Speaking of Bristol overload…

 …the Hoofbeats and Maple Treats event models were revealed today! Say hello to Legacy:

As most people guessed from the sneak peek, it’s another bay Bristol…so the reaction to him has been lukewarm at best. Here’s Tamarkuz, the Stablemate:

He’s kind of blah too, so sayeth some collectors. I’m glad they used a mold I collect (I haven’t kept any of the event models from either of the collector events I attended before except for Chesapeake, and now even she is gone). 

Anyway, not sure why Bristol has seen so much use this year, but now I’m glad I decided to sell mine off so I don’t have deal with the Hoopla hoopla and the new froggy web special. Now I just have to find a buyer for my Legacy…

Vintage Club and Stablemates blind bags and Breyerwest sneak peeks, oh my!

 Lots of stuff to report today, readers! First and foremost: if you're a Vintage Club member, the 2024 club is now open for current members to join, and we got a new view of Kirk! 

He really is quite pretty - too bad I sold off all my Geronimo models. Lack of shelf space strikes again! 

Next, this year's Stablemates holiday blind bags have been announced! Behold, the Swirls n' Snowflakes collection! 

They're cute! And they really do look like Christmas ornaments - one almost wonders why they didn't go all the way and make them actual ornaments. But I suppose then people would have complained. Fortunately for me, they managed to mostly pick molds I don't collect, so I think I'm going to sit this one out. It shouldn't be too hard to get my hands on the Greyson later on. They'll be available to current Collector Club members around 1pm EST tomorrow, so good luck to everyone buying! 

Lastly, we have a sneak peek for the Breyerwest special run! 

I'm pretty sure this is a glossy HD Harkness, since those didn't sell very well at Breyerfest and the trend has been for Breyer to gloss something leftover for Breyerwest. Which means I'm going to have to find a way to buy one, since I don't plan on traveling to CO for the event. Fortunately, I know someone in Denver, so hopefully I can get my hands on one without having to pay an arm and a leg. I guess we'll have the reveal sometime later this week! 

FINALLY!

 The big reveal is finally upon us, readers- this year's Best of Breyerfest Stablemates set! Here it is in all its glory: 

From the blog: 

Schumacher (mold 5625) has been inspired by Senna, 2016's Open Show Grand Champion Prize Model, in a flashy red dun blanket. Named after Michael Schumacher, one of the most successful Formula One Drivers in the world.

Linzer (mold 5746) has been inspired by Brigadeiros, 2016’s Open Show Reserve Champion Prize Model, in an eye-catching bay tobiano. Linzers are a popular cookie found throughout Germany, filled with different jams and preserves.

Müller (mold 5745) has been inspired by Pele, 2016’s BreyerFestCarnavalesco Challenge Diorama Contest Prize, in a stunning glossy dappled bay.  Named after Thomas Müller, a German Soccer Player, who plays for both Germany’s National Team and state team Bayern Munich.  

Radler (mold 5735) has been inspired by Caipirinha, 2016’s volunteer model, in a beautiful dappled rose grey. A Radler is a Bavarian drink which is a mixture of light beer and sparkling lemonade.

Maifeld (mold 5629) has been inspired by Polomar, 2016’s Early Bird Raffle, in a light bay leopard appaloosa. Named after the Maifeld Cup, which has become one of the most popular and prestigious polo events in Europe.

So that's another set I'll have to get my hands on! I only want the Radler (though his color doesn't quite match his Trad counterpart) and Maifeld, though - they seem to have a knack for mostly picking molds I don't collect for these things. That Croi is really pretty though, and this is (I think) only the second time we're seeing the mini Prince Charming in a realistic color. That said, my only nitpick for this is the color for Maifeld - similar colors on the G3 Cantering Warmblood have been done several times before, and since he's not glossy he just looks kind of blah. Why would you pick something that looks like a $4 RR when they could have easily done a mini Cinza instead? Mind-boggling. I hope he at least has detailed eyes. 

