No one ever expects the TSC models (before Breyerfest!)

 Whoa, more new unexpected reveals last night! This year's TSC models are already on the website. Just do a search for Breyer and you'll find them (unless they get removed). Here's the first one, a new Wild Mustang set: 

Ooh, the stallion and foal are both so pretty! Actually, the stallion is like a mini version of Picante. The mare is kinda meh, I'm questioning why they used Mesteno's Mother when they could have used the Haflinger Mare and had her match the foal better. Oh well. 

Next: Bugaboo! 

She's pretty, but uncomfortably similar to the micro run Diana from Breyerfest 2019. They used the same masking on her legs and everything. Not sure I'd be too happy if I owned one of those. Her name, "bugaboo" means an imaginary source of fear, so maybe they're leaning into it? Huh. 

Next, here's Lydia:

Ooh, a new Lonesome Glory! Too bad I sold all mine. I'm guessing it's the female version of Lonesome Glory since she has a female name? 

Next, here's Big Blue! 

Wow, this guy is really handsome! I love his gold accents. They look great with that dark blue color. I'm not a Clydesdale Stallion collector, but I'll admit this color is tempting me. 

Lastly, here's Peyton! 

This one is...very reminiscent of Old Bob. Actually, the Old Bob that's on IDYB doesn't seem to have that striping on the neck, but the one I've been trying to sell for years definitely does. I'm not sure why they reused this color? I mean, Adios has come in pretty much every color by this point, but it's been 25 years since he was issued in a solid bay color (not counting Pokerjoe, who was a Paint), so you'd think they could have done something in that vein. Oh well. 

It's nice to see these releases so early, but the bad part is now having to wait until probably September or later to see them in stores. Guess we'll just have to be patient! 

Whoa! Breyer’s having an essay contest!

 Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting to get this email, but I did! Breyer is holding an essay contest, and three winners will get portrait models of their horses (or the horses they write about) as a prize!

I included the above photo because it was in the blog post. Anyways, the goal of the contest, should one choose to enter, is to prove to Breyer “Why My Favorite Horse Would Love to be a Breyer Model.” Hmm. There is a horse I could write about, although she was never technically mine, she has most likely died by now, and I don’t know how to get in contact with her owners. The rules do say it doesn’t have to be your horse, but the sticky part is where one of the three winners’ models may also become a regular run release, with permission from the horse’s owner. So will the regular run release be on a different mold? Otherwise it would massively devalue that person’s prize model later on. 

The entry deadline is 7/31, so we have plenty of time to write our essays. And there’s a 250-word limit, so you’ll have to be concise! Also, does the winner get to pick the mold? The horse I’d write about was a stock horse, and the only stock horse mold I currently collect is Dundee. Though Dundee hasn’t yet been produced in her color (bay), so maybe Breyer would be okay with it. 

I’m glad they’re doing this essay contest, though. We don’t get those very often, and for those of us without artistic skills, it may be our only chance to win something rare! I’ve asked for Breyer to start doing an essay or creative writing contest at Breyerfest for years, but it hasn’t happened yet. Guess I’ll keep hoping. Good luck to everyone entering!

More auction models!

Good news, everyone!  Just when I was starting to think I’d need to get out my stick-poking meme, we have a Breyerfest reveal - more auction models! Behold: 

It’s a cute little Quarter Horse Yearling! Nothing I need, but her paint job looks like it has lots of little details.

Next, we have:

A handsome chestnut brindle Dundee! He fits the “Against All Odds” theme pretty well, I have to say. Too bad they didn’t gloss him - if they had, I’d say this guy was a contender for this year’s top seller.

Moving on:

This one is…interesting? He’s described as a gray with a somatic mutation, but it kinda just looks his face look bloody. I like his white tail, though! I feel like this is another missed gloss opportunity though. 

Lastly, a stunner!

Another one that fits the Against All Odds theme! You know, palomino Arabian…okay, maybe “Fantasy” would be a better category. He’s so pretty, too! Part of me is sad I sold all my Shams. 

That’s it for today, though I notice they skipped one of the lots. Presumably either a raffle model or they’re hiding lots again. Also, last year’s car show is coming back to Breyerfest! Hopefully it doesn’t get rained out again this year. 

