Hoopla indeed

 Greetings, readers! Well, we have our Monday Breyerfest reveal, and he's definitely ready to cause some Hoopla. Behold! 

He's the online-only Traditional! I wonder what the odds are that he ends up being a matte/glossy split? Pretty dang high, I'd imagine. And that would cause a ton of hoopla! 

We're getting another reveal tomorrow - hopefully it's the online Stablemate, but who knows. We still haven't seen the plush or the crystal, or anything else they're doing, so it could really be anything. See you tomorrow! 

Blue Zeus shipping!

 Something I forgot to mention yesterday - the backordered Blue Zeus models from Breyerfest are in stock and shipping! An email went out to people still waiting on their models. So keep an eye on your mailbox if you're still waiting on a Blue Zeus! It should be arriving soon. They had originally said the models would ship in December, so this is a welcome surprise. And he's coming with a special pin, too! 

Also, I managed to get into Autumn Leaf Model Horse Show last-minute, so if you're there tomorrow and spot Geralt and Roach, say hi! I'd love to hear from you. 

Second Chance sale is live!

 Well, the Breyerfest second chance sale is live! Check it out if you're a ticket holder. No big surprises there, except there were some Fighter and Survivor sets available - I would have thought they all sold out beforehand. I guess extras turn up for everything, though. Other things that are currently sold out: Wild Things, Girls Run the World Surprise, Fight Song and various swag items. It'll be interesting to see if/when anything else sells out. 

I'm not buying anything, but you'd better hurry and get in there if there's anything you want to buy, because who knows how long it'll last. Well, Gascon the Great will probably last quite a while, depending on the quantities I saw in the store on Sunday, but other than that...

Also, apparently the April Fool's blind bag Stablemates are back in stock, so pick those up too if you're so inclined.

Breyerfest Second Chance sale!

 Good news, readers! The Breyerfest second chance sale has been announced - it's happening on Thursday, aka tomorrow!

I hope pretty much everyone has gotten their orders by now...but anyways. It's another chance to buy anything you may have missed out on the first time. I don't think there's really anything I need to buy, but I'll likely check this out just to see what's available. The sale starts at 1pm EST, so log on fast before things sell out! 

Blue Zeus mea culpa?

 Well, good news for the backordered Blue Zeus buyers out there - Breyer sent out an email today with a coupon code for $20 and promise of a Blue Zeus pin to be sent out with the remaining Blue Zeus models in December! Now I kind of wish mine had been backordered…but, nah. I’m happier that he’s on my shelf now. At least we’re finally getting some acknowledgement of the situation! Let’s hope we get some news soon to break up this dry spell!

Blue Zeus and Petra selections!

 Good news, readers! My Blue Zeus model finally arrived! Okay, he came last Friday, but I haven't had a chance to get photos of him until today. Behold! 

What a beauty! 

I'd gotten a shipping notice for him, but erroneously thought it was for my Llywellyn because the website said Blue Zeus was still unfulfilled. 

I'm definitely grateful I got this guy when I did, because it looks like the warehouse is doing a repeat of the Lafayette debacle, where the orders printed out more-or-less randomly and people who ordered after the original allotment was sold out ended up getting models right away, while people who ordered before ended up having to wait until December.

I'm grateful I managed to get one at all, really, what with all the warehouse issues I've been hearing about lately (crushed boxes, open boxes, crushed open boxes, boxes with no tape, empty boxes, orders arriving with everything but Blue Zeus, orders arriving with one model and the rest of the box full of bird seed/dog treats/cat food/underwear, damaged models, orders not being shipped at all despite it now being 2 weeks since Breyerfest ended, Breyer shotgunning out more releases without resolving the previous shipping issues first, honeycomb wrap not being honeycombed properly, Stablemates shipped in bubble mailers, orders containing Blue Zeus being delayed until December (including anything else in the order), probably more stuff I'm forgetting). Let's hope this is the event that makes Breyer finally dump CCG for a better warehouse. 

As for my Blue Zeus, he was pretty good in the quality department - I didn't see any major issues. He'll look great on my shelf with the rest of my Firehearts. I hope the warehouse gets people's orders sorted out soon, because it sounds like things are a disaster right now. 

In other news, the selections for Petra went out today! Check your email or your Collector Club account to see if you were drawn. With the new website came an update where you can click a button on your Collector Club Home page to see if you were drawn. Nothing here, unfortunately, so it looks like I'll have to grab one on the secondary market. Congrats to all the winners! 

New Arrivals: The Grand Finale

 Well, we've reached the end of the Breyerfest new arrivals for this year. I held this guy back for last, and here he is...Lot 8 in the Breyerfest Live auction, the Shimmer Dapple Silver Grey with Somatic Mutation! 

