Friday, May 31, 2024

Close, but no cigar

 Well, I was partially right - I thought the model's name was a reference to them reusing a mold for a Breyerfest Live prize. I got the mold wrong, though. But anyway, say hello to Oops, I Did It Again (ugh). 


















What a beauty! He's a little plain-looking, but handsome nonetheless. Goffert was previously used as a live show prize in 2007 when Niagara was the live show grand prize. That was 17 years ago, so I suppose I can forgive them for reusing a mold. 

I'm a little confused by the blog post saying it's the last of the prize model reveals, because theoretically they still need to reveal the sectional glossy prize models for the show? ...Right? We're still getting those? Well, maybe we'll see them next week. Crossing my fingers for anything but a glossy Marc of Charm, because I just don't need that devastation in my life right now...at least until next year when I am definitely going to try to enter the show myself. 

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Oops, they did it again

 Well, as promised, there's another sneak peek on the blog! Check it out! 





















Part of the hint is that "time is trotting by," so it must be something trotting? My first though was Weather Girl, but the Andalusian Mare is also a possibility. Also, if you save the image, the model's name is revealed as Oops...I Did It Again. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Maybe it's a Giselle? She was a live show prize in 2013, so the name would be fitting. The live show prize models have been on molds that don't show very well for the last few years, so I don't think it would be anything new or popular. Guess we'll find out tomorrow! 

Also, I hate to be nitpicky, but yesterday's post implied there would be sneak peeks and reveals, implying more than one. I demand another peek today and two reveals tomorrow! 

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Oh, nooooooooooo

 Well, we have our reveal of the sneak peek from yesterday...and when I saw this outline, my first reaction was, "Oh, nooooooo...."




















Then I looked at the reveal, and well...















NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

Why did they name it after a notoriously bad Britney Spears song/performance? But more importantly...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! If this is the reserve prize, what's the grand prize?? Now I'm cursing myself for not entering the live show! 

Well, the blog says there'll be more reveals this week, so hopefully all our questions will be answered by the end of the week. 

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Rio selections are out! Also, new sneak peek!

 Attention, Collector Club members! If you entered the drawing to purchase Rio, check your email, and/or your Collector Club account! Notification emails have been sent out if you were drawn! Congrats to all the winners. 

Edit: There's also a new sneak peek on the blog


















My guess is one of the live show prize models, since there's not much else to reveal other than the raffle models and we haven't seen those until practically the last minute for the last few years. Fortunately we get to find out tomorrow! Woohoo! Whatever this is, it's another elusive black pinto, so it'll probably be something devastatingly unobtainable. 

Saturday, May 25, 2024

Featured JAH - 5/25/2024, July/Aug 2000

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week we'll be covering July-August 2000, so let's get going! 

















On the front cover, Gene Autry hangs out with Champion. On the back cover, the Fine Harness and (some of) the Meadowbrook Cart make their debut! I wanted this but never got it. 

















In the Editor's Column, Stephanie poses with some droolworthy test models (is that the archive room behind her?) and informs us of upcoming changes to Breyerfest. Not sure what she's referring to here, but maybe it'll become clear later in this issue! On page 3 are some Breyerfest special runs and the special Clock Saddlebreds awarded to overall champions at Breyerfest Live.

















On page 4-5 is an article about the Hambletonian trophy to tie in with the Hambletonian resin. Still waiting for this guy to debut in plastic! Seems unlikely now that we have Constantia, though. 

















On page 6-7 is an article about Richard Shrake and portrait horse Miss Resistance Free. I couldn't find any information on the current status (or death date) of Miss Resistance Free, but Richard Shrake died in July 2023

















After skipping an article about Australian horse breeds, on page 10 we have an update on Mario, winner of the 1999 World's Best School Horse contest, and on page 11 we have a short story apparently based on a real incident. 

















After skipping an article about pleasure driving and model horses, on page 16-17 we find the first part of the article about Gene Autry and Champion. I never got the Champion model, but I have to admit those tiny six-gun shanks are cute. 


















On page 18-19 is the rest of the Gene Autry article.

















After skipping the 2000 mid-year releases, on page 22-23 is this issue's anniversary article, this time covering the 1970s. 

















