Holiday blind bags are back!

Greetings, readers! What's that you say? The holiday blind bags are back. Groan, more blind bags. Wait, what? They're on the new Fjord Stablemate? And they're mini candy cane zebras (sort of)?!  

Sign me up! I gotta have all four! Well, ideally five, but we all know how that goes. I ordered six of them, so hopefully I can at least get the four regular colors without much trouble. They're only available to Collector Club members now, but if they aren't sold out by tomorrow at 10am EST, they'll become available to the general public. Good luck! 

Holiday blind bags!

 Get ready, everybody - the latest batch of holiday blind bags is coming out of the oven tomorrow!

Since Breyer didn’t show us the models this time, we’ll all be waiting in suspense until 1pm EST tomorrow to find out what they are. The cynical part of me is hoping they use all molds I don’t collect - guess we’ll find out tomorrow!

Finally, some news! And the Collector Club newsletter!

 Greetings, readers! Well, I finally have something new to post about - the reveal of Breyer's Halloween releases for this year! It starts with Beowulf, but we've already seen him, so I'm going to move on to the Classic! 

Meet Draftula! I actually like this design, but I don't collect the mold, so I won't be buying him. I need to save my money, anyway. 

We also get more Stablemate blind bags, as is tradition. I only collect the Icelandic, so I'll buy one and leave it at that. I could have sworn we already got a mini version of Goblin, but I guess not. Breyer, give that poor mini Magnolia mold a rest already! 

And lastly, we get this cute little plush! I love her little heart eyes, even if the rest of her is kinda sinister-looking. 

All of this will be available to purchase on Sept. 5, so prepare your wallets! 

We also got this month's Collector Club newsletter! Members, check your email for more information. There’s an Apparition giveaway and an informative article about sun-bleaching yellowed models, and this sneak peek!

The speculation I’ve seen is that this is the next Wild Animal release and could be an orca, or a poison dart frog, but I’m going with poison dart frog myself - unless it’s sitting under something REALLY blue, it looks more blue than white to me. Let’s hope this isn’t another black and blue/yellow and gold dress situation. 

And a note on the article about sunbleaching models - it correctly notes that this method shouldn’t be used on Stablemates because the plastic they’re made from (ABS) actually yellows more in the sun, but also, not every modern Stablemate is made from ABS. Stablemates Club releases are molded from cellulose acetate and thus can be put in the sun, as well as some other releases, like my Willamette. On the other hand, the article also states that the sunbleaching method can be used on Traditionals and Classics, which is generally true - but be careful, because there’s at least one Trad molded from ABS (the WEG autograph model Cleveland Bay), and one or two Classics as well (the 90s Throwback). 

That’s all I have to say about this month’s newsletter. If you’re entering for Apparition, good luck! 

Let this Halloween release sssssslither into your hearts!

 More good news, everyone! Today the U-Haul truck was unloaded (with some casualties, including a Christmas tree with almost an entire bottle of bleach spilled on it), and unpacking has begun! I'm a bit scared to unpack my horses, what with the casualties we've already had - but at the same time I'm excited to get to it, because I want to add my Breyerfest purchases to the herd! Anyway, I've also found the time to get my computer set up, so I should be able to get back to posting with my usual frequency. Also, I'm now in the Eastern time zone! Woohoo! 

Anyway, Breyer's Halloween store was announced today, including this beauty! 

From the website:

Uncoiling and slipping his way out of the darkness on All Hallows’ Eve is Slither, our 2023 Freedom Series Halloween Horse. Artist Christine Jordan dreamed up a truly unique coat for this reptilian decorator. Slither features markings inspired by the quagga, a now-extinct species of zebra that had stripes only on the front half of their bodies, paired with scales and hidden snakes slithering through his mane and markings. His metallic glossy coat features green-bronze color shift paint that mirrors the sheen of a snake’s scales.

 

Ooh, I really want this one! He looks really cool.  I love how glossy he is. And I really like his white tail! His white areas glow in the dark (naturally) so I'm excited to see what he looks like in the dark! 

Also, we get this:

Cute! I love his little fangs. Too bad he doesn't have a couple of little blood drops around his mouth, too. 

