New Arrivals: Survivor, Edge of Glory and Salvino

 Good news, readers! You get another New Arrivals post today. Huzzah! We're getting closer to being done with these, and then I can start working on Breyerfest Closeups posts. Let's start with Survivor! 

What a cutie! She looks really nice in this color. Maybe she's like a young version of the light gray pinto Rhiannon that was in this year's auction? Her little pink nose is so cute. 

Next: Edge of Glory! 

I'm really happy with this one - I love the contrast of his light mane and tail against the darker coat. He's a nice mix of old painting techniques vs new ones all at the same time. I hope we see this color again sometime in the future. 

Lastly, here's Salvino! 

Totilas looks handsome in dark bay. Still a little irked that they couldn't find another dressage horse to make a model of (since Salvino already had his own model), but I guess it's not like Totilas has already been done in this color. The only other time he's been a bay was as Zydeco back in 2014, and that was a micro run. I wonder if he'll be a glossy CCA release next year? Probably, or a glossy prize model. I'd better not think about it too much. 

That's it for today! Check back tomorrow (hopefully) for another New Arrivals post! 

Rolling my eyes some more

 Well, we have two exciting reveals today, readers! Well, one of them is pretty groan-inducing; the other one is exciting, though. Firstly, I'll start with the reveal of this year's surprise! Excuse me while I roll my eyes so hard they get stuck that way...

I suspect my soon-to-be-5-year-old daughter will love this theme. The rest of us, not so much...But anyway. According to the blog post, this is a mare mold, so what are the possibilities? Let's take a look at IDYB. Here's a list of molds I think are possible:

Hermosa (not popular enough?)
Justadream
Bluegrass Bandit (another gaited mold?)
Croi (was volunteer model last year, but the same thing happened with Roxy)
Carina
Marabella (seems like a long shot)
Forever Saige
Ruffian 
Yasmin (also seems like a long shot)
Firefly (too bleh?)
Strapless (already in the RR line?)
Weather Girl (the most stereotypical choice - please no!)
Wixom (too big?)

I wouldn't be too upset to see it be Forever Saige, simply because her sassy headset would go great with this theme (rolling my eyes again), but I'm leaning more toward Justadream, simply because of the wide variety of head/mane/tail/finish options. We're talking a mix-and-match of epic proportions, here. More importantly, she really hasn't been used for a wide variety of attainable releases. I think we can do away with the old "surprise mold never appears at the previous Breyerfest, not even in the live auction" rule now that it's been broken twice, and (other than last year) Justadream's last Breyerfest appearance was in 2016, so I think she'd make a good surprise. We'll have to see what else is revealed in the coming weeks! 

Speaking of other things being revealed, we also got to see another special run today! Meet Edge of Glory: 

Finally, a song I don't hate! I'm still not into the songs-as-names, though. But anyway - this guy is beautiful! He definitely just shot to the top of my (very short) list. Look at the details on him! He's like a cross between an old-style resist paint job and a new one with dapples! And I like the (almost) white mane and tail, too. I love him! Maybe I'll have to buy a VIP ticket after all...

That's it for today - I hope we get more reveals tomorrow! 

Auction models! We've got auction models! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

 Alert, Breyerfest attendees! An email went out today that starting this year, Breyer will no longer be accepting cash in most purchases at the KHP during Breyerfest, with a few exceptions. Also, 6% sales tax will now be charged on purchases, rather than being built into the sale price as it always was prior. I'm a bit conflicted about this, but...gotta get with the times, I guess. There will be 3 reverse ATMs at the Horse Park (put cash in, get prepaid cards out, while supplies last), so that's something. I'll still be taking cash at the Clarion, but maybe I'll get a prepaid card before I leave so I don't have to depend on the reverse ATMs too much. Anyways, Breyer must have decided we needed a distraction from this news, so...here are some auction models! Behold! 

Lot #1 is a beautiful black leopard appaloosa Ashquar! Be still, my heart. I love him! 

