Javiers and a Rowan

 Greetings, readers! My Javiers and Rowans have arrived! Well, okay, they've been here for a few days now, but it took me a while to get a chance to write this post. Alas, one of the Rowans (the stallion) went back to Breyer because of an unfortunate paint issue, but the other one is here to be admired! Behold!

As usual, she's not as yellow in real life as she is in the photos. 

She's so pretty! 

I definitely like the mare version better than the stallion version. 

My stallion Rowan had to go back because it turns out you shouldn't be able to just scratch the paint off the horse with your fingernails. Who knew, right? Anyway, hopefully I get a new one in a reasonable time frame. 

Anyway, let's move on to my Javiers! I got a matte one from my Stablemates Club membership, and then the second one I bought turned out to be glossy! Woohoo! 

They look great together.

I'm also super glad they finally used the G3 Peruvian Paso in the club. Seems like this mold is kinda underused? Only one Breyerfest release and I don't think he's ever been a unicorn either. We want more Pasos! 

Quality-wise they're both pretty nice, although the glossy one has more prominent eyewhites. He looks like he's seen some things, man. Well, he can have a nice life with me from now on. 

Javier is now available!

 Attention, Stablemates Club members! Javier, the next release, is now available to order! 

They're doing the gambler's choice matte/glossy thing again, so you won't know which finish you got until you open the package! I'll be looking to buy an extra one so I can try to get both of them! I'm going to hold off on ordering mine for a few days though, in case the next Premier Club release pops up too. 

Breyerfest Closeups: Remaining Stablemates Club Models

 Greetings, readers! It's time for another Breyerfest Closeups post! Small side note: The Breyerfest 2025 second chance sale was today! Congrats to everyone that managed to snag something - I was too slow for a YOLO and the Ties that Bind that was in my cart got yanked out before I could pay for it. Par for the course, I guess. Also, turns out Breyer wanted that extra Shindig back after all, so I sent that back yesterday. Anyways, let's get started with the closeups! 

I'm starting with Javier, because I'm pretty sure he's going to be the next release and he should be available any day now. I can't remember if we knew he's being released in matte and glossy? Probably randomly shipped, as per usual. Anyone want to trade their extra one for a Spencer? 

They look pretty nice, all things considered. 

I can't remember the name of the gambler's choice release, but here they are! I don't want any of them, but the blue Appaloosa one is pretty cool. Maybe we'll see it on something else someday. 

The gambler's choice is usually the second-to-last release, so we'll probably see these guys sometime in October. 

I'm ending things here for now, but make note of that Madonna in the photos (the mini Pam/Zara) - she'll be featured next! Tune in next time for more Breyerfest Closeups! 

Courchevel! And other things

 Well, readers, I was busy at work last night and didn't have time to get this posted yesterday, but Breyer's winter decorator model has been revealed! Meet Courchevel! 

From the website:

Nestled in the French Alps, Courchevel is one of the premier ski destinations in Europe. Awash in luxury, Courchevel is no stranger to those seeking a winter paradise, attracting everyone including professional athletes and royalty. This mountain oasis has even hosted the Winter Olympics!

Our breathtaking stallion Courchevel, named for this beautiful resort, has a unique metallic coat, which was inspired by the glow of the resort and mountains when viewed at twilight. Pastel shades of blue, gold, pink, and purple flow over his body, and are accented with flecks of gold. Courchevel’s enchanting look is completed by a high gloss finish, and a "Courchevel 2024" gold stamp on his belly.

I'm not seeing a whole lot of purple in that paint job, but maybe it's more evident in person. I think he's pretty! It's always great to see a new release on the Moody Andalusian. I'm wondering if he's also clearware (although I think they would have mentioned it if he was). There's a matching pin as well! The Collector Club discount can be used on the pin, by the by, but not the model, who ships for free (yay!). Interesting that they're saying up front that the pin is a limited edition of 500, but nothing on the run number for the actual model. 