And lastly, the Halloween Stablemates for this year:

So this year we get Mini Nevermore, Mini Poltergeist and Mini Cornelius! Cute! D'oh, another addition to the Django conga! Of course, they're blind bags as per usual, so I'm going to have to think about whether I'll buy more than one. I'd probably just get one, but I have to have that Django and I'm not interested in paying $100 for it later, so...guess we'll have to see how I feel when the sale goes live. Speaking of which, the Halloween store goes live on Wednesday at 1:30 EST, so be ready, everyone! I'm sure the Classic and the Stablemates will both sell out pretty quickly, so be ready with ordering! Looks like last year's Tabitha and Skelly must not have sold out, because those are back this year as well. There's also a cute Spectre pin and Spectre-themed hoodies, so I'll definitely have to pick up that pin. I hope everyone is able to get what they're looking for! 

Poppy & Ollie, and new releases this week!

 Lots of exciting news to share today! Firstly: the final release of the 2022 Vintage Club, Poppy and Ollie, is now available to order for Vintage Club members. Remember that the free Stablemate for this year, Dandy, is bundled with this set. Woohoo! 

Secondly, this year's second Collector Club release, Chadwick, is finally being released on Wednesday at 12PM EST. Here's a pic to jog your memory! 

He's nothing I need, but that's okay. More for everyone else! 

And lastly, this year's holiday Stablemate blind bags (groan) have been revealed:

They're definitely pretty, and I need three of them! They're limited to two per order, so I'm just going to order three and be done with it. That's the number I'd buy if we were allowed to pick the ones we want. So let's hope I'm lucky again! These will be available TOMORROW at 12PM EST. I expect they'll sell out fast, so if you want them, don't waste any time ordering. And good luck! 

Ooh, Spooky!

 Good news, everyone - this year's Halloween items have been announced! Breyer's Halloween store will open on the website at 1PM EST tomorrow. Look at the goodies they'll have for us! Other than Maelstrom, this year's Halloween horse we already knew about, check out the Classics/Freedom Series release for this year! 

I love this one! Her name is Tabitha and I think it fits her really well. Too bad I'm not a Mariah collector, but I bet she'd go really well with the purple/blue Gran Cavallo from last year! And she glows in the dark, natch. Breyer really likes those interference paints lately, huh? 

And here are the blind bag (sigh) Stablemates for this year! 

I'm not thrilled about blind bags rearing their ugly heads again, but the Samhain and Mischief Night patterns do look pretty good in miniature. Apparently Samhain's green areas glow in the dark, which could be an interesting sight. It's good to see new releases on these molds, too - it seems like a lot of the Stablemates molds get left out in the cold for some reason. I suppose I'll order two of these (the number I would buy if I was allowed to pick the ones I want) and hope I actually get the ones I want. 

And check out this year's plush! 

His name is Skelly! Cute as usual! Not sure what the orange stripes on his lower legs are supposed to be, though. Oh well. 

There's also a Maelstrom pin and hoodie - I'm sorely tempted by both, but I tend to favor zippered hoodies lately, so I don't know if I'll bite. I guess we'll see how fast they sell out! Good luck, everyone! 

Clydesdale Christmas Stablemates!

 Well, the holiday season is approaching, people, and I guess that means it's time for more blind bags! Behold...

So is this the blue sneak preview we saw last month? Could be. I'm still hoping it was for the holiday web special, though, since we haven't seen that yet. These guys are cute, but nothing I need. They go on sale tomorrow at 2pm EST to Collector Club members only, and any left over will be made available to the general population later. They're only allowing people to purchase two per account, so beware of that limitation. Good luck to everyone purchasing! 

The Halloween Collection is revealed!

 Good news, everyone! Breyer's Halloween Collection for this year is now on the website! There doesn't seem to be a page for everything (unless I'm missing something) but if you search for Halloween, they'll show up a little ways down the page. Nothing can be ordered yet - it's all Coming Soon - but at least we can look at the items ahead of time!  Firstly, let's take a look at the Classic! 

Edit: Breyer posted on Facebook that the Halloween collection will be available to purchase at 10am EST this Friday, so set your alarms! There'll be a restock of Thriller as well. 

His name is Eek! Rather fitting for that spidery design, eh? I suppose I'll have to add this one to the herd, since I have all the others. 

Next, here's an official photo of the blind bag Stablemates! 

I'll probably just order one, since I only want the Clydesdale, thus I'd only order one of them if they weren't blind bags. Boo, hiss, etc.

Lastly, here's the plush! 

He's definitely a cutie, but I don't do plushies, so he won't be coming to my house. 