Sounds like tickets (or at least, more information about them) might be revealed on Monday! I think we only have the crystal model left to be revealed (aside from prize and raffle models), so I'm excited to see what that is as well. Happy weeekend, everyone! 

Joisey

So we have a reveal of the first single-day Stablemate! Behold:



His name is Jersey! Not to be confused with New Jersey. He certainly is pretty! I always like a nice glossy chestnut with a lot of chrome. Hey, if you read the Thoroughbred series of horse racing books from the '90s, he'd make a good Wonder if he was a mare. But anyways...this only makes me more sure that I want to try to get a 4-pack of these so I can be sure I'll get him. Can't wait to see the other Stablemates!

Breyerfest Single-Day Ticket Update!

There's another update on the Breyerfest blog, addressing the Single-Day Tickets! Important takeaways: the tickets will be available in singles or packs of 4. If you order less than 4 tickets, the Stablemate you receive will be randomly-shipped. You have to order 4 to get all 4 Stablemates. So, par for the course. Most importantly, they gave us the silhouettes!



Ooh, it's Greyson, a mini Croi (!!), Charleston and...the G2 Clydesdale. Yawn...seems kind of random to have a 22-year-old mold in there with all the new ones, but whatevs. I hope he's a yummy color! More importantly, does this rule out Croi as the surprise? Unfortunately, I think it does...which sends us back to the drawing board. For a backup guess, I'm going to go with Idocus in a variety of hairstyles and colors. As for the Stablemates, I'll only need the Greyson and the G2 Clyde, so it'll be worth it for me to try to get the 4-pack - I don't anticipate having any trouble selling the Mini Croi and the Charleston afterward. Can't wait to see what colors they are!

Sunchaser and Starlight are here!

Hark, a ray of sunshine in these dark times! My Sunchaser and Starlight models are here. Okay, Sunchaser has been here for a few days, but I wanted to wait until Starlight got here so I could put them both into one post. So, let's start with Sunchaser!

Not a whole lot to say about Sunchaser that hasn't already been said - I like his color a lot better than some of the previous releases in the club, but I hope they do some different, more-complicated paint jobs in the future.

At least he's relatively flaw-free! The glitter encrustation on his mane and tail don't seem to be as bad as previous releases, though I'd prefer to see the glitter go away completely. I forgot to take a picture of his matching Saddlebred counterpart, but it won't stand up anyway, so you're not really missing much.

So, let's take a look at Starlight!

I was excited to see this girl after all the photos I've seen online, and she doesn't disappoint!

As usual, she's huge - I like her flying tail and everything, but part of me wishes it wasn't quite so long. I'm pretty sure she's the longest Breyer model I've ever had - maybe that's why Zena was discontinued so soon, because she's just so LONG! 

I didn't see any flaws on her either, other than the usual mane/tail overspray. I wonder if that was done on purpose, to emulate the flaws of yesteryear? Heh heh.  If I were inclined to nitpick, I'd want her muzzle to be a little darker, but it's not a dealbreaker. She can join her sisters on the shelf (and already has). I hope everyone else likes their Starlights just as much! 

Sunchaser is now available!

Good news for Fairytale Friends Club (or as I like to call it, Glitter Unicorn Club) members - the next release, Sunchaser, is now available!



While I like this one's color, it looks a little blah in the photos - hopefully it's better in person. Still wishing Moonbeam had been on a mold I like. Hopefully he doesn't take too long to get here! I'll  be keeping the Stablemate, but as usual the Mini Whinny will be for sale.

Walmart Mystery Unicorns Series 2 are here!

Good news, everyone! My husband found a box of the new Series 2 mystery unicorns at Walmart yesterday! Check them out!



I even got the chase piece! I've noticed I don't seem to have much trouble getting the chase pieces I don't want. Now, the ones I do want? Never in a million years. But I digress. Here's a closer photo of the chase!