Featured JAH - 6/22/2024, Mar/Apr 2001

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week we're taking a look at Mar/Apr 2001. This unfortunate issue is not only 12 pages shorter than usual for some reason (must not have been much horse news for that time period), but suffered water damage on its way to me all those years ago. So if the pages look funny, that's probably why. 

On the (slightly crinkly) front cover, an Arabian mare and foal (from Varian Arabians, no less!) do their thing. On the back cover, the droolworthy Equitana model Odyssey makes his debut! I did eventually acquire an Odyssey (not at Equitana, though) and he still adorns my shelves. I like how they mention a raffle for a matching Saddlebred Weanling in that color, but don't show a photo of it anywhere in the magazine. IDYB to the rescue! Interestingly, IDYB lists it as being a run of 10, as live show prizes. Maybe something got garbled somewhere. 

In the Editor's Column, Stephanie talks about Arabians and poses with some models. Susecion can be seen on the shelf of models behind her (not to be introduced until 2002). The MFT on her other side bears a strong resemblance to Pierrot, though it might just be a test model. The bull on the shelf looks like a test on the Charolais Bull, and the Man o' War on the table next to her appears to be this guy from a Breyerfest set from 2001. It's always fun when they sneak little surprises into photos like this! On page 3 is the first page of the article about (notorious?) Breyer portrait horse and legendary Arabian breeding stallion Khemosabi, who died on March 1, 2001.  

On page 4-5 is the rest of the article about Khemosabi. 

On page 6-7 is an article about Davy Crockett to accompany the revival of Breyer's Davy Crockett rider sold with the Western Horse. I got one of these in a box lot to resell a few years ago, and I remember Davy's gun being sticky. So weird. 

On page 8-9 we have an article about Breyer portrait horse Carinosa, whose model (on the PAM) didn't get to be pictured in the magazine, I guess. 

After skipping a judge's clinic and a collector story, in the centerfold we get the reveal of the beautiful Appropos! Another model I desperately wanted but wasn't drawn for. Don't worry, I did get drawn for a Connoisseur eventually. 

After skipping some photo show scenes of horses in costume, a death notice for Dale Evans and Horse Trader, on page 22 is a death notice for Breyer portrait horse Mario, winner of the World's Best School Horse 2000 contest. On page 23 is what remains of the Appropos order form. Too bad you can't still ship a Trad-size model for $5 these days! The Who Am I? section of page 25 can also be seen, featuring a Buckshot. 

After skipping the rest of the Breyer jr. stuff on page 24-25, on page 26 we have a Know Your Breed featuring the Great Dane (and Breyer companion Great Dane), and on page 27 is the first page of this week's Vintage Point, featuring the Classic Arabian Foal. 

On page 28-29 is the rest of the Vintage Point article, and that brings us to the end of this issue! Still curious as to why it's so much shorter than the rest of the issues out there. Anyone out there able to shed some light on this? In any case, check back next week for May/June 2001! 

Auction models!

 Exciting news today, everyone! We got to see some auction models in today’s post on the Breyerfest blog - behold! 

It’s a beautiful glossy bay Morgan! Scrumptious.

And a handsome red dun pinto Criollo with a badger face! 

And a Fell Pony that’s basically a mini version of Heath! I want her.

And a stunning peacock-themed Moody Andalusian! I’m trying to figure out if he’s the same one we’ve seen in the archive room live feed. I feel like that one had a more elaborate tail? Can’t remember for sure. 

Most importantly, here’s a quote from the blog:

ALL bidders, whether bidding in-person or online, will need to register through BidSpirit. When registering, bidders must fill out all required contact information and include a valid photo ID and credit card number. When you register your card, you will get a text or phone call from Stripe confirming you added your card. You must type in the two-step authentication code to continue. Once registered you will be able to preview the lots online before the auction; however, no pre-bids will be accepted. All bidding must be done live during the Live Auction. 

