Breyerfest Closeups: Cryptid and Halloween Blind Bags

 Greetings, readers! I'm back with another Breyerfest Closeups post. Today we're going to be looking at the Halloween Classic, Cryptid, and the two Spooky Stablemates blind bags that were revealed at Breyerfest. And I guess the plush since that's in the photo and I knew that was there the whole time. 

Apparently there's a third Spooky Stablemates mold that will be revealed later. Anyway, here's Cryptid! 

The Classic Lipizzaner isn't a mold I collect, but it's good to see him have something of a renewal lately (although I guess Johann was four years ago already). 

I like his little hang tag. 

Couldn't get a good view of his other side, unfortunately. 

Sorry the Croi is partially out of focus here. I guess you can see the scales better? 

Likewise with the Twist...but at least you can see the ghosts? 

There, at least the Twist is in focus in this one. I'm going to need him, but not the Croi. Hopefully the third one isn't something I want? Guess we'll find out probably soonish! 

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! 

When it rains, it pours!

 Whew! Yesterday was quite the day for news. Not only was Petra revealed, but this month's Collector Club newsletter was also released! I was at work, so didn't have time to post about it. Better late than never! Anyway, if you're a Collector Club member, check your email to read the newsletter. There's a Breyerfest recap, a Cyrus and Solana giveaway, and this "batty" sneak peek! 

Since we've obviously already seen the Traditional Halloween model (Beowulf), this must be the Halloween Classic! Can't wait to see what it is! I'm thinking this guy, if only because then I wouldn't have to buy it. Guess we'll find out in August! 

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! 

A wild Halloween shipment appears!

 Good news, everyone! My Halloween order arrived today. Behold - it's EEK! 

I've seen a lot of reports of these models with broken or damaged legs, but fortunately this guy survived his trip to my doorstep. 

I like his subtle green sheen, and the intricate little spiders in his pattern. I've seen a lot of complaints about the spiders too, but fortunately they're all pretty nice on this one. 

He does have an oddly warped left hind leg, but I can deal with that. 

Next, the single Spooky Stablemate I ordered arrive as well...so check it out! 

That's right, the drafter...just the one I thought I'd get. Fortunately, it's the only one I wanted, so I'm happy with it. He does look like a pumpkin patch under the night sky, though it looks like someone went a little overboard with the glitter.

I thought about ordering that Thriller hoodie, but if I had, I suspect I'd still be waiting for my order to ship, so it's probably best I didn't order it. 

Lastly, here's Thriller himself! In the interest of full disclosure, he did arrive a few days ago, but I thought it was fitting that all my Halloween models arrived around the same time despite massive disparities between when they were ordered.

His green tint is much more apparent than EEK's, which I like. I'm also a fan of his Bride of Frankenstein hair! 

I like the details in his bones underneath the skin, too. Appropriately ghoulish for this time of year! 

That's all I have for now - let's hope we have more exciting news and reveals soon!