Collector Appreciation 2017!

Just when I thought we weren't going to get a Collector Appreciation event this year, Breyer pulls it out!

Carefully timed to not coincide with the double savings weekend and $10 express shipping upgrade, of course. Well played, Breyer (or not).

So it looks like this year, the first 500 orders to use the Collector Appreciation code to order $125 of qualifying merchandise will receive one of four glossed models with their order: Liberty, Bandera, Hickory Hills Wall Street, or Bryants Jake. That breaks down to 125 glossies each.

I was irritated that they raised the total to $125 this year, but I couldn't resist the possibility of a glossy Liberty or Bandera, so I bit. But what to buy? I hadn't been planning on buying one of the new throw blankets they came out with, but when I saw one of them had the Xavier unicorn on it, I had to get it. I love throw blankets and I love unicorns; what could go wrong? It had better be a pretty amazing throw for $40, though.

Along with the throw, I picked up another Fantasia and Gozosa set to try to get a Fantasia that will stand, and a Hwin to resell. Hopefully I don't have too much trouble dumping those on eBay later.

It looks like the promotion is still available, though I'm not sure how we're supposed to tell if it's sold out unless Breyer is planning on telling us. I'm hoping to get Liberty or Bandera, but good luck if you ordered!

And yes, the 2018 new releases are apparently out in the wild, but I'm waiting for an official announcement from Breyer before I cover them here. Lots of exciting stuff, though!

Christmas Sale items are here!

Greetings, readers! The models I ordered from Breyer's end-of-year sale are here. I ordered Sweet Pea, Bryants Jake and Svali Fra Tjorn. So, without further ado, here they are!

First, Sweet Pea:



That looks like a rub on her right shoulder, but it's just glare from the overhead lights. I don't believe Amber has been done in this shade of gray before - I really like her. She's cute! I don't really go for accessories, though, so those stayed in the box. Maybe I'll try to unload them at Breyerfest or something.

Next, Bryants Jake:



This model was supposed to have been released earlier in 2016 (beginning of the year?) but was delayed due to unspecified quality issues. This is a mold that started out as a mare, so my guess would be they had issues with adding the proper "parts" to the mold. That or a paint issue, as that would be a fairly intricate stencil. (I'm somewhat amused that they added a sheath to the mold, but didn't go all the way and give it testicles as well. That worked for Kong the gelding; not so much for Jake the stallion.) My only nitpick with this one was the color of the tail ribbons - they couldn't pick a color that didn't clash with the tail color? Oh man, this just came to me - how awesome would it have been if they'd put Wintersong's tail on this release, since the real horse's tail is so long? That would have been the best! Oh, well.  I don't have very many Wixoms due to how big they are, but I do happen to have room for this one on my shelf. Looking forward to seeing him at Breyerfest this year!

And lastly, Svali fra Tjorn:



I was excited when we first heard about this guy - finally, a regular run Icelandic! He hasn't been used a whole lot since his debut in 2014 (although I'll admit I thought we'd see him as a Breyerfest store special first). His color is nice, although confusing - is he buckskin or bay? Either way, he's pretty. I'd prefer that he had some white on his feet, but since this is a portrait model, I'll just have to live with it.

Happily, none of these models had box issues! Huzzah! There's hope for Breyer's QC yet.