…

Onsite winners will be required to present payment to the Breyer staff onsite immediately after the lot has been announced “SOLD”. If the winner of a lot is online, the credit card associated with the bidder’s profile will be charged immediately after the lot is announced “SOLD” for the full amount of the lot, including sales tax. Split payments will not be allowed, so please plan accordingly when registering your card. If a card is declined and the bidder cannot be reached within the allotted amount of time to provide an alternate card, the transaction will be voided, and the lot will restart and be resold at the end of the auction - the lot will not automatically go to the next highest bidder. If a card declines that bidder will not be able to continue to bid on future lots.

I like these changes! They should make it harder for people to bid models up into the stratosphere and then back out of paying later. There’s some suspicion that this was being done on purpose so the non-paying bidders could ensure their friends got auction models for a much lower price than they could have gone for. Of course, my preference would be for no online bidding at all, but that ship seems to have sailed, so I’m happy with these changes. Now let’s see some more auction models and the raffle models! 

Newport is here!

 Good news, everyone - my Newport has arrived! Incidentally, I finally figured out what her name reminds me of: that episode of Family Guy where Lois inherits the fancy house in Newport. Anyway, here's Newport! 

She's a beauty! I love her color. Her "Breyer blue and yellow" tail ribbon colors are a nice touch. 

The G2 Thoroughbred certainly makes a nice polo pony! I'm guessing we'll probably see this iteration of the mold again in the future.

Quality-wise she's pretty nice. I've seen a few posted on Facebook that had pretty bad box rubs, so I was happy when I got mine out of the box and she didn't have any. I'd still prefer going back to the satin bags, though. 

All in all, a fine addition to my collection! Now I just have to get up the willpower to go stand up all of my G2 Thoroughbreds without knocking them all over, again...and maybe my G3 Friesians while I'm at it...

New website is up!

 Well, the website revamp appears to be complete! When viewing it on my phone, it doesn’t look like they changed much - just an update in the current design. I haven’t viewed it on my computer yet, so maybe it’s different on a browser. I was a bit sad to notice all my previous memberships on the Account Home page are gone - it’s only showing the current memberships. I suppose it was getting to be a jumble anyway. Let’s hope things continue to run smoothly in the runup to Breyerfest!

I did get an email from Breyer detailing the changes to the website, so if you’re a Collector Club member, take a look at that for a full list.

Featured JAH - 6/15/2024, Jan/Feb 2001

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! We're starting another new year this week with Jan/Feb 2001, so let's get started! 

On the front cover, a horse pulls a sleigh through a wintry landscape. On the back cover, the 2001 Collector's Edition, Rhett, makes his debut! 

In the Editor's Column, Stephanie talks about winter stuff, and announces the first Connoisseur model, Mosaic! More on him later. On page 3, the still-mega-popular Silver makes his debut! One of Kathleen Moody's most popular sculpts, he was a welcome update for the Fighting Stallion. 

On page 4-5 is the article about Silver, of the Lone Ranger fame. 

On page 6 is the rest of the Silver article, and on page 7 is the beginning of an article about Winchester (or Rienzi), the latest entry in the Horses in History series. 

On page 8 is the conclusion to the Winchester article, and on page 9 is the Sheridan's Ride poem. 

On page 10-11 we have a humorous article about a hobbyist's first model horse show. I always enjoyed reading this article, and now that I have actually attended a live show, I found myself wondering if this person is in fact an alternate version of me. Though I was more-or-less organized at the rather low-stakes show I attended, this article would probably more accurately portray my experience were I to attempt the Breyerfest Live show. 

On page 12 is a listing of 2001 Breyer Tour events, and on page 13 is the reveal of the 2001 Tour Model Stormchaser, and the Tour raffle model Silver Twilight, both designed by collectors. 

On page 14-15 is an article about Sherry Carr (now the owner of Seunta) and Silky Keno, another Breyer portrait horse. I had Silky Keno at one point - she's one of my favorite colors on Lady Phase. The real Silky Keno holds the distinction of having been a portrait horse for both Breyer and Stone. Silky Keno has died, according to the Seunta website, but I was unable to find a date of death. 

On page 16-17 is a Brushstrokes article by Kathleen Moody, detailing the sculpting process for Silver! 

On page 18 is the rest of the Brushstrokes article, and on page 19 is a short article about a real-horse volunteer donating her time to foster children in Oklahoma. 