On page 24-25 is the rest of the anniversary article. 

















On page 26-27 is a "Breyer Scrap Book" featuring photos from various Breyer events. 

















After skipping Horse Trader and Breyer jr., on page  36 we have Blast From the Past featuring the first porcelain Icelandic Horse by Kathleen Moody (still not sure why they had her sculpt another one instead of just converting this one to plastic), and Who Am I? featuring...somebody's foot. Not sure whose. On page 37 is a listing of various Breyer special events for 2000. 

















On page 38 is a tribute to a friend of Vintage Point author Meg Mac Donald, and on page 39 is the first part of this week's Vintage Point featuring the Pacer.

















On page 40 is the rest of the Vintage Point article, and that brings us to the end of this week's issue! Check back next week for Sept/Oct 2000! 

Friday, May 24, 2024

May Collector Club newsletter!

 Good news, readers! We have our May Collector Club newsletter! There’s an article about the recent Spokes and Spurs collector event, a new exclusive workshop, a Gilded giveaway and this sneak peek!










Unfortunately, there’s not much to glean from this image - maybe some of our sleuths will figure it out later, but I don’t have any guesses right now. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Introducing Rio!

 Well, the announcement has been made - the latest web special (which was revealed at Spokes and Spurs) is now on the website! Meet Rio, again!


His color is really nice, especially if they can pull off those dapples, but the Mangled-larga mold is just too squashed for me. Plus he’s tiny! No thanks. But good luck to everyone entering!

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Diorama prize revealed!

 Whoa, I'm a little behind the times here. Breyer revealed this year's diorama prize on the blog yesterday! We already knew it was a glossy Athenian Lady, but it's always great to see photos. Here she is! 















Oooooh, what a beauty. Good luck to everyone entering the contest! I finally started the actual work on my idea today. Most of my materials are here, so I figured it was high time to get started. More info can be found here, but the entry deadline is 6/21, so don't miss out! 

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Featured JAH - 5/18/2024, May/June 2000

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week's issue is May/June 2000 - which fits perfectly with today's date! So let's get going! 

















On the front cover, intrepid steeplechaser Lonesome Glory takes a fence. On the back cover is a cute photo of Leahs Fancy Chick and her filly, and a reveal of the filly's model! 

















In the Editor's Desk (when did it get renamed to Editor's Column?) Stephanie introduces some new additions to the Breyer team, including Sheryl Leisure, Julie Butler and Paula Jensen. On page 3 is the first part of an article about Breyer portrait horse Shy Boy. 

















On page 4-5 is the rest of the article about Shy Boy. As far as I can tell, Shy Boy is still alive as of this video from 2022. Monty Roberts's website also has a "See Shy Boy" section. If indeed still alive, he'll turn 31 in June. I always loved the photo of him galloping in the article - Breyer needs a mold like that. I don't remember if I wanted the Shy Boy model, but I probably did. 


















On page 6-7 is an article about another Breyer portrait horse, Nautical. Though it's not mentioned in the article, Nautical died in 1967 or 1968

 















On page 8-9 is an article about various people's first Breyer horse, although the only person whose full name is given is the then-governor of New Jersey, Christie Whitman. 

















After skipping an article about Australian horse breeds, on page 12 is a contest to design the 2001 Breyer Tour model, and on page 13 is the reveal of the new Lonesome Glory mold and first part of the article about him. 

















On page 14-15 is the rest of the article about Lonesome Glory. Lonesome Glory died in 2002 after a paddock accident, but I think he got a death notice in JAH later on. 



After skipping a Breyerfest update, an article about burros and the 2000 mid-year releases, on page 22-23 is Nancy Young's article about Breyer in the 1960s. 





On page 23-24 is the rest of the Nancy Young article.

















After skipping a judge's clinic and most of Horse Trader, on page 35 we find...the introduction of Pal O' Mine, the Breyer mascot. I've always found Pal O'Mine to be a bit creepy, so we generally avoid him whenever we see him at Breyerfest. Come to think of it, has he even been at the last few Breyerfests? I don't remember seeing him. Not that I'd be sad if he went away forever. I've always felt bad for whichever poor person (or people) who has to wear that costume in the Kentucky heat, and how bad it must smell after 24 years...


