Let's hope we don't have to wait too long to order these spooky offerings! Though the way things are going, they may not show up until Halloween anyway...

A couple of small updates

 Hello, readers! I don't have much to report on the Breyerfest front, but the rest of my Dani models did arrive yesterday! There were nine of them spread out between three boxes, but nary a magnet to be seen. I hope I get at least one with the rest of my orders...oh well. Of the rest of my orders, the rest of my VIP order has finally shipped and is scheduled to arrive on Monday, and my Kaleidoscope and a couple of swag items will arrive on Tuesday. Still waiting for shipping notices for the other 19 items I'm due...so hopefully it won't be too long before those ship! I'm dying to open my surprise models and see what I'm getting! 

In other news, there are new blind bag Stablemates at Tractor Supply. Boo, hiss, etc. But, this means we'll probably see this year's TSC special runs soon! Yay! As usual, I don't have photos of these Stablemates yet, but the molds and colors are as follows:
Buckskin Icelandic
Chestnut Peruvian Paso
Leopard Appaloosa G4 Hanoverian
Liver Chestnut Dungaree
Dark bay/black Valegro

There is a chase and a super chase in this set (groan). One of them is the shrunken Prince Charming in Copenhagen - the other hasn't been found yet (the bag suggests a shrunken Big Ben, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything) Edit: The other chase is a blue chrome Dungaree! Looks like I may have to hit up our local TSC stores - hopefully I can feel my way to success, since the only ones I need from that assortment (so far) are the Paso and the Icelandic. That, or buy them from people's inevitable surplus collection later - that would probably be the better plan. 

That's all I have for now - hopefully the rest of my Breyerfest stuff ships soon so I can stop obsessively checking the website! 

My Festive Filigree models are here!

 Greetings, readers! I hope everyone (in the USA, anyway) had a good Thanksgiving! It's been a slow week in the mail department for us, but my Festive Filigree Stablemates came today, at least! Check them out! 

Not the colors I was hoping for, I'll admit...but at least I was able to get them, right? And I may have already secured a trade for the gold Darwin, so that's good. 

Seeing the SCO from the off side really draws attention to how bad that left front leg looks. How the heck did it get so short? His Trad counterpart isn't nearly this bad, so I'm at a loss as to how anyone from Breyer could look at that and say, "Ship it!" Maybe they tried to fix it, and failed? Who knows. 

Anyway, yet again the blind bags are costing me more money, because now I have to pay to trade them rather than just buying the ones I want. Please stop with all the blind bags, Breyer! 

More blind bags. Yay.

 Well, you’d think after my angry rant last year, I wouldn’t fall for the blind bag garbage again, but then these happened. Ugh, more blind bags. And they’re way too expensive for those paint jobs!

But, I ordered two of them, because I have to have the Darwin and Brishen (he’ll go really well with my Aspen!). At least they qualify for free shipping if you get two of them, though I was mildly irked that they don’t also qualify for the Collector Club discount like the Halloween Stablemates did. Oh well.

I’m still deliberating about ordering more of them to increase my odds of getting the ones I want, but I don’t know if I will. If we want the blind bags to go away, we’ve gotta stop buying them, but it’s hard not to buy! Bleh.

Anyway, here's a picture of the dumb things. Hopefully I get the ones I want! Good luck to everyone who orders! And Breyer, take a hint and quit doing these! 

The 2020 Halloween line is now available!

 More good news, readers! Breyer's 2020 Halloween offerings are now available to order...like this rat-tastic Classic! 

His name is Ratsputin...a bit of a mouthful, but plays on words are always fun, right? Fortunately (or not), I don't collect this mold, so I don't need to buy him. Which is good, because, well...I mean, I don't really have anything against rats per se, and wouldn't mind having one as a pet, really, but...rats? Bleh - it just makes me think of dirt and filth. But to each their own! 

There's also some fun new Stablemates, which is what I'm most excited about, despite the dreaded blind bags:

Those are some pretty ambitious paint jobs, so I won't complain about the $25 price...this time. Let's hope the factory can pull them off! Plus, they qualify for the 10% Collector Club discount (CLUBPLUS20), so order away! I'm hoping to get the Cantering Warmblood and the Friesian, so here's hoping! 

There's also a cute plush:

Aww, I love candy corn! I may be alone in that opinion, but whatevs. If you order $75 worth of merch (any merch, as far as I know), you can enter a code (SUGAR20) to get the plush for free! 