In the centerfold, the beautiful Mosaic makes his debut! Produced on the very popular Lonesome Glory, still pretty much a brand-new mold at the time, he was the first mass-produced Breyer model to have such a detailed paint job, including mapping. Current Premier Club horses are supposed to have "Connoisseur-level" paint jobs, but uh, the consumers have been disappointed on that front more than a few times, sadly. But anyway! This was the first widely-available limited run model in quite some time, and having the run size limited to 350 was practically unheard-of (at least, to 15-year-old me, anyway). It was all very exciting! Of course, I entered the drawing for Mosaic but wasn't drawn. He also cost $95, which was a princely sum for a Breyer in 2001. Pretty far removed from today's $175 for Premier Club models, web specials, etc. 

After skipping a judge's clinic, new Breyer rider figures, an article about naming models, a Know Your Breed about the English Foxhound (??), Horse Trader and Breyer jr., on page 38 we find a tribute to equine illustrator Sam Savitt, and on page 39 is the beginning of this week's Vintage Point, this time featuring Kelso. 

On page 40-41 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 Mar/Apr 2001! 

A new website? Right before Breyerfest? Oh boy

 Today I (and probably a lot of other people) got an email from Breyer that they’re having their website upgraded over the weekend. “Again?” I thought…and then realized it’s been almost six years since the last time Breyer did a major overhaul (Sept. 2018). 

I kinda question the wisdom of messing with the website less than a month before it gets slammed for Breyerfest…but they must be figuring they’ll have all the bugs worked out in the next couple of weeks? (HAHAHAHA!) Good luck, I guess. Maybe the new website will be easier to navigate. 

2024 mid-years or Salvino II: Electric Boogaloo

 Good news, everyone! Breyer finally revealed this year's mid-year releases! I'll start with Salvino:

Yes, this is the same Salvino that got his own portrait on Salinero for Ponies & Palm Trees a couple years ago. The model is pretty (actually really pretty, must have one!), but I'm a little confused as to why they're doing another portrait of Salvino when there have to be other prominent dressage horses they could have chosen instead. Especially since it's an Olympics year. Maybe I'm just being crotchety. For the record, I don't own (or want) the Salinero version of him, so I don't really have a dog in the fight. He is pretty though. Calling it now: he'll be one of the Breyerfest glossy prizes next year. 

Next, we have Quietway Spinabbey:

This one is a portrait of one of Guy McLean's horses, with a custom roached mane! I wonder if Breyer is trying to step up their game and compete with Stone a little more with all these factory custom releases they've been doing lately (roached Mirado, Newport and now this). This guy isn't anything I need, but he looks nice without his mane. 

Next we have a unicorn set, Cyrus and Solana! 

Ooh, I really like these! I'm sensing a "brown" pattern with these releases, but this set is so pretty I don't mind! Selene has been a unicorn before, but Duende makes a good addition to the unicorn herd. So, since Breyer usually does the unicorn set during the holidays, I wonder if there are going to be two this year? Or if the yearly set just got pushed forward a bit? Maybe they thought it would sell better. 

There's also a new Freedom Series playset and some new Collectas. All new releases can be seen here! I hope they have these releases at Breyerfest so I can get a close look at them! 

Llywellyn update!

 Well, we finally have some news on this year's first Premier Club release, and a reveal! Huzzah! Say hello to Llywellyn! 

He's kind of awkward-looking, but maybe it's Breyer's terrible promo photos striking again. Here's his other side:

He's such a chonk, he needs to go on a diet! Haha. I'm not sure if I want to keep him or not - I'll have to wait until I see him in person. But who knows when that's going to happen, since Breyer is estimating a late June/early July ship date. 

I'm still guessing Llywellyn will also be used as one of this year's Breyerfest raffle models - he'll technically be available to Premier Club members beforehand, so it seems likely. 

So, since it looks like it's going to be a while until this guy is released, I went ahead and completed my order for Newport. Looking forward to seeing her soon! 

Breyerfest preference forms!

 Good news, everyone! The preference forms for Breyerfest 2024 are finally available! That means we can finally enter our choices of special run models for our tickets (online and in-person). Get your choices in now so you can have a modicum of control over the special run models you’re assigned. 