After skipping some more Breyer jr. stuff, on page 38 we have a Blast From the Past featuring old booklets included with some portrait models in the '70s, and a Just About...Breyer Animals featuring the Charolais Bull. On page 39 is the first part of the Vintage Point article for this issue, this time featuring Morganglanz. 

















On page 40 is the rest of the Vintage Point article, and with the photos of Morganglanz on the last page, that brings us to the end of this week's issue! Check back next week for July/Aug 2000! 

Friday, May 17, 2024

Breyerfest plush reveal!

 Well, the reveal has been made - the sneak peek from earlier this week was indeed a plush! Behold:






















Say hello to Percy! Nothing I need, but he's cute nonetheless. I guess they must have figured people wouldn't want to reserve him with a VIP ticket like the rest of the models? I mean, probably not, but you never know. 

Anyway, that means there are only a few more things to be revealed for this year's Breyerfest, unless they dump something new on us. We're just waiting for the live show prizes and the raffle models. Here's some off-the-cuff predictions
 
Live show sectional prizes: glossy Marc of Charm and Full Moon Rising ("NOOOOO!!!" to the first, but it seems inevitable at this point, and "ehh, okay" to the second)
Live show overall reserve grand prize: Desatado
Live show overall grand prize: Smarty Jones
Raffle models: Llywellyn and Vermeer

That's it for today. Have a good weekend, everyone! 

Thursday, May 16, 2024

My last Collector Club Appreciation order!

 More good news, everyone! My last Collector Club Appreciation order arrived just as I was about to leave for work. Naturally I had to rip into the box immediately, and here’s what I saw!


That’s right - a glossy Mojave! Woohoo! It’s not a great picture but he’s definitely glossy. That means I just have to find someone to trade their glossy Get Rowdy for my glossy Appaloosa and I’ll have all the ones I want. Huzzah!

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Collector Club Appreciation orders! And Breyerfest sneak peek!

 Good news, everyone! Two of my Collector Club Appreciation orders arrived yesterday, a day before UPS said they would! Huzzah! One of the orders was the one where I only ordered the CCA model - so clearly that's still an option, as long as you're okay with paying $25 more for it. The other order was the one with the pins/throw blanket/towel. But here's what you're really waiting for - which glossies I got! Behold: 





















Sorry for the terrible photo. So I got the Appaloosa and the glossy Battlefield Angel! I've seen reports of some Battlefield Angels being very BLUE rather than black, but mine looks like he's just black. I was kind of hoping I'd get a blue one, but whatevs. At least I didn't get two Appaloosas, right? I'll be looking to trade the one I did get - though I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what exactly I'll be trading for. I'm desperately hoping I get a glossy Mojave, because I don't think it would be too difficult to trade the Appaloosa for the glossy Get Rowdy. Another Battlefield Angel would also suffice, I suppose - I ought to be able to trade him for something else fairly easily. Guess I'll be stalking the UPS guy tomorrow!

Edit: In other news, there's a new hint on the Breyerfest Blog! 
















Hmm, could it be our long-awaited plush? Guess we'll find out "later this week" when it's revealed! 

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Bluegrass Live show report and other stuff!

 Greetings, readers! Well, I survived my first "real" model horse show - and what a time I had! It was a heck of a trip, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and everywhere in between. Crazy! 

I got to the show hall around 9:40 and was greeted by a line of participants waiting outside the doors - the librarians hadn't arrived quite in time to open the building for us! Fortunately they showed up slightly after I got there and we all got into the show hall, although the show started about a half hour behind schedule because of this, which became an issue later on. But anyway. 

I got all my models unpacked and carefully lined up on my table (in order of classes they were going in, naturally) and when the show got started, I triumphantly placed my Storm on the table for the Arabian class...only to notice that the OF Mini division was happening at the same time! I had (naively) assumed the OF Mini division was taking place after the OF Trad/Classic division due to it being on the classlist after said OF division (rookie mistake, I know). Duh! Why wouldn't they take place at the same time? Otherwise the show would take forever (haha...)! So I hurriedly unpacked my Stablemates and quickly put my first entrant on the table for OF Mini (my Willamette, being shown as a Half-Arabian). 