Yes, I spent too much on him, but that's what credit cards are for, so I'm not going to dwell on that topic. He sure is pretty, though - he managed to catch my eye, despite his weird face marking. I'm happy to report that his face doesn't look bloody in person! It's just a somatic mutation. So, if this were a real horse, presumably he would eventually gray out and turn white everywhere except that side of his face. That would be an interesting thing to see! But anyway. 

I must not have been paying attention when this model was first revealed, because when I unwrapped the model after paying for him, I was surprised to discover his braids are painted silver and blue, two of my favorite colors. I've complained in the past about them not bothering to paint the braids on other releases using this mane (why have the braids in the mane if you aren't going to paint them?) so it's fitting that this guy does have painted braids. He was meant to live with me! I can't wait to put him in a class at a model horse show. Not that I expect him to do any winning in breed - everyone I talked to about him knew right away what mold I was talking about whenever I mentioned the "noodle legs Andalusian." I still think he would have been pretty great with a coat of gloss, though! Of course, then he probably would have sold for a lot more and I wouldn't have bought him. All's well that ends well, I guess. 

Well, that's it for the new Breyerfest arrivals - I didn't buy as much this year, probably because I knew (or at least hoped) I'd be able to take another auction model home. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to pay off this credit card. In the meantime, Breyerfest Closeups is next on the docket - check back tomorrow for the first one! 

Breyerfest is getting closer!

 Well, I haven't had a whole lot to post about lately, but never fear! I'm gearing up for Breyerfest and getting things ready as we speak. I just finished making our itineraries for the weekend, yesterday I printed out all our tickets (running out of color ink in the process, d'oh), and for the last week I've been getting the house ready for a visit from my mom and mother-in-law, who are going to help us wrangle the kids during Breyerfest this year. 

I won't be able to get into the Clarion until sometime Thursday afternoon, but we'll be in room 409 as usual! Stop by and mention the blog for a free (regular run) Stablemate, while supplies last! And as usual, check in for recaps and photos from each day of the festivities! 

Also, if you hadn't heard, there's been some consternation about how people were going to enter and re-enter the park, since apparently the QR codes can only be scanned once per day and many people like to do reasonable things like go out to their car, go somewhere other than the KHP for lunch, etc. Breyer's solution to this was to include wristbands with the Athenian Lady models, but naturally this would lead to a stampede of people and huge lines at the Celebration Model handout line. So now Breyer will be stamping people's hands so they don't have to rush to get their celebration models for the wristband. Seems like it would have been easier to just hand out the wristbands when the QR codes are scanned, but what do I know? Anyways...

That's about all I have for right now! I'm excited for Breyerfest this weekend. I only have two more workdays to get through before the real party can get started! I hope everyone has a fun and safe trip to Kentucky! 

So many things to post about, I can’t even keep up!

 More exciting reveals are happening, people! Breyer showed us some more auction models today - behold, this BEAUTIFUL Wixom!

This girl is absolutely amazing! I love her. I’m low-key wishing I hadn’t sold all my Wixoms, because I want her! Here’s an alternate view from Facebook:

What a beauty! I wonder how much she’ll go for. 

Next, we have a beautiful glossy bay Croi:

Finally some gloss! (I can’t remember if any of the previously-shown models were glossy; don’t @ me). She’s pretty too! But not as pretty as that Wixom.

Next, this also-stunning Constantia!

I’m pretty sure that’s Anamar’s paint job. It looks great on Constantia! I think she’s my favorite of the models released so far (that I’d actually want to bid on). 

We’ve already seen the Saturday raffle model earlier today, so I’m going to skip to the Carrick!

He’s pretty, but not really grabbing me like some of the others have. 

That’s it for the auction models! But the June Collector Club newsletter came out today too! There’s a Breyerfest flashback video, a Jump & Drive giveaway, and this sneak peek!

No idea what it is, but the hint said to think about packing to go somewhere, so it must be the next Exotic Destinations web special! Presumably it’ll be revealed at Breyerfest. Only two weeks to go!

We have a program!

 More exciting news today, readers! We're two weeks out from Breyerfest, and the program was revealed today! Check it out here. Most importantly, we finally know what the raffle models are! Behold:

You Oughta Know...that I'm devastated about that raffle Georg. Gonna have to buy a lot of tickets this year! And You're So Vain...applies pretty well to the Llywellyn. (Also, I was right in predicting him! I mean, anyone could have predicted it, but I'm taking what I can get here. I can't remember who I predicted for the other raffle?).  I'm less enamored with him for some reason, but would still be happy to add him to the collection, should my name be drawn. Here's hoping...

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. 

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. 

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! 

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!

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. 

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! 

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. 

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. 

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! 

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! 

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!