Lot #2 is a glossy dapple chestnut sabino Pacer, which...would be nice, if it weren't for that, uh...oopsie with his front leg. I mean, maybe they did it on purpose so he wouldn't be so tippy? But like...wow, I'm kind of surprised the Pacer has only been an auction model four times before and the most recent of those was 21 (!) years ago. But anyway...that bent leg, oof. 

Lot #3 is OH MY GOD FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE ASHQUAR, BE STILL MY HEART! I LOVE THIS ONE!! That looks like the Oasis tail to boot! 

Lot #4 is a handsome gray pinto Huck that I'm oddly not that excited about. Maybe it's the mostly-white head? 

Lot #5 and 6 are being skipped, I guess, probably just to annoy us. Anyways...

Lot #7 is a handsome chestnut splash Stretch Morgan. He looks chalky, to boot! And might have a blue eye? I like his white tail, too. 

That's it for today's distractions - dare I hope we get more tomorrow? 

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! 

It's a Gloss Extravaganza!

 Sheesh, with all the glossy models I've been getting lately, you'd think I was a Team Glossy person! Well...no further comment there. But my glossy Limited Editions from Breyerfest 2021 are finally here, plus I was able to trade my glossy CCA Smarty for a glossy Moody Andalusian, so adding that to my glossy Astrid and the SMC foals makes for a shiny party! Behold: 

I wish the Andalusian had been chalky, but at least I got one. They all look so good! 

I think the glossy Rheverence is my favorite of the bunch, though. He already looked good in that buckskin color, so adding a coat of gloss on top made him stunning! I like the way his mane is masked, too, even if it doesn't exactly match the actual sculpted mane. He's a beauty! 

Josie's paint job was already luscious in matte, and in glossy she just pops. This isn't even the greatest picture - her bay color has so much depth and the gloss just adds to it. 

The only problem with Apollo is that his gloss is hard to see in photos, similar to the amber champagne Hero's Welcome. Mine also has a rather nastily warped left front leg, which is a shame.

While he isn't basecoated, the glossy CCA Andalusian is still a stunning guy! I've always really liked the "young" grays that still have a lot of black in their color, and this guy is no exception. 

Quality-wise, they have some issues with lint/debris in the gloss, but that's just how it goes sometimes. Nothing too terrible other than Apollo's warped leg, so I'm pretty happy with them overall. Now I just have to fit them onto my shelves....

Edit: I forgot to add that we saw our first Breyerfest 2022 Limited Edition (formerly known as a store special) release today! Say hello to Montanara! 

Not a mold I collect, but I'm always glad to be able to save some money. The old Friesian does look good in that color, I must say. More importantly, does this mean we'll get another reveal tomorrow? I hope so! 

Featured Model - 6/12/2021, 2014 Auction Ashquar

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it! This week's model is...the 2014 Auction Ashquar! Before I get started, though, let's have a moment of silence to mark the passing of Janice Cox, the owner/operator of Identify Your Breyer. From what I've heard, she had been in the hospital for the last couple of weeks and passed away yesterday. Her site has been an invaluable resource to me and many other hobbyists and she will be greatly missed in the hobby. I didn't know her personally, but did sell her a Carinosa PAM a few years ago. 

This handsome boy was a OOAK sold at the Breyerfest live auction back in 2014. He was issued on the Ashquar mold sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. 

He's described as a "Metallic Smoky Black," but he's basically an updated charcoal (not that that's a bad thing). He reminds me of an old toy horse (not a Breyer) I had as a kid - it was black with a white mane and tail and may have had articulated legs. I remember when this model was first revealed, because it was the first new release on the mold since his Premier Club debut the year before, and then it took until the end of 2014 for Chamonix to be released. So the Ashquar release was a bit lonely for the first 18 months of existence! They've made up for it since then, of course. He's only been an auction model twice, though - maybe he'll get another one this year? Speaking of auction models, when are we going to start seeing the ones for this year? I hope it's soon. 

Ashquar is being used as one of the store specials for this year's Breyerfest, and he was one of the special runs for the Seattle Soiree last year, so it's hard to say where we'll see him next. I suspect he'll get a rest for a while, but I suppose it's possible he could be this year's surprise model. I wouldn't be opposed to that, though I think Forever Saige is more likely. Maybe Ashquar will get a web special? He hasn't had one of those for a while, and with those long, spindly legs he could easily pass for a flamingo. Here's hoping! 

