, other news, my Heath came today! Woohoo! 

The sun wasn't quite down when I took the pics, but I didn't want to wait any longer to photograph him! He's a beauty. 

Definitely one of the best colors they've done on this mold - I'm excited to see what he looks like next to Saltire and Rainier. 

Of course, the big controversy surrounding this release (other than the release-day delay) has been the honeycomb paper he was wrapped in. For some reason, whoever wrapped these guys at the factory apparently forgot that you have to stretch out the honeycomb paper before you use it, so it'll, you know, protect the model. There's absolutely no protection if you don't use the paper properly - you might as well wrap it in Walmart bags or tissue paper. The technique can't be that hard, as it was used to good effect at last year's Breyerfest (though the glue on those paper bags needed to be stronger). So... what happened? While the Heaths were still packed in a plastic bag before the paper was wrapped around their heads and tails, many of them suffered rubs to the left ear due to the ear poking through the plastic bag and rubbing on the tightly-wrapped paper. When I opened my Heath, his ear had indeed poked through the bag, and while I think the ear does have a small rub, the paint on the edge of that ear is thinner than in other places, which effectively camouflages the rub and makes it hard to see unless you're looking from the right angle. 

So how do we fix this? Clearly whoever's packing the models needs to actually stretch out the honeycomb paper (for economics' sake, if nothing else; you use a lot more of it if you don't stretch it first), but they need to either use thicker bags on the models or wrap the heads less tightly (or go back to bubble wrap, but we're trying to be environmentally conscious, here). This issue has been pretty much all anyone can talk about for the last couple of days, so hopefully Breyer got the message. 

That's all I have for today! Presumably Breyerfest tickets will go up for sale tomorrow, since Breyer said it would be this week and well, it's Thursday and nothing yet. Hey, tomorrow is payday for me, too...but I also need to pay a visit to the KHP gift shop and see if they have the 2024 new releases yet, so I shouldn't get too crazy with the spending! 

Featured JAH - 2/10/2024, Jan/Feb 1998

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model! This week's issue is Jan/Feb 1998 - I can't believe we're starting another year! Also fitting that we're covering a Jan/Feb issue during February! Well, let's get going! 

On the front cover, Scamper and Charmayne James do their thing. On the back cover, the new Scamper model makes his debut in a nearly-identical pose! 

On page 2, Stephanie introduces various new releases for 1998 and poses with a fan at the 1998 Breyer Roundup in Puyallup. It's also confirmed that the hint from last issue was referring to Scamper (not that there was any doubt). On page 3 is the beginning of the feature article about Scamper, featuring another thrilling photo of Scamper and Charmayne. 

On page 4-5 we have the article about Scamper. 

On page 6 is the rest of the article about Scamper, and on page 7 is a list of 1998 Breyer Tour stops. 

After skipping the new products for 1998, an article about etching and some other stuff, on page 14 we find a small writeup on the Nancy Young Breyer Molds & Models book, as well as a Who Am I? featuring what looks like Sea Star. On page 15 is the beginning of an article about Breyer portrait horse Go Man Go. 

The article about Go Man Go continues on page 16-17. I had the Go Man Go model and for whatever reason, he was always special to me because the real horse was born the same year as my dad. 

On page 18-19 is the rest of the Go Man Go article. 

After skipping the centerfold (1998 Breyer event calendar) and an article about pedigree assignment, on page 24 we find a barrel racing drawing and a death notice for Marguerite Henry, who died in 1997 at age 95. On page 25 is an article about Breyer saddles by Andrea Gurdon (Breyer History Diva). 

After skipping an article about judging performance, Horse Trader and some Breyer jr. stuff, we come to a Brushstrokes feature about the making of Marabella, another new mold for 1998. On page 39 is the beginning of the Vintage Point, featuring the Classic Bucking Bronco this week. 

On page 38-39 is the rest of the Bucking Bronco article, and that brings us to the end of this week's article. Check back next week for Mar/Apr 1998! 

Just a small Breyerfest announcement

 Greetings, readers! I only have a small update today - there was a Breyerfest Blog post about the Artisan's Gallery today, and the post noted that Breyerfest tickets will go on sale next week! Huzzah! 

Actually, I have two small updates - my Heath seems to have shipped today, or is preparing to ship, so I'm hoping to see him soon! Yay! 

Heath-anigans

 Well, after a bit of a delay, Heath came available for sale today! 

Barely a blip in the grand scheme of things, really - at least the sale still happened today. Last time there were technical issues, it took a little while for the sale to actually happen. Hopefully Breyer will get those glitches figured out at some point? It's only been 5.5 years since they switched to this new website...

But anyway. I'm excited to see my Heath! His mane and tail almost do look pearly in these promo photos. I'm looking forward to seeing him in person! It doesn't look like he's sold out yet (as of 7:48PM EST), so they must have made plenty of them (again). Still, Othello is a pretty popular mold, so I wouldn't suggest waiting too long before you order yours, if you want one. 

Grab yourself a Heath tomorrow!

 More good news, everyone! This year's first, hotly-anticipated Collector Club model, Heath, will be released tomorrow! 

Othello is pretty much my favorite mold, so I may be biased, but he sure is a pretty boy. I wonder if his mane/tail will be pearly? I'm kinda wishing he were glossy. 

Anyways, he'll go live at 1PM EST tomorrow, so be ready to buy if you want one! He'll cost $75 plus shipping (and taxes, bleh), which isn't too terrible of a price. I suspect he won't last overly long, since Othello is such a popular mold. Happy buying! 

Lanin is here!

 Good news, everyone! My Lanin model has arrived - behold! 

He's way more purple than I thought he'd be! 

In-hand, he doesn't look as weird with no mane as he did in the promo photos (typical). 

Quality-wise he's pretty good, other than a purplish smear on his butt, and a warped left hind leg (visible in the above photo). While I didn't take any photos, I did compare him to my other models on this mold, and the ones molded from cellulose acetate (prior SMC releases like Mirado and Fiero) are definitely skinnier through the shoulders than the ABS ones (all other colors). The speculation is that the factory workers aren't giving the models enough time to cool before removing them from the molds, leading to some "collapsing" in the shoulder area. All Stablemate models have a void or air bubble inside (just take a look at the clearware ones), which could lead to some collapsing of the plastic around the shoulder area, so the theory seems solid. Is Breyer ever going to address this? Has it even been brought up to them? Who knows. 

Interestingly enough, it looks like the process to eliminate Mirado's mane (presumably by Dremeling it off) also eliminated most of the detail on his neck. Let's hope this doesn't happen on any future roached releases of this mold, I guess. 

On a small side note, the First Timer's Guides to Breyerfest (in-person and virtual) have been released on the Breyer website, and they do mention a plush as one of the store items (but no photos of said plush). So the plush is presumably still coming? Who knows.