Humorously enough, there's also still leftovers of last year's Halloween Stablemates. You'd think they'd take the hint from the last few rounds of blind bags not selling out (these and the Starry Skies) and QUIT DOING BLIND BAGS AND JUST MAKE IT A SET WE CAN ALL BUY....but I'm trying not to be too negative here. Anyway...happy early Halloween! 

Blind bag chase models are revealed!

Well, here's a couple of new tidbits amid this inexplicable dearth of news: The chase pieces for the 70th Anniversary blind bags have been revealed! While nothing has been confirmed so far, it appears that the regular chase model is a chrome/platinum Mini Brishen, and the super-chase is a blue/yellow filigree on the mini Indian Pony. So at least I don't need the super-chase - whew! Prices are already ridiculous on the platinum Mini Brishen, but hopefully that calms down in the coming months so I can add one to my collection! I don't have photos of either of them yet, but they'll be posted as soon as I can find some!

Lots of new reveals today!

Hello, readers! First off, as you may have noticed, Featured Model was on hiatus last week. I guess I was just enjoying having the weekend off from work so much that I completely forgot to write a new post. Oh well!

Anyway, I'll start with the reveal of the last Breyerfest special run for the Fling! Souvenir Shop: a Mini-Raffle Stablemate set! Huzzah!

All I can say is: YES PLEASE!

Okay, I can say more than that. These are amazing, especially the mini North Star! I love it. And this is series 1...so there are going to be more! These models are mini versions of the raffle models Carlisle, Viajero, Windswept, North Star and Que Sera Sera. Great idea, Breyer!

Next, the mid-year releases have been announced:

Peptoboonsmal on Dundee!



Checkers on Latigo! Nothing I need, but look at that rich chestnut color!



Apparition - the 2020 Halloween Horse! Interesting concept, but also nothing I need.



Adiah HP, the previously-announced pinto Totilas!



And, last (and least, honestly...for me anyway)....more blind bags.



You'll have to excuse me if I'm not terribly excited about these, because I'm tired of blind bags as a concept. Fortunately, I only want two of them (the mini-Brishen and mini-Emma). I'm also not excited about the chase piece and "super-chase." Just what I want; yet another, even more-impossible-to-find chase! And it's probably a mini Othello to boot. Yawn. I'll get the Brishen and Emma secondhand rather than give Breyer the satisfaction of ordering any of these. Bleh.

That's all I have for today! Hopefully we get more Breyerfest news soon! I'm anxiously awaiting the email where we make our Breyerfest model selections!

Volunteer applications and Walmart unicorns and blind bags, oh my!

I'm a little late with this one, but as of January 10, Breyerfest volunteer applications can be submitted to Robin Briscoe! Find the application here. Hmm, they used that same volunteer photo (with me in it) they did for the webpage last year - interesting. I haven't decided if I'm going to apply this year or not - it all depends on whether my mom is feeling up to watching both of the kids while we're gone, so we don't need to bring either of them with us...I guess we'll have to get that decided by February 29, because that's the application deadline. Good luck if you do apply! I always have a lot of fun volunteering (although it can be exhausting and sweaty, I won't lie).

In other news, there are more blind bag Stablemate unicorns at Walmart again, featuring the same tired molds as before. Yawn...but there is a light blue Greyson that is definitely calling my name, and would probably look good next to the purple/blue Warmblood from the last series. The other colors are a gold Alborozo, pink/white Magnolia, eye-burningly yellow-green Magnolia, purple/white G2 Clydesdale and an as-yet-unknown chase piece. I'll have to send my husband to prowl Walmart again, I guess....

Sigh...

The gambler's choice model for the 2020 Stablemates Club has finally been revealed...and it's the Alborozo, named Valerio. Here's the first color:



Looks a lot like Allegro, honestly. I think I like him the best. Here's another:



Looks like rose gray is the new hot color, after black and buckskin. I think I'd like him better if he matched the rose gray Hero's Welcome or the new Dundee for 2020, but he's still nice!

This one reminds me of Areia or Arya, although their color was a little lighter. I wonder if his mane and tail will be pearly, or if it's just shiny from the gloss?



I'm oddly ambivalent about this one - maybe I'll like it better if I see it in person? I hope so.

Well, looks like I'll need to activate all three of our memberships next year. Anyone want to buy my extras? Not of the Alborozos, natch, but everything else...

