2024 mid-years or Salvino II: Electric Boogaloo

 Good news, everyone! Breyer finally revealed this year's mid-year releases! I'll start with Salvino:

Yes, this is the same Salvino that got his own portrait on Salinero for Ponies & Palm Trees a couple years ago. The model is pretty (actually really pretty, must have one!), but I'm a little confused as to why they're doing another portrait of Salvino when there have to be other prominent dressage horses they could have chosen instead. Especially since it's an Olympics year. Maybe I'm just being crotchety. For the record, I don't own (or want) the Salinero version of him, so I don't really have a dog in the fight. He is pretty though. Calling it now: he'll be one of the Breyerfest glossy prizes next year. 

Next, we have Quietway Spinabbey:

This one is a portrait of one of Guy McLean's horses, with a custom roached mane! I wonder if Breyer is trying to step up their game and compete with Stone a little more with all these factory custom releases they've been doing lately (roached Mirado, Newport and now this). This guy isn't anything I need, but he looks nice without his mane. 

Next we have a unicorn set, Cyrus and Solana! 

Ooh, I really like these! I'm sensing a "brown" pattern with these releases, but this set is so pretty I don't mind! Selene has been a unicorn before, but Duende makes a good addition to the unicorn herd. So, since Breyer usually does the unicorn set during the holidays, I wonder if there are going to be two this year? Or if the yearly set just got pushed forward a bit? Maybe they thought it would sell better. 

There's also a new Freedom Series playset and some new Collectas. All new releases can be seen here! I hope they have these releases at Breyerfest so I can get a close look at them! 

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! 

Diadem and Alcor are here, and Snickerdoodle!

 Exciting news, everyone - my Diadem and Alcor models are here! 

After getting a look at them in hand, Diadem reminds me of a much softer version of Alida. While I'd prefer a silver horn and hooves (I prefer silver over gold in most situations), she's still quite pretty; though maybe she'd have been a bit nicer with green or blue eyes? The black eyes look a bit weird. Also, her horn is off-center on her head, which is a little irksome.

She's pretty nice other than the horn issue, though. She had a few small marks on her underside that easily came off with a little scraping with a fingernail. In other words, no biggie. 

Others have said the pinking on her nose is a bit extreme, and I think I agree - the rest of her color is so soft that the pink nose kinda overwhelms everything else. But it's a minor issue. 

The foal is much more interesting, color-wise - he looks like he's black with a few different colors of pearl paint over the top of it - to the point where he almost looks like an oil slick. 

His quality is pretty nice, also - I didn't see any issues at all. 

The closeup makes it pretty obvious why this foal has sometimes been customized to a mule baby - his ears are huge! Haha. I guess that just makes him a little bit cuter. 

In other news, Snickerdoodle can now be ordered on the website, along with most of Breyer's holiday assortment for the year. Her price is a little steep at $59.99 - that doll and reindeer hat must have been more expensive than we thought. Maybe the doll should have been switched out for her foal in palomino, instead? Just a thought. 

That's all I have for now - looks like we won't get a reveal of that sneak peek this week, so hopefully next week. And maybe we'll get Astrid soon, also? Pretty sure they said she was coming "very soon" a month ago...

Diadem and Alcor!

 Attention, readers! The Susecion and Le Fire set that was teased last month has finally appeared on the website! Behold: 

From the website:

The magic of a new life takes on a double meaning when it’s a unicorn foal. Diadem has just welcomed her new colt, Alcor, whose inky black coat with gold, purple, and blue under-shading will help him to stay hidden while he’s young. Diadem has a lovely white coat with soft blue, purple, and pink shading. Both of these mystical beauties have golden horns and hooves.

Nice! I was afraid I would miss out on these two, but since they're still in stock now, several hours after going up, they must have made a healthy supply this time. This is a pretty popular set of molds, though, so I'd suggest buying yours ASAP before they disappear. They qualify for free shipping, too, which is nice. 

I'm a little ambivalent about the mare's color, honestly, so I'm hoping she looks better in person. Can't wait to see what they look like in hand! 

An embarrassment of riches!