I went back and forth on how I wanted to do my tickets - my gut instinct is to get wild cards for everything, and I may still do that - I haven’t quite decided. I definitely want to get a surprise model with every ticket (this year I have 11), and a healthy selection of tickets for all the other models I want (last year I got stuck with a ton of Jump & Drive tickets I didn’t need), but I’m afraid if I go with the wild card option, things will start selling out before I can get all the models I want. I could probably avoid this if I redeemed all my tickets at once, but I’d rather spread it out over all three days (especially if there are variations and micro runs). If I have all wild cards, though, I can adjust my choices on the fly if I get all the variations I want on any particular release. So I’ll have to think about it some more…but not for too long, because we only have until Wednesday to get our preferences in. If you don’t submit a list, you’ll be randomly assigned two models per ticket. Guess I’ll have to do some more thinking! 

In the meantime, here’s hoping we start seeing some auction models this week! The countdown is on - a month from now, we’ll all be gathering for Breyerfest yet again!

Featured JAH - 6/8/2024, Nov/Dec 2000

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured JAH! This week we're covering Nov/Dec 2000, so let's get started! 

On the front cover, David O'Connor and Custom Made take their victory gallop at the 2000 Olympics. On the back cover, a rootin' tootin' Breyer cowboy takes a ride on a new Classics-scale bull. Also, the famous 50th Fanfare MFTs make their debut! 

In the Editor's Column, Stephanie poses with the fanfare MFT set (all four of which I had at one point, since sold off), and talks about Breyer's 50th anniversary and JAH's 25th. She gives some subscription numbers for JAH (15,000). One can presume that that was more-or-less the size of the collector base in 2000. I wonder how much it's changed now? They don't really ever give us any indication of how big the collector group really is. Anyway, on page 3 is the first part of the 2000 Olympics wrap-up. 

On page 4-5 is more of the Olympics wrap-up. 

On page 6-7 is an article about Breyer portrait horse AA Omner, and a reveal of his Breyer model. AA Omner eventually retired to the National Ability Center in Park City, UT. At 20 years old in 2000, he has to have passed on by now, but I haven't been able to find a date of death for him. 

After skipping the retired list for 2000, on page 10-11 is the story of Breyer portrait model Comanche, only survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn and another entry in the Horses in History series. 

On page 12-13 we have an article about rare buckskin Morgan Montana Harvest, another Breyer portrait horse. I wanted Montana Harvest when he first came out, despite Breyer's somewhat strange-looking interpretation of his coat. I wanted Tri-Mi Boot Scootin' Boogie too, so maybe I have a soft spot for the Justin Morgan mold. Not enough to buy any of them, though. 

After skipping an article about professional rodeo and another judge's clinic, this week's centerfold features glorious full-color photos of all four Fanfare MFTs, complete with festive backdrops! I love it. Is this the first time they did a gambler's choice? It was fun and exciting then, but now everything is gambler's choice and it's getting really old. Okay, I'll admit it's still fun and exciting to open surprise models at Breyerfest and see what you got, but the advantage there is that there are usually a ton of people around looking to trade, so it's easier and faster (not to mention cheaper) to trade for the colors you want. 

On page 22-23 is this week's anniversary article, this week covering the 1990s. 

The anniversary article continues on page 24-25. 

On page 26 we have the conclusion of the anniversary article, and on page 27 is the conclusion to the Comanche article. 

After skipping the rest of the rodeo article, Horse Trader, Breyer jr. and a Breyer scrapbook, on page 38 is the conclusion to the Olympics article, and on page 39 is the first page of Vintage Point, this week featuring the Western Prancing Horse. 

The Vintage Point article concludes on page 40 (I had Ranger, the cow pony, as a kid) and that brings us to the end of this week's article. We're done with another year! Check back next week for Jan/Feb 2001. 

Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but Breyerfest special run preference lists will be sent out on Monday. We only have two days to submit them, so don't waste any time! If you don't put in any preferences, you'll be randomly assigned two models per ticket (a change from past years, where you got wild card tickets), so make sure you get those preferences in!