Finally, an actual tale of adversity!

 Greetings, readers! We got another Breyerfest reveal today - one of the store specials, this time. His story was first hinted at in this Tale of Triumph from late last year - say hello to Chip! 

Ooh, it's Newsworthy! And I do love those black pintos...but the unfortunate thing is that I've been strongly leaning toward liquidating most of my remaining Sue Sifton sculpts, including Newsworthy. Hard decisions, to be sure, but the size of my collection was/is getting out of control. I'll have to think about it a little longer. 

So, this means all of the other Tales of Triumph (they can be found on the Breyerfest Blog) are probably hinting at more store specials. Let's hope we get more reveals soon! But, I think most people are more concerned with something else. You know, that little thing called...the 2024 new releases? Which were supposed to be revealed this week? 

Well? We're waiting. 

Tune in tomorrow to see if Judge Smails can stop waiting...

FINALLY!

 Good news, readers! We finally got something Breyerfest-related today - the reveal of the last few live auction models! Insert grumbling about how there used to be more auction models here. Anyways, here they are! Some of them are still weirdly cropped. There are a few lots still to be revealed, such as (presumably) the raffle models and the live show grand and reserve prizes. But anyway! 

That's a Strapless done as a sooty palomino with, well, puzzle-piece dapples. At least that's what they look like to me. Pretty, though! 

This one is a wild bay frame overo Lonesome Glory - it's a popular mold, so he'll probably go high. Still, I can't help but wonder what he'd look like in gloss. 

This one is a Semi-Rearing Mustang in a grullo tobiano with cat tracks. Cool, but it'd be nice if we could see the whole photo? 

Ooh, now these are interesting, even if the mare's face is marked like a giraffe. The mare is a pearly chestnut leopard appaloosa and the foal is a pearly black leopard appaloosa. It'll be interesting to see what these sell for - they're a bit odd-looking, but cute nonetheless.

Ooh, I really like this one, especially the two-toned wings! The blog says he's a glossy metallic blue overo, but he looks like there's some green in the mane, tail and wings. Can't wait to see this one in person so I can get some photos! I wonder if the wings are removable? Usually they are, and it does look like they slot into his back. Someday will we get a more attainable winged release of this guy, since they've done at least one test like this before? I can only hope! 

Well, this knocks a few more molds out of contention for the surprise - I'm going to guess it's Goffert at this point, unless he pops up as a raffle model or something. Speaking of raffle models, I can't remember if I've posted my raffle predictions yet, so here goes: Georg and Cancion. Would Breyer use two standing molds in the same year? Who knows, but that's what I'm going with. Guess we'll find out eventually! 

In other news, this year's mid-year releases are now available to order on Breyer's website, though the new Strapless won't be shipping until August. I thought about ordering a Mojave, but I'm going to take my chances and hope they have him in the Breyer Store at Breyerfest since that's what I did last year. Here's hoping! 

Edit: the rest of the auction models and the raffle models are now posted on the auction website! Check them out here. Looks like I was right about Cancion as a raffle model, but the other one is Fireheart! Gah! 

There is a Georg auction model, though:

Along with the German Riding Pony, Carina and Selene, Anamar and the PAM. Notably, there's no Goffert...but also no Hamilton, so the speculation will continue. I'm sticking with Goffert, though! Hamilton is way too popular and doesn't need the surprise boost. 

Featured Model - 1/22/2022, Jump for Joy

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Jump for Joy! 

This handsome guy was item #711464. He was a run of 10 and was issued on the Newsworthy mold sculpted by Sue Sifton. 

Jump for Joy was the reserve grand prize for Breyerfest 2014's open show. One was also auctioned off in the live auction and sold for the grand total of $1,100. You know what, I'm not going to complain about how comparatively low the prices used to be; let's just move on. His roan paint style is the one I like the most because it makes the model look like it's made of candy. Mmm! What a handsome boy. The only way to improve him would be if he had the loose mane and tail, but that combination didn't come into wider usage until later on. Still a model I'd love to have in my collection. 

As for Newsworthy himself, he was used in a really great shade of buckskin for Breyerfest 2020, to great effect (especially in glossy!). One wonders if he could be this year's surprise model, though I personally doubt it. We've seen that they'll use models on stands, but we've yet to see a pony as the surprise, and he really wouldn't make any sense with the hint (not that that's stopped them before). He'd make a decent sparrow in the Birds of a Feather web special series, if they could figure out how to make a brown coat interesting - lots of shading, or gloss, or some belly spots or something? Food for thought. Though if they used this photo for inspiration, maybe a liver chestnut or seal bay with splash white? Seal bay would be more dramatic. Sheesh, now I really want one! 

New arrivals!

