Featured Model - 8/10/2019, Glossy Saffron

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...Glossy Saffron!



This handsome guy was a special run for Breyerfest 2017. He's item #711260G on the Geronimo mold sculpted by Kitty Cantrell. 800 of these guys were matte, while the other 800 were glossy, for a total of 1600 models.

While I'm not usually a stock horse fan, Geronimo is one of the exceptions. His mold didn't make much of an impression on the rest of the hobby, but I like him a lot! Too bad he doesn't get used more often, eh? Well, I think Saffron is one of the best examples of the mold so far - I like him better than just about all the releases, other than Cloverleaf. He's just a really nice color! I'd like to see it on a lot of other molds someday.

As for Geronimo himself, he's had a bit of a vacation recently - other than the Cloverleaf from last year (just 11 made), he hasn't been used since 2017. Where will we see him next? Maybe we'll get a web special, since he hasn't been used for that yet. I doubt he'll be used at next year's Breyerfest, so maybe we'll get him as a web special next year, or perhaps a collector club special run. Or maybe he'll get that mythical RR release at long last? I guess we'll find out!

New Arrivals: Saffron, Glossy Saffron and Kaalee

It's late, but I got a post written! Huzzah! More pretty ponies for your viewing pleasure! I'll start with matte Saffron:

 

I don't remember if I've mentioned it before, but this really is a nice color for the hunky Geronimo. I think it suits him very well! Although they could have also gone with a really yellow dun or bright yellow buckskin, with a name like Saffron. But, I digress.

 

I'm surprised this model wasn't more popular - word on the street was that Saffron was among only three (!) special run line items not to sell out, along with Kaalee and the cow.  I suspected this would happen ahead of time, since they made 1600 of him, but I had hoped that the matte/glossy split would make him more successful. Evidently not!


 

Ooh, I did not get the right angle for that photo. Quality-wise, the only things I could find wrong with this model were a bit of black fuzz behind his left ear (somewhat visible in the photo) as well as a slightly bent left ear tip. Otherwise, he was perfect! Too bad they can't all look like that.

Next: Glossy Saffron!

 

This guy is just as handsome as the matte, and shiny to boot! Whoo! I have to admit I didn't expect Breyer to do a matte/glossy split on more than one item. But I'm not complaining - the more the merrier!

 

 I think I mentioned in my previous post that I ended up with three matte Indu models at one point in my efforts to get a glossy. (4th time was the charm!) In contrast, it was easy to get a glossy Saffron - too easy. I ended up with two of them in two attempts. Glossy being more desirable than matte, it was very easy to find someone at the Clarion who'd trade a matte for a glossy, and my efforts in that department were complete!

 

Quality-wise, this guy is even better than the matte one - one or two pinpoint specks in the gloss, but otherwise I couldn't find anything wrong with him. Excellent!

And finally, Kaalee:

 

With all the unexpected glossies popping up, I wouldn't have protested at a glossy Kaalee, either, but that didn't happen. Oh well! I really like the color on this model, as well - she's flashy and beautiful and makes a good addition to my collection.

 

Some of the Kaalee models I've seen photos of have a rather abrupt transition from the white rabicano markings to the solid black, but mine looks pretty nice. The only issue I have with this mold is that she's so big it's going to be hard to get her to fit onto my shelves.

 

As for quality, this girl definitely wins - I couldn't see a thing wrong with her anywhere. She's perfect from top to bottom! Definitely a keeper!

That's all I have for today - yet again, I'll try to keep posting photos this week, but no promises. Until next time!

Artisan's Gallery Snapshots!

In lieu of skulking my way through the KHP visitor center today, I wandered through the Artisan's Gallery instead to see if I could get my eye on the special run models for Breyerfest. And, lo and behold...

 

In the above photo we see Indu, Vahana, Kaalee, Darjeeling and a little bit of Saffron.