As an aside - I had picked out only 25 Traditional models to show, because I didn't want to overwhelm myself at my first show. Then I saw the OF Mini class list in the packet, erroneously thought the division would take place after the OF division, and decided to bring a few Stablemates so I wouldn't be sitting around doing nothing at the end of the show (HAHAHA...sigh). So I picked out 10 Stablemates to bring along for that division. Then when I was almost done I noticed my palomino Playful Foal and wondered if it would show well as an American Cream Draft (answer: no). So in total, I brought 36 models to the show. 

Anyway, when the OF Arabian class was announced as having been judged, I went to get my Storm...and was stunned to see he'd won the class! Same with my Willamette. Whoa! I had been hoping to at least place in a few classes, maybe win one or two...and things were starting out strong with two wins! After a few more classes, during which I got two 4th places and one third, came the callbacks for OF Trad Light Breed Champ and Mini Light Breed Champ...and I won again, in breed and collectibility respectively! Edit: oops, my Storm got the reserve Light Breed Champ, not first. Well, it was still winning in my book. Way more than I ever expected - I was amazed.

Things kinda calmed down after that and I didn't win another division champ until later in the day - and then they picked up massively, because the show started running long and the last couple of divisions had to be judged very quickly so we could get out of the show hall in time for the library to close. And I ended up missing the callback for the OF Mini championship class, which was super disappointing for me - but later on my 2022 auction model got reserve overall champion in collectibility (after a slight disappointment involving the judge putting the champion ribbon in front of my model rather than the reserve champion ribbon), so that (mostly) made up for it!



 I'll just add "missing the callback for overall champion OF Mini at my first show" to that list of things I'll be kicking myself about for the rest of my life, along with "not taking the chance to attend the Sunshine Celebration" and "not attending the 2019 Breyerfest live auction." But as a friend who was there said, it's not the full live show experience until you've missed at least one class. So at least I got the full experience! I just wish it had been, you know, a breed class rather than the championship. Oh well. 

So anyway, here's a more representative picture of how I did in the show! 





















There's one blue ribbon and blue satin flat missing that apparently got misplaced in the confusion at the end of the show, but those are being replaced. Needless to say, I did way better than I thought I would! Huzzah! Of the 36 models I brought to the show, 22 of them placed in some way (if I wrote everything down correctly, and I'm pretty sure I made at least one mistake), so I'm pretty happy with these results. 

As mentioned above, the end of the show did end up being pretty rushed due to the time crunch - hopefully that gets fixed in the future.

Other things I was happy with:
-I was pleasantly surprised that my matte Namid managed to get fourth in breed in the Mustang class - with all those Firehearts on the table, I wasn't expecting her to place at all, so when she did I was really happy! I don't think the Forever Saige mold shows particularly well, but figured I'd put her on the table and see what happened.
-My Merle managed to get sixth in breed in the very full Quarter Horse Stallion class, so I was pleased with that as well.
-My Via Lattea got fifth in breed and third in collectibility in the Standardbred class, which was not full at all, and there were at least five other Via Latteas competing against her, so I was pleased with that as well. Not sure how many Via Latteas placed ahead of her, if any. I'll have to see if I can find another model or two to show as a Standardbred if that class is going to continue to have...not very many models in it. 
-My glossy Zenyatta Foal got second in a very full Sport Foal class, which I wasn't expecting! This was toward the tail end of the show when they were hurriedly judging the foal classes. 
My Playful Foal, Leti, won her foal class! I was pleasantly surprised by that as well. I don't remember what the competition was (other than my nonplacing other Playful Foal), but I must have thought it was tough? 

So, I suppose the natural next question is: do I want to show again? YES! The problem is where. I now have a pile of NAN cards I could use, but I'll be too busy working and doing Breyerfest stuff during Breyerfest week, so NAN is out. There aren't any other shows scheduled around here in the upcoming few months, at least that I can find. Happy Kamper Live is a possibility, though, so I'm tentatively hoping to make it to that. Other than that, it looks like there won't be many more opportunities for me to show until next year. But maybe something will happen in the fall! I hope so. 