Ooh, pretty!

 Our next two reveals have appeared on the blog - let's start with this year's Best of Breyerfest Stablemate set! 

From left to right, we have the G2 Paso Fino as Perrault, Darwin as Nottingham, the G3 Highland Pony as Tom Thumb, the G3 Stock Horse as Camelot, and the Warmblood Mare as Happily Ever After. Interesting that all of the inspirations this year were from 2011 - I don't think that was the case last year. Oh well - this is a great set! I've always wanted a Nottingham, so it'll be fun to have a miniature one on Darwin. The only other mold here in my collection is the Warmblood Mare, and that dapple gray looks really nice on her. Hopefully I'll be able to snag a set! 

Today's other exciting reveal is a model that didn't appear in the Great Photo Leak of last week! Say hello to Rheverence+! 

Ooh, another Ashquar - yes please! Wow, he looks good in buckskin, and that's certainly a unique pattern. This will be the third time Ashquar appears as a portrait model, after Empres and Thunder. The more the merrier, I say! I hope I can snag this one as well! 

Wow, where do I start with all these reveals?

There have been a ton of new reveals today - maybe Breyer decided to stop holding back on information since the winter doldrums are now over? Well, anyway, I'm not going to complain - I always love the new reveals! I'll start with Crystalline!

In case you don't recognize her, this is the sneak peek that was in last month's Collector Club Newsletter, and I love her! Breyer has really been on a roll with their decorators lately, and this girl is no exception! They're limited to 4,000 pieces (a bit of an increase from the usual 3,000 or 3,500) so it shouldn't be too hard to get your hands on one eventually if you're so inclined. I reserved mine from Golden Oaks, so I can't wait to see what she looks like!

Next, there's a new spring release - Winx!

So we finally get a reveal of that blurry Winx photo from a while back! I'll have to get my hands on one eventually, but I didn't order one just yet - I can wait until later for this one.

Next, we got a reveal of one of this year's Breyerfest raffle models - say hello to Order of the Thistle!

My reaction: be still, my heart. Ugh - I knew this mold had "raffle horse" written all over it - I should have stuck with him as one of my raffle model predictions. He's basically the same color as Champagne Wishes. Hope I can win one...

Lastly, and most excitingly (or devastatingly...) we have the special runs for the now-canceled Seattle Soiree event! First, here's Puget, the Stablemate included with every ticket:

Whew, nothing I need. Wish I could say that about the rest of it. Well, here goes - I'll start with Bellevue and Nirvana:

They are runs of 104 and 96, respectively - ugh! A braided Idocus! If only he were the loose mane and tail, I wouldn't need him! Since his piece count is so high, maybe it won't be hard to get one later...

Next, here's Pinchot and Storm:



Their piece counts are 60 and 52. Ughhhhh, I'm never going to be able to afford Storm. He sure is pretty though! Pinchot is stunning too - I wonder if he's glossy? At least I don't need that one...

And lastly, here are Duwamish and Olympia!



Their piece counts are 48 and 40. I don't need Olympia, but I love Duwamish! Unfortunately, he'll be about impossible to find for a decent price too, but I can always hope.

So I believe the way it works is that the attendees will send in their preferences for Group A (Bellevue and Nirvana) and Group B (the other four). Then they'll be assigned numbers in their respective color groups, a number will be drawn, and then the line "starts" and their preferences will be selected according to their spot in line. Sounds complicated, but maybe this is how the Breyerfest special runs could be distributed if it comes down to it? I suppose I could live with that...maybe. Anyway, congratulations to the lucky would-be attendees! I know I'd love to have had a shot at these. Maybe next time...

Featured Model - 11/17/2018, Sahran

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Sahran!




This release was the first time the Ashquar mold, sculpted by Brigitte Eberl, was used after its initial Premier Club release. He was the 2014 brick-and-mortar special run, with 3,000 models produced.