I really do like the color on her - she looks like rainbow sherbet. Mmm! Unfortunately, something went wrong during the QC process (or perhaps the long boat ride from China):



Boo, a bent leg! Hopefully it's an easy fix for whoever I end up selling her to. The quality on the other models was about what I expected - they seem to be able to do a good job on the body color on these, but then they get lazy with the hoof colors and it ends up slopped onto the fetlocks (or higher in some cases). Bleh.

Here's a quick look at the Warmblood Mare next to her:



I LOVE this color! That pink/purple/blue color scheme is definitely hot right now in certain circles - probably due to the Frozen movie's popularity, or it's just big with the kids in general. Remember St. Moritz from a couple years back? More of that, please.

I'm definitely really pleased with the colors they picked for this go-round. One of my central complaints in the past is that Breyer keeps on painting all the unicorns white, or something mostly-white in general, so I'm glad they really got away from that with this run. More colors, please! And more molds, for that matter...aside from the Walking Thoroughbred and the Warmblood Mare in this assortment, I think the other molds have been pretty well played out for blind bags in general and unicorns in particular. Let's see some more variety!

Also, I had hoped some of these colors would be inspired by the Classic Zodiac series from a while back, like a couple of the colors in the first Walmart unicorn set, but it doesn't appear that they were, other than possibly the Arabian (Aries?) and maybe the Alborozo (Scorpio? Maybe? It's probably a reach). I only have one of the Zodiacs in my collection, so it would be nice to see more of those colors get reused.

That's all I have for today - tune in tomorrow (hopefully) for discussion of the 2019 Retired List!

New Arrivals: Mini Nazruddin, Mini Brass Hat, Mini All Glory and Sarge!

This post marks the last of the New Arrivals! Whew, that took longer than I expected. Well, on with the show; let's take a look at Mini Nazruddin!



I was excited to see Darley get used for something, after his lukewarm reception at the end of last year. He looks good as a Marwari - or as close to one as Breyer can get without actually bending his ears (at least, to my eyes). He even has a bit of a semigloss look going on! I don't think the Trad Nazruddin had that, but it's a nice touch on this guy - and he has eyewhites, instead of the black splotches on Pecos. Interesting how each model differs in execution.

Next, here's the mini Brass Hat!



I'd thought the mini Brass Hat models would have that hint of blue interference in the paint the way the Trads did, considering Breyer's attention to detail with these mini-mes, but I guess it wasn't to be. He looks nice, though - but the mold looks like it could stand to be a tiny bit bigger. He's a bit smaller than other Stablemates molds, proportion-wise - or maybe it just looks like he is, since he has so much more detail than the older Stablemates like the G2s. Either way, though, he looks nice in bay!

Next, let's take a look at Mini All Glory!



See what I mean? The G2 Morgan looks positively blobby compared to mini Brass Hat. I don't know what Breyer is doing to make their new molds so small (trying to save on plastic?) but it's getting more and more noticeable. Mini All Glory looks good, though; I don't have the Trad version of him, though, so I can't really compare the two.

Lastly, here's Sarge!



Sorry for the blurry photo yet again. Now, there have been reports that some of the Sarges had unicorn horns, but I'm sad to say mine wasn't one of the horned ones. We haven't heard anything from Breyer as to how many unicorn Sarges there are; maybe someone could ask Stephanie about it next year. I'm sure it probably happened on purpose, but maybe not - wouldn't they have announced the quantity of the unicorns if that were the case? Oh well. He does look good in color-shift paint, if a bit similar to the blue unicorn chase piece at first glance. Maybe someday I'll find one at our local Cracker Barrel so I can do a comparison!

So, those are all my new additions from this year's Breyerfest. Not pictured: Nobel II, Koh-i-Noor, the copper chase Django, glossy Mr. Chips and a customized nail polish Stablemate Alborozo. That's a lot of new models! And I have to figure out how I'm going to fit them all on my shelves...just as soon as I can get my photo tent set back up so I can photograph them all. I had to move it to clear some space in the house and it's currently buried under a bunch of empty boxes I haven't gotten rid of yet. Someday I'll get that set up! In the meantime, I'll go back to waiting for Hamilton, and the next Stablemate Club release, and whatever else Breyer has cooked up for us...