Well, this post is a little bit late, but...my Jol models are here! I was able to buy three of them, and these were the colors I got! Sorry for the lack of fanfare. 

Well, two out of three ain't bad. These arrived quite a while ago, though, so in the meantime...

I was able to trade one of the clears for a red! Huzzah! 

I wasn't terribly disappointed to not get a Coal, since I don't collect the Galiceno mold, so it all worked out in the end. Woo! 

My glossy Cheesecake and WH Topgun models also arrived. Check out Cheesecake! 

Isn't he pretty? I still need to set him up next to my matte one and see how they look together.

I love that kind of "milky" look his paint gets with the gloss added to it. Pamplemousse has the same type of effect and it's great.

Lastly, here's WH Topgun! 

I'm not as happy with him as some of the ones I've seen on the Internets - I feel like his dapples could be blended a little better. I like how he looks like a nicely weathered deerskin glove or something (sorry if that's a weird comparison), but the comparison works better if the dapples are more subtle. 

He certainly is handsome though! And he looks good on the shelf next to his matte counterpart. Unfortunately, unlike the rest of the new arrivals, which didn't have many flaws to speak of, he's not the greatest in the quality department. More specifically, he looks like something snagged the edge of his ear before he was glossed, and both of his ears have rubs. He's got a few other minor flaws too, which all add up to something less than ideal...but I'd rather not deal with the hassle of trying to exchange him, if they even have any to exchange.

So, I'm glad Breyerfest 2020 is finally over for me! Haha! 

Anyway, the draw for the Breyerfest 2021 VIP tickets happens tomorrow! Good luck to everyone who entered. I'm seriously afraid I won't be able to get a Pollock if I'm not drawn, so I'm hoping against hope that I get one! 

Featured Model - 10/24/2020, Toulouse

 Hello and welcome to another edition of Featured Model, the weekly blog event where I pick a model I don't own but would like to, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's model is...Toulouse! 

This handsome bay snowflake Newsworthy was the Sunday Raffle at Breyerfest 2008. He was a run of 26 and was item #711418. He was sculpted by Sue Sifton. 

I'm not actually sure this guy is a bay - he would work equally well as a buckskin. Either way, I like his paint job! I wasn't participating in the hobby in 2008, but I would have loved to win him that year. His shading is quite nice and we don't see the snowflake Appy pattern very often. 

Since Newsworthy was a store special for this year's Breyerfest, and the glossy versions of that store special are supposed to be out in December, it's possible that we'll see him make another appearance in the near future. Maybe a web special? Or a regular run? The "modern" release in next year's Vintage Club was revealed today (more on that later), so I don't think he'll show up in the Vintage Club. Plus he was used as Mr. Chips a few years back. 

So it's hard to say where Newsworthy will pop up next. I hope I can get my hands on him!

New Arrivals: Cheesecake, Stablemate Set and WH Topgun!

Hello, readers! Featured Model was on hiatus again last week due to real-life events - sorry about that. Well, let's get back to the new arrivals - I'll start with Cheesecake! 

Cheesecake is definitely one of my favorite models from the event. He's just so pretty! It would have been even more cool if he had some pearly attributes, but I know that's a turnoff for some people. If the model is at all similar to the real horse, I can see why they call him Cheesecake. 

Next, here's the Best of Breyerfest Stablemate set! 

This set is just darling! Too bad I don't have any of the full-size models to pose with them. Maybe someday...In the meantime, the mini North Star seems to be especially popular on the secondary market. The mini Viajero and Que Sera Sera will be going down the road, but the other three are great additions to my collection. 

Lastly, let's look at WH Topgun! 

While I do like this guy, I wish the original buckskin/bay Connemara (the regular run) had had some white or something, so it would be easier to tell them apart. There's a reasonable amount of difference between their color...but not enough for my tastes. That said, he's a pretty shade of buckskin if you can forget about the RR version! 

Well, that's all I have for today - hopefully some new releases will come out soon. I'm looking forward to the new Premier Club horse and the next Stablemates Club release! 

Whoa, another store special!

So Monday's hint has been revealed - it's another Store Special! Behold:

It's a portrait of the real Connemara stallion WH Topgun! And, well...the model is pretty and all, but it doesn't match the real one very well:



But, uh...here's what it does match pretty well:



That's right...the loose-mane bay Connemara from the Best of British set. Okay, so they're not a 1:1 match exactly, but it's close enough to make me scratch my head a little bit.

I'll probably still try to snag a Topgun of my own, but I don't anticipate him being a huge seller. I guess we'll have to see how the store specials are distributed.

Featured Model - 12/29/2018, EZ to Spot

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...EZ to Spot!



