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! 

Some Tractor Supply new arrivals!

 Greetings, readers! Well, I've managed to lay hands on some of the new TSC releases - not quite all of them as yet, but I'll get there. I ordered the Classics set with American Dream, and also the Classics family set (which hasn't arrived yet) to be shipped to the store in the same town where my husband works, so he was able to pick that up - but I also ordered six of the new blind bags, but the website defaulted to a different nearby store for some reason, so I had to make a drive down there to get the blind bags. Anyway, I'll start with the bay American Dream! 

He looks good in bay, and the white at the bottom of his tail is a nice touch.

So does that make him an extremely minimally-marked sabino? Interesting. 

Anyway, here's the foal, who I haven't removed from the box yet as I don't intend to keep it: 

And here are the results of my six-blind-bag gamble:

I only wanted the Walkaloosa, the pinto Emma, and the black pinto Alborozo, so two out of three ain't bad. It makes me wish I liked the G4 Vaulting Horse, because they keep using that blue pinto on molds I don't like! I don't know what it is about this one, but he's just ugly to me (and normally I like draft models). To each their own, I guess. I do like the mini Emma, too - it's about time she (well, actually he) got a new color. Guess I'll be looking for buyers for the extras. 

Also, it appears that the waitlist emails have gone out for Ponies & Palm Trees, so make sure to check your email! Make sure to check your spam folder, too, as it looks like these emails are coming from a Breyer staffer, not necessarily the website. I wasn't drawn from the waitlist this time, but maybe there'll be a few rounds of waitlists. Crossing my fingers! 

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! 

Peace, Love and Breyers!

 We've had a couple of new reveals for 2022 - check them out! Breyer seems to be embracing a '60s theme - check out the Classics decorator: 

He's definitely...colorful. Personally, I think he'd have looked better without the gold (and possibly the horn), but it's good to see another new release on the Morgan. Maybe this means he'll get another unicorn release later in the year? Who knows.

And check out these Stablemates:

They're reminiscent of the swirly plastic Stablemates given out as trivia prizes, etc., way back when. I'm a bit curious as to why they're unicorns, though - seems a bit superfluous. Maybe I'm getting tired of all the unicorns lately? Who knows. And they could really stand dto give the G2 Clydesdale a rest, honestly. But the colors are pretty, anyway! Just, you know...maybe dig out some different molds? Anyway, it's good that we get to see a couple of the releases for next year. Let's hope get get more soon! 

Dahlia!

 Well, at least some things aren't delayed! Behold - the 2021 Stablemates Club gambler's choice model, Dahlia, is available to purchase! 

Not sure why the image is so tall...but anyways. If you're a SMC member, check your club home page to purchase. Those are the four colors we can expect to receive! I have to admit I'm partial to the blue one. But I'm not a Croi collector, even in Stablemate form, so this one will be heading down the road. I hope everyone gets the color(s) they want! 

Looks like I only need one Stablemates Club membership!

 Exciting news, readers - we now know the gambler's choice model for next year's Stablemates Club - the Croi! Behold!

Look at those beauties! I don't collect the mold, but those colors are all beautiful, especially the blue one. 

Fortunately, this means I don't need three SMC accounts next year! Huzzah! I'm super-relieved that the Django isn't the gambler's choice. Woohoo! Well, I guess I'm free to rejoin the club now! 

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! 

And Arran, Arran so far away...

Say hello to Arran, the last single-day Stablemate for Breyerfest 2020!



From the blog:

Our Arran has been created exclusively for this year’s Celtic Fling!  We love all things small, so what could be better than a Traditional pony in Stablemates scale! Originally sculpted by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig in 1:9 scale and carefully shrunk down to fit in the palm of your hand (1:32 scale), our Connemara Mare (mold #5745) will surely cavort straight into your heart.  Finished in a buckskin roan, a star on her face, and with attitude to spare!

Buckskin roan, eh? Well, she's definitely an interesting color, but I find myself slightly underwhelmed - I think they should have glossed her to match the other three single-day models. Well, she'll definitely be popular! I hope I'm able to get one of the 4-packs - the blog says they'll go on sale next week, so I'll be watching the website!

Also, I'm hoping this means we get a reveal of that green sneak peek tomorrow - could it be the pop-up tent Classic? I hope we get to see it tomorrow! 

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!