Apparently Breyer is trying a new method for distributing these, rather than as a random-draw web special. Instead, they're being offered to Collector Club members on a first-come, first-served basis until Tuesday, and then they'll go up for sale to the masses. So does this mean the "Web Special" as we know it (limited to some number between 350-1,000, offered by random draw) is now a thing of the past? I'm not sure how to feel about that. Disappointed, I guess? I mean, it is fun to be able to get something that's relatively rare for your collection. I guess we'll see how this release goes - they haven't sold out yet, nor has Breyer told us exactly how many were made. There's speculation online that there could be as many as 2,500-3,000, but that number seems high to be based on the price of the model. I'm thinking the number is probably closer to 1,000. Hopefully Breyer tells us at some point. 

In other news, there was a new reveal for the 2025 Stablemates Club today! Huzzah! Say hello to Javier:

 

Yes! I've been waiting for them to use the Peruvian Paso in the club! Unfortunately, it's another 50/50 gloss/matte split, so I guess I'm going to have to buy two of them. Oh well. 

In other, other news, the latest Young Rider magazine has a couple of 2025 Breyer reveals! 

Presumably that Lonesome Glory is one of the 75th Anniversary releases hinted at previously. See the little horses in his blanket? Cute design! Nothing I need (anymore, sadly), but hopefully the rest of the 75th Anniversary releases are just as clever! 

Sorry the image is so small, but those models are the G3 Highland Pony and the mini Emma as unicorns! Woohoo! Well, if I get that set, my daughter will probably claim the truck and trailer pretty quickly. 

That's all I have for today! Let's hope we get more exciting reveals next week. And stay tuned for Featured JAH later today! 

Featured Model - 7/25/20, Gray G3 Peruvian Paso

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...the white/gray G3 Peruvian Paso!



I'm...actually a little confused about this one. I could swear it's the earlier-issued one from 2009-2011, but it looks almost identical to the pearly gray one from the 2017 blind bag assortment, and I don't know why I wouldn't have bought the 2017 one...although maybe I didn't buy it because of the aforementioned resemblance to the earlier one? Confusing. Well, I'm going to go with this being the earlier one, because...my head hurts. Well, anyway - as far as I can tell, this is the regular run Stablemates Assortment Peruvian Paso that was issued from 2009-2011. He's item #5711 on the G3 Peruvian Paso mold sculpted by Jane Lunger.

I really like this little Paso, and I wish Breyer would use him more often. And he looks really good in white! Or...well, gray if you want to get technical. He might not be the flashiest mold on the block, but he has his charms. Maybe he'll show up in next year's Stablemates Club, or at Breyerfest? The possibilities are endless with next year's theme, and he hasn't shown up there since 2009 - I'd say it's definitely time for another appearance!

Featured Model - 4/8/2017, Horse Crazy Peruvian Paso

Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model from my collection, provide commentary about it and give some stats on it. This week's victim: the Peruvian Paso from the Horse Crazy Gift Set!



This guy was issued from 2014-2015 as part of the four-piece Horse Crazy Gift Set, with three other crazily-colored models. He's on the G3 Peruvian Paso mold sculpted by Jane Lunger and was item #5372.

Going by the packaging (lots of purple and pink), these Horse Crazy sets are aimed at girls. All the same, I like that at least not all of the horses themselves are pink or purple - they've done green, yellow and blue as well. And this guy is blue - my favorite color! He looks like a piece of delicious blue raspberry candy. Yum! And his glittery mane and tail don't hurt, either. It's always interesting to see the clear models, because it gives you a glimpse of the "inner workings" of the model, as it were. For instance, I would have thought Stablemates were solid-cast before seeing these types of models, but clearly that isn't the case.

I don't have as many of the Peruvian Paso in my collection, for some reason - it doesn't seem like he gets used as often, probably because his pose keeps him from being used as anything other than a Paso. I like him, though - he doesn't have crazy amounts of hair, but he still appeals to me. He's one of those solid, steady molds on the fringe that don't immediately jump out at you, but still manage to stay on the shelves through numerous collection purges (not that I've done much Stablemate purging, but still). Let's hope the Paso gets used again soon. Ooh, he's another one I'd like to see in the Stablemate Club! Make it happen, Breyer!