This little guy was one of the new regular run releases for 2018! I decided to feature him today since he only recently arrived and I hadn't had much of a chance to write about him yet. He's item #1789 on the Newsworthy mold sculpted by Sue Sifton.

I hadn't really thought about it before this model got here, but once I got him in hand, I realized he looks a lot like cookies and cream ice cream to me! Mmm. He's very nicely done, though - I love his gray shading so he isn't just stark white around his spots. He's very detailed for a regular run and I think he's a great fit for the Newsworthy mold. Dare I speculate he'll turn up as a glossy prize model at Breyerfest next year? I definitely think it's possible.

As for Newsworthy himself, it's difficult to say where he'll show up again. Perhaps as a web special? His one and only appearance in that arena was in 2016. Even if he isn't a prize model at next year's Breyerfest, he may show up there as well depending on how Breyer defines "horse heroes." We'll get a better idea of that next month. I wouldn't mind seeing him as a Breyerfest special run, myself. He hasn't shown up in the special run line since 2009, so it's definitely time.

Wherever he shows up, I hope it's a model I can get my hands on!

Featured Model - 4/21/2018, Mr. Chips

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. In honor of this week's not-so-popular Tanner from the Vintage Club, this week's model is another unpopular VC special run...Mr. Chips!



This poor guy was the Vintage Club "extra" - not a required purchase - in 2014. He's item #712107 and was produced on the Newsworthy mold sculpted by Sue Sifton. 500 of these guys were originally produced, but 95 of them wound up being glossed and sold to VC members as extras later on.

I suppose the rate of sales must not have been that bad, as 405 is a little more than 80% of the total (I can't remember if matte extras ever showed up in the NPOD or anywhere else), but I know I hesitated to try buying one at the time due to the price tag. $135 plus shipping for something with little more than a dash of paint on it? No thanks. I did finally score one for $80 later, a price I was much more willing to pay. And yes, I know he's on his stand backward in the photo, but I like it better that way - I think it fits the mold's forward motion better.

Of course, the glossy Mr. Chips is much harder to come by and thus much more expensive, so I haven't added him to my herd yet. Maybe someday I'll find one. Although 2014 was the only year I've wanted one of the VC extras, I still wish they'd gloss and sell the leftovers - this guy and 2013's Lucy were the only times they did it.

I can see why they'd stop, though - people would probably stop ordering matte ones as often if they knew the extras would end up being glossy instead. It's a nice thought, though.

Newsworthy is currently in the regular run line as EZ to Spot, but he hasn't been used at Breyerfest in any sort of obtainable fashion, so I wonder if he'll make some kind of surprise appearance this year. The surprise, perhaps? Probably not - I doubt people would be excited to spend $85 on a pony. I guess I wouldn't have much of a problem with that - his web special sold for more than that in 2016. Or maybe he'll be a web special again this year! I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Live Auction Lot 11: Diamonds and Pearls

We have a Newsworthy in the live auction lineup! Check him out!

 

He looks really nice, but cremello isn't one of my favorite horse colors, so I'm kind of meh on him despite his lovely pearly sheen. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to have him in my collection, but if he were palomino or a really light buttermilk buckskin with frosting (or even just pearly white, for that matter), I'd like him better. His right ear looks bent, too; you'd think they'd pick a better body or fix that first.

Oh well. Can't wait to see tomorrow's model!

Featured Model - 12/24/2016, Enchanted Forest

Hello and welcome to yet another edition of Featured Model - the weekly blog event where I pick a horse from my collection, give some stats on it and provide commentary about it. This week's victim is...Enchanted Forest!



A mid-year release from 2010, Enchanted Forest is item #1423, on the Newsworthy mold sculpted by Sue Sifton. He was retired at the end of 2010, a pretty brief run. Not sure why; he's certainly handsome enough. The mane seam on mine is pretty prominent, but I don't know if they were all like that. I don't remember them having any terrible quality issues, either.

Whatever the reason for his retirement, I'm glad I have mine. This model is a portrait of a real pony, and they certainly did a good job on him. The mane seam issue was the only problem I spotted on mine.

I like this mold; he has a lot of personality. My husband likes it because he thinks it looks like our dog, which it kinda does. Something about the expression on his face. And he's the only updated jumper we have; I wish Breyer would come out with another one.

The stand is a bit of an issue; I'm never sure which way it should be facing. I have all of mine like in the photo above; if it's wrong, oh well. I think it looks better that way, like the model is cresting a wave or something.

The mold has had several regular run releases with braided mane/tail since its original run in 2008; aside from the Golden Boy Connoisseur, it took until earlier this year to get the loose-mane version of this mold - first with the web special Persimmon, and then the buckskin/dun Connemara. But that release is due to be retired at the end of the year. Let's hope they come out with something fun again soon!