That's all I can think of to talk about on the showing front - I do have a small Breyerfest update though. Yesterday Breyer announced that they'll be taking backorders on the Blue Zeus model, which makes sense since Fireheart is so popular that the 3,000-piece run is pretty much guaranteed to sell out, and the real Blue Zeus has a pretty big following that'll probably want to buy the model. So don't worry about being online the second Breyerfest opens, because if you miss out on the initial run, you can get a backorder one (to be delivered in December). Huzzah! 

Also in Breyerfest-related news, I'm on to my next project - the diorama contest! Yes, I decided to enter the contest for the first time this year. I've had an idea for a diorama kicking around in the back of my head since about 2013, and this year's theme is perfect for it! So that's what I'll be working on for the next few weeks. 

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Featured JAH - 5/11/2024, Mar/Apr 2000

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week's issue is Mar/Apr 2000, so let's get going! 

















On the front cover, the handsome Pay N Go does dressage with his rider, Pam Fowler Grace. On the back cover, JAH "exclusive edition" special run Confetti is revealed! I feel like they should have used different font colors for the horse's name and order form statement - they're barely readable on the flowery background. 

















In the Editor's Desk, Stephanie basically gives a preview of the whole issue, and it becomes clear that JAH is looking for a new managing editor, based on the job listing at the bottom of the page. On page 2 is the beginning of an article about Pay N Go.

















On page 4-5 is the rest of the Pay N Go article. I always liked this article for its whimsical nature. You really get a good sense of Pay N Go's personality. As a footnote to the article, a quick Google shows that Pay N Go stayed with Pam for the rest of his life and died in 2014. Godspeed, hero. I had his Breyer model (naturally) but eventually sold it off with the rest of my Hanoverians. 

Now I'm kind of kicking myself for not doing a tiny bit of research on Breyer's other portrait horses for the whole time I've been writing these posts! Ugh. 

















On page 6-7 is the first part of a series of retrospective articles about Breyer for the 50th anniversary. 

















On page 8-9 is the rest of the 1950s article and a small bio on author Nancy Young, also author of the defunct Breyer Molds and Models series of books/collecting resources.


















After skipping a Breyerfest update, on page 14 is the contest for naming Leahs Fancy Chick's filly (spoiler alert: it ended up being Leahs Fancy Breyer). I can't help but note there's some confusion about apostophe usage in this article, probably compounded by the lack of apostrophes in Leahs Fancy Chick's name (it irks me to have to type it out without the apostrophe that should be there). On page 15 is a cute little poem about an Appaloosa in the Young Writer's column (or "young" in this case, not that it matters). 

















After skipping an article about model horse photography, on page 18-19 we come to an article about Sherman Morgan. It's interesting that the mold was introduced in 1987, but by 1992 it had already become so damaged that it was retired. What the heck happened? Was it some kind of natural weakness in the mold, or something else? I mean, usually these molds can last 50 years or longer (given the age of some other Breyer molds). I guess at this point we aren't likely to get more details. But then by 1999 the mold was able to be repaired, apparently with no further issues to this day? I'd like to hear more about that someday. 



After skipping the centerfold (Showing the Model Appaloosa), on page 22 is a death notice for Breyer portrait horse Abdullah, and on page 23 is an article about another Breyer portrait horse, Hightower.


















On page 24-25 is the rest of the Hightower article. As a footnote, another quick Google shows that Hightower died in 2008 at age 25. 

















After skipping an article about live showing and Horse Trader, on page 36 we have the Caption Contest, and on page 37 is Who Am I? featuring a gold charm (or smoke?) Fighting Stallion, and two models from Breyer special events - Champagne Toast (whose name would later be reused for Breyerfest 2014) and Atlas. 

















On page 38 is a Blast From the Past featuring the palomino Family Arabian Foal, and also a Just About...Breyer Animals! featuring...not a random animal, but more horses. Huh. Well, anyway, it's the Stablemate foals! I can't remember if this was the first time they were announced, but at some point we got new Stablemate foals! The G1 foals finally got to have some friends! Huzzah! And on page 39 is the first page of this issue's Vintage Point: the Stock Horse Foal, aka Phantom Wings! 

















On page 40 is the rest of the Vintage Point article, and that brings us to the end of this week's issue! Check back next week for May/June 2000!