 

And here we see more of the previous, plus Namaste and the rest of Saffron. These are the seven (horse) models that will be available in the special run line, minus the surprise model. I had hoped that if there's a matte/glossy split this year it would be revealed here, but all of the models had the expected finishes.

In this photo we see Diwali, the Official Breyerfest Cow (tm), as well as slightly different angles of Namaste and Saffron, plus the plush horse Lotus.

 

The Single-Day Stablemates are as cute as expected, though I didn't have the time to examine Tushar and see if he's as butt-high as he looks in photos. I'm still planning on getting Mishti and Vivaan, though. Hopefully we'll have time to get that done tomorrow.

In the above photo we can see the Celebration Model Nazruddin, the plushie elephant Jaipur, the regular elephant Holi and the Classic Marigold. Drool! Marigold must be mine, and I love Nazruddin's box despite my dislike of pink. I'm still not planning on buying a Holi; I don't collect the animal molds and I have reservations about how well-executed those decals will be.



And lastly we have Navya, the curiously attractive clear Stablemate. Gah! I need him. We're going to be getting up really early tomorrow in hopes of getting in line early enough to get our hands on him and Marigold - hopefully we're successful!

I'll close with that - good luck at Breyerfest tomorrow, everybody! Try not to keel over in line - I know I'll be doing my best.

BreyerWest 2017 Photos!

BreyerWest 2017 took place this past weekend, March 24-26! I wasn't able to attend, sadly, but luckily for us, Breyer posted some photos from the event on their Facebook page! I was mostly interested in the Breyerfest models, but there are a few other interesting things here.

(Photos are from Breyer's Facebook page, and faces have been cropped out)

First up is a view of one corner of the Breyer booth, where we can see Vahana, Darjeeling, Saffron, Nazruddin, Sokkar and Rangoli.


 

Nazruddin looks really nice, and so does Saffron. I was halfheartedly hoping Breyer would reveal another special run at this event, but no such luck. Oh well.

Next, a view from just around the corner of the booth - on a different day, when the models had been rearranged.

Not getting a good angle on Sokkar in either of these photos, but Saffron (and Vahana) look mighty handsome. Let's see what's next!

 

It's a view from the opposite corner of the booth! Nothing particularly earth-shattering, but there is a view of Saffron's off side, which we don't have a photo of on the Breyer site.

Astute viewers may notice that Kaalee is not in attendance, along with the store specials Repeat the Beat and Dally and Spanky. I remember hearing last year that Breyer only keeps one or two examples of each model on hand, and if one isn't available to bring along, for whatever reason (such as Kaalee and the others) they simply aren't available to view. Patience, readers! We're a mere 15-ish weeks away from Breyerfest and the time will go by fast!

Lastly, here's a view of another part of the Breyer booth, showing some of the new for 2017 releases.



I really like the color on Espresso, the Springtime Filly. If only I were a fan of the mold, and/or the gigantic scale. I'm honestly surprised they continued the series (albeit with a delay) after Camilla's lukewarm reception, but I suppose they need to at least try to get back their investment in the mold.

That's all I've got for tonight - let's hope Breyer releases another special run model soon! We're down to 2 1/2 weeks until the early bird deadline, and they still have 3 special run line models and the surprise teaser left to reveal! Hurry up already!

Saffron has been revealed!

The first Breyerfest special run is now up, and it's...Saffron!



As we all suspected, Saffron is on the new Geronimo mold. I like him! The blog describes him thusly:

Saffron is a minimal splash Paint in yellow dun on the Geronimo mold (#733), which was first released last year as a part of the 2016 Premier Collection. Saffron has leg bars and a majestic dorsal stripe and his coat has a bit of a pearly-sheen. Our first BreyerFest Gateway to India Special Run model has a touch of the iconic golden-yellow color and lives up to his namesake.

 

He's certainly handsome. I can't wait to get one! I'm especially looking forward to seeing what his "pearly-sheen" is. I love pearly! This is definitely a promising start to our Breyerfest lineup. I hope we get to see more soon!