Already a dynamic mold, Ashquar looks even more striking in this color. I seem to recall him being pretty popular when he was first released, and he still seems to be fairly popular now. Which is unsurprising, because he's a pretty boy!

As for the Ashquar mold itself, after his sparse number of releases in his first couple of years of existence, he's had several releases since then, such as his Breyerfest debut as Ganache in 2015 and his regular run debut as Empres++++//. He also appeared as Abdul, 2016's first Collector Club special run. So, where will he show up next? Time will tell, I guess. He was a web special in 2014, so he could show up anywhere, really. Maybe he'll be a Breyerfest special run or prize? It seems fairly likely that he could be a live show prize, provided Breyer doesn't continue using less-popular molds to deter cheating. So I guess we'll have to wait and see! Hopefully whatever he does get used for next is something I can get my hands on! 

Even more auction models!

Surprise, surprise - Breyer posted more auction models on the blog! Oooh, exciting! Let's start with Lot 15, the Few-Spot Appaloosa on True North (!):

Ooh, he's pretty! I bet this guy will go high. Definitely a unique color! Nothing I need to take home, but somebody will spend a pretty penny on him!

Next, lot 16, on Wixom with a custom tail:

It's the Shannondell tail, according to the blog. Ehhh...I don't think I like it. Her color looks similar to this auction Totilas from 2015, but not glossy. It's not bad, but I don't think the tail works on her.

Next is lot 17, on a totally-unexpected nonhorse mold:

It's the Longhorn Bull! In "Brown Brindle," apparently. Uh, that doesn't look like anything brindle to me - Breyer does know what brindle is, right? Maybe the brindling is more visible up close. Interesting that there's a bull in the auction - maybe they're going to put the mold into production in the near future?

Next is lot 18, and according to the blog, they "hate to keep doing this to you, but you'll have to wait a bit longer." Okay, really? No one's making you do it. You're just doing it so we can't figure out what the surprise model is. Don't waste our time with that apologetic nonsense when you could just show us the model so people wanting to bid can plan how to spend their money. Ugh.

And lastly, lot 19:



Oooh, I like this one! The blog describes him as a Shaded Black Rabicano Sabino with a Gulastra Plume (meaning he has a white tail). This is similar to his only other auction appearance, back in 2014. I definitely like him, though - I think this is the first auction model I've seen that I actually wanted, not that I'm going to bid or anything.

That's it for the auction models. As for the surprise model speculation, it's looking more and more likely that it's Smarty Jones, since he's a racehorse mold and he hasn't popped up anywhere else yet. But this is Breyer we're talking about, and Smarty Jones is too obvious. Are there still any other candidates? Taking a quick look at last year's auction models, the Show Jumping Warmblood is still a possibility, along with Totilas, the Fell Pony (both unlikely), Laredo (also unlikely), the Cleveland Bay, the Indian Pony, Desatado, Giselle, Gem Twist, the Trakehner, the PAM and the Fighting Stallion. Of all of those, Smarty and the SJW are the only standouts - the others are too old and/or too unpopular to be used. Unless Smarty shows up as one of the last few auction models, I'm going to consider him the surprise. Can't wait to see the rest of them!

Yes, Collectors, There Is A Santa Claus

Breyer finally got their rears in gear and released the information for the 2018 new releases - it's a Christmas miracle! Since there are too many photos to post here, I'm going to direct readers here. But, here's the release I'm most excited about!

 
Yes - a regular run Ashquar, and I love his color! Just what I wanted to see next year! Exciting. He's a portrait model, so I wonder if we'll see the real horse at Breyerfest next year.

 Here's another one that makes me happy:



UNICORN YASMIN! Whoo! She's never, ever going to fit in my photo tent, though - it was hard enough to fit Yasmin and Kaalee in there for their photos! I guess I'll worry about that later.

I'm also super excited about this one:



CARINA AS THE HOLIDAY HORSE AND IT'S PEARLY AND BEAUTIFUL AHHHH!

Too bad I have to wait a year to get her. I'll have to console myself with the knowledge that this year's holiday horse, the palomino Totilas, is hidden somewhere in our apartment and I get to open him in less than a week. Yay!

Moving on to the Classics, check out this one!