My wallet just breathed a huge sigh of relief!

More exciting reveals today, everyone - I'll just keep the goodness coming! Let's start with the 2020 Holiday Horse!



Shannondell, eh? The outfit is interesting, but I've never been a fan of mealy bays. I'm sure he's pretty under all that greenery, though! Next, more holiday items:



I'm not sure who decided the not-terribly-popular Rising Sun resin should be converted into a Stablemate, but it saves me money, so I guess I'm okay with it. I like that 70th anniversary ornament! None of the rest of it catches my eye though. Hmm, I'm sensing a pattern!



The Mini Whinny advent calendar is a super-cute idea, but again - nothing I need. Maybe for my kids? I'll have to think about it.

Next, say hello to the 2020 flagship model!



Lionel certainly is a handsome one, especially in palomino Appaloosa, but I'll pass. Looks like 2020 might be a fairly light year for me!

Now these have me excited. The Stablemate mystery foal sets return, now with unicorns?! Sign me up! I'll need all of those. That Warmblood Mare sure is a bright shade of pink, though. She looks like sherbet or something. Am I really surprised that there's yet another unicorn Alborozo and Magnolia? No. At least they won't be hard to get ahold of.



Now, these are interesting. Are they different combinations of the various horses, or are they in certain pairs, as the photo shows? I see they're randomly shipped, which is another way to say "blind bag garbage," so it could be hard to get them all...but I need almost all of them, so if I order four of them, I have a decent chance of getting all the ones I want...right? I'm glad to see a realistic color on the Warmblood Mare and the Walking Thoroughbred. Breyer is certainly getting plenty of use out of their new Stablemate molds, huh?



These are the last, for now. Are those Mini Whinny versions of Rising Sun, Firebird and the porcelain Cleveland Bay? Say it ain't so! None of those are molds I'm into, so I can resist these...for now. I guess Breyer figured out a way to sell just about anything - slap a horn on it and paint it purple and you're good!

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...

It's another day in Breyerland, and we all know what that means - more blind bags!

Oh, joy. What do we get to try our luck on this time?

Well, they didn't get me with the Halloween blind bags, but they done got me with these unicorns on the mini Alborozo (again), the G2 Clydesdale (again), Magnolia (again) and the new Warmblood Mare (again). And all for $25 a pop? What a bargain! Or not...

Unfortunately, I was a dumb idiot and ordered four of them, because I'm a glutton for punishment. At least the shipping was free? I hate to complain here, since I hate all the complaining in this hobby in general, but there are at least three things to be angry about here.

First - USE SOME NEW MOLDS, for Pete's sake. This is the tenth new release for the mini Alborozo in the less than two years he's been available as a Stablemate, and I feel sorry for anyone collecting mini Magnolia - it's the twelfth release for her in the same time period! And we're tired of seeing the G2 Clydesdale as a unicorn - give them a rest already. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say there are dozens of Stablemate molds that haven't been given the unicorn treatment - use them! Or just stop making unicorns altogether if you'd rather do that (but don't do that, I still love unicorns in general)!

Second, are these really worth $25 each? The Fairytale Friends club releases might be worth that much, if you include the cost of the new Mini Whinny molds, but I'm not sure the paint job on these is worth the money. And then we're supposed to be happy that they at least qualify for free shipping?

Third, can we please stop with the blind-bag-everything Breyer is so high on lately? I'm seriously considering calling them tomorrow and canceling my order, because honestly? The only way they're going to stop is if we vote with our wallets and refuse to keep enabling these business practices. I've already decided I'm not going to bother with the regular run blind bag Stablemates next year, if there are any new ones, because I want to be able to just buy what I want without ending up with extras of everything or not getting the ones I do want. It's exploitative, a waste of money, and in the end it's just greedy of Breyer, and I'm tired of it. The randomly shipped/gambler's choice/blind bag conundrum has infiltrated pretty much everything Breyer does (the Christmas Day releases, the Breyerfest surprises, the Vintage Club, so many Collector Club releases of the last few years, the glossy/matte or braided/unbraided Premier Club releases), I wouldn't be surprised if they try to convert everything to that model just to further their business. No thanks.

That rant ended up being a lot longer than I intended it to be, but I think it needed to be said. I don't know if I'll actually cancel my order or not, but the whole thing is just making me angry. If (when) there are more blind bag releases in the future, let's hope I can't get fooled again...