Greyson is here!

Greetings, readers! Good news - my Greyson model has arrived. Observe!

So handsome! I really like him, although if I had to nitpick something, I'd say he needed a little less white. Here's his other side:

He has an amazing amount of detail for such a small model. Too bad he's so narrow through the withers, again...seriously, someone needs to ask Breyer about this at Breyerfest.



Quality-wise, he's excellent - I didn't see a thing wrong with him other than an area or two of blurred edges to his markings. I was afraid I was going to snap off one of his little legs while I was trying to get him out of the box, though - can we please go back to the satin bags already?

That reminds me - I thought Breyer's awful new shipping company couldn't sink any lower than shipping stuff in bubble mailers, but it turns out that bar could be lowered after all. Now people who ordered 3 or fewer blind bag Stablemates with their SMC models have been receiving them with the blind bags crammed into the tiny SMC shipping box! This didn't happen to me personally (nor did I get my Greyson models in bubble mailers, thankfully), but again - if I ordered a blind bag with mine and it turned out to be the chase piece, but was broken due to these terrible shipping practices, I would be LIVID. Get it together, Breyer!

Anyway, that's all I've got for today. One thing I can say for sure, though - I'm going to be on the lookout for the PYO sets in the Breyer store at Breyerfest! I can't wait to see where they use this guy next!

THE PROGRAM IS OUT! AHHHHH!

Holy crap, I am SO excited right now! The Breyerfest program is available to view, and I just got the most incredible surprise when I looked through it! They're making a 10-piece Stablemate set of all the Celebration Horses since 2010, to continue on from the 2009 set! I can't believe they're actually doing it! They'll be in the Hero's Salute Shop!

So, I'm pretty sure Breyer's intention was to have this song going through my head while I stared at these models in the program (language warning).



So, let's take a closer look at the photo. Here they are:

1. Pecos (2011) on the Mirado mold
2. Brass Hat (2018) on the new Walking Thoroughbred/Greyson mold
3. Oliver on the G4 Driving Horse mold
4. Simba (2015) on...I can't tell what mold that is
5. Gooitzen fan Teakesyl (2014) on...I think Django? I wonder if he's glossy.
6. Imperador das Aguas (2016) on the G2 Paso Fino mold
7. Smart and Shiney (2013) on the G4 Reiner mold
8. Nazruddin (2017) on the Darley (!) mold
9. All Glory (2010) on the G2 Morgan, I think?
10. Mariah's Boon (2012) on the Tushar mold

I am completely blown away - I don't think I've ever been this excited about a Breyerfest release in my life! Kill me now...or at least let me be first in line to buy one on Friday! Fortunately, it looks like they're making 2000 sets, so I don't have to be desperately clawing my way to the front of the line to get one. Not that I would, or anything...

Ack! Now I'm more excited for Breyerfest than I was before! Friday the 12th can't come soon enough!

There are also several never-before-seen auction models in the program! Behold - there's a rainbow Croi with gold mapping!

And a red bay PAM!



And a star dapple rose gray braided Bristol!

And a silver dapple bay pinto Lonesome Glory!

And a glossy dapple liver chestnut Show Jumping Warmblood with Croi tail!

And lastly, a pearly cremello Totilas!



Wow, that Bristol is to die for! And the Croi - that knocks her out as the surprise or the volunteer model. I'm not sure I like the Croi tail on the SJW, but his color is really nice. Wait, another liver chestnut? That makes three now. Is liver chestnut going to be the color of choice for Breyer's regular run line next year? Sheesh! Well, anyway, I can't wait to see these models in person IN THREE WEEKS! AAHHH!

Greyson is available!

Greyson, the third release in the 2019 Stablemates Club, is (at last) available for purchase!

I've been waiting for this guy to come out for a while, so I'm glad he's finally been released! They usually don't waste much time getting the new SMC releases out, so I was wondering what the holdup was. I can't wait to see mine!