It's the 2018 Classics Horse of the Year, and I really like him! At first dumb me thought he was a TWH, but he's a Saddlebred. Oh well, I still like him! No word as to who the sculptor was - I thought he looked like a Prosser piece, but evidently it wasn't her. It's a mystery!

In the slightly-less-excited-about-but-will-still-buy group is, uh, this one:



Kind of a weird idea, but it looks like something that would appeal to kids. The design reminds me of wallpaper border or something. Think about it - you could put up a single shelf all the way around a room and line it with these models instead of border for your wallpaper. It could totally work! Waste of money, though. But she's cute and I like clearware, so I'll pick her up at some point.

Well, that's the Trads and Classics I'm most excited about. Let's look at some Stablemates!



Wha? Officially-sanctioned Suncatcher Stablemates? Sommer's been doing the workshop at Breyerfest for years, but I never expected clearware Stablemates to show up in a painting kit for some reason. Genius! I'll probably get a kit just to leave unpainted, but I'm tempted to paint some of them just for the fun of it.

We also got a new blind bag assortment (groan):




Whoever came up with the idea for blind bag stuff (in general) needs to get punched in the face. Sure, they're addictive and fun, but it's impossible to stop at just one and you know it's just a gimmick for companies to sell more stock. Why have everything neatly labeled as to what it is (and only sell some of it) when you can do the blind packaging, throw in a rare piece and sell all of it? It's genius and diabolical at the same time. And this time only one in four boxes has the rare "copper florentine" chase piece.

Clearly they learned from the Spirit blind bags, where most people (I assume) just bought the whole box at once to get the models they wanted. I'd do that this time, but each box has three of each model, which makes an entire box cost almost $100. Sheesh. I preordered eight of the single bags; if I'm really lucky, I'll get the ones I want in one swoop - I only collect four of the molds, so those are...somewhat decent odds, I guess.

Oh well. On to the next exciting thing!



That's right - the shrunken Brishen is making yet another appearance, and this time he's a Brishencorn! I gotta have him.

There are a lot of other new releases for 2018 to drool over, but this post is getting long, so I'm going to wrap things up. Let's hope we get lots of other exciting new reveals this week!

Featured Model - 11/11/2016, Chamonix

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, give some stats on it and make some commentary. This week's victim is... Chamonix!




This handsome fellow, item #712113, was issued on Breyer mold #727, Ashquar. A Brigitte Eberl sculpt, Ashquar was the second Premier Club release of 2013. After his initial release, it took Breyer a while to use the mold again - in 2014 he showed up as the brick-and-mortar special run Sahran, and Chamonix showed up later that year.

A run of 300 models, Chamonix is a little less plentiful than many of the other holiday silver filigree releases we've had - Mont Tremblant, Sugarloaf and this year's Avalanche are all runs of 350, plus others I'm probably forgetting. This wasn't helped by the fact that apparently Reeves lost half of the shipment of Chamonix(es?) on the way over from China, and many of the people who ordered him in fall 2014 didn't end up receiving him until January or later. This was the case with mine - a helpful Blabber sold me hers after I wasn't drawn, and he didn't show up on my doorstep until January. He was worth the wait, though! Silver filigree is my favorite Breyer colorway (I refer to them as my "silver sparkleponies") and the only color I try to buy regardless of whether I collect the mold it's on or not. (So irritated I wasn't drawn for the silver filigree buffalo! Oh well.)

I've seen a lot of commentary about not liking Ashquar's snaky neck/head, but it honestly doesn't bother me. I've also seen him compared to the Black from Walter Farley's Black Stallion books, and it seems an apt comparison (other than the purist in me protesting that the Black wasn't a purebred Arabian!). He's a fun mold, and I've managed to get all of his releases so far. He definitely needs to be used again soon, though - maybe we'll get a RR release soon. He's now been a Breyerfest SR and a Collector Club SR - it would be nice to see him in a wider release. Maybe as a portrait of Magic Elixir? Or as the Black, though I have to admit I find most black paintjobs on models kinda boring without some chrome in there to mix it up. Either way, though, this mold needs to get some more love!