 ...Or maybe just an embarrassment. No? Hmm, probably not. 

Anyway, I got a ton of stuff in the mail today! Not my CCA order, unfortunately, but everything else I've ordered lately is here, unless I'm forgetting something. Let's start with the new Unicorn Magic wood carry barn: 

This was the only photo I took - didn't have time to get individual photos. They sure are cute lined up in their barn, though! I'll probably save the barn itself and the Stablemates I don't want for my kids. Anyway, there's two each of the G2 Andalusian, the G2 Saddlebred and the G3 Standing Stock Horse. Each one is a different color, despite the fact that some of them look the same in the photo. The G2 Saddlebred on the far right is actually an interesting little green blanket Appaloosa, which is kind of fun. I wasn't expecting that, since these paint jobs seem so basic. 

And yes, they're molded from some type of slightly more flexible plastic - their legs started warping inward a little as soon as I took them off the cardboard inserts holding them into the barn. I wouldn't say they're as bendy as a Schleich, but there's definitely more give there than a typical ABS or cellulose acetate model. Still, the colors are fun and I'll still add these to my collection.

I also ordered the Breyer Farms carry barn, but that still shows as backordered, so I'm guessing I'll get that later. Let's move on to Bellatrix and Spica! 

Interestingly, the foal doesn't quite match the mare, as you can see in the photo. I'm not sure if I've seen that happen in any other photos or not. 

People have been saying the dapples on these are pretty subtle, but I don't think mine have any dapples at all. Which is what I'd expect for the foal, but I couldn't see anything on the mare. I'll have to take her out in some better light later.

Quality-wise, they're pretty good, except the mare's horn is unfortunately misaligned, and their silver hooves could have been painted a little more neatly. I really like this pair, especially the contrast of their silver hooves and horn against their dark coats. More of this, please! Spica needs a father! 

Lastly, here's my Troubadour! 

This one is a big boi! I love his coloring, too. 

He definitely didn't get hit with the skinny stick like so many new Breyer molds have. I love him! And he doesn't have a lot of flaws, either.

I've seen a lot of complaints about the masking on his mane, but I think that's about as good as a person could hope for. I'm excited to see what other colors Breyer puts on this guy! I'm sure he'll be a raffle model next year, and probably two or three other things, so we won't have TOO long to wait! In the meantime, I hope Breyer gets this year's PC Stablemates shipped out a little earlier - I want to see my Lyric up close! 

Speak of the devil...sort of.

 Well, there's at least one good update today - my JAH is here! I'm surprised I didn't have to wait another week or two for it to arrive, but at least it's here, right? So, here's the cover! Sorry if the quality of these photos is poor - I upgraded to a new computer in June and still haven't figured out how to make my scanner play nice with Windows 10. But anyway...

The inside cover says this is the new Ideal Orren Mixer horse for 2021. He's a beauty! Now I'm conflicted about deciding to sell all my Geronimos. Gah! I still have all but two of them, so I suppose I could keep them...but that's a decision for later. 

According to the full rules and entry form (found here), they're giving away BOTH of these test models to two lucky winners. Woo! I collect both Desatado and Esprit, so I'd be happy to welcome both of these models home (though I've been thinking about selling off the Desatado models more and more lately). Anyway, good luck to everybody that enters! I haven't gone through and looked for the pictures yet, so I can't give any hints as to how many there are. The deadline to enter is 11/30, so don't wait too long to get your entries in. 

Lastly, here's the purple Mason unicorn from yesterday! 

Isn't he pretty? I've been waiting for a new Mason release for quite a while, so I'm glad he's finally getting his chance to shine. And he's listed in the TSC/Walmart section right next to Serafina, so it's a safe assumption that we'll find him at Walmart. Hopefully he starts showing up in stores soon! Kinda wondering why he doesn't have a name, though. 

That's all I've got for right now - my CCA shipment is still MIA, but I do have something else showing up tomorrow! 

This year's JAH is out in the wild!

 Attention to Collector Club members: this year's JAH is starting to show up in people's mailboxes. Nothing here yet, but from what I've seen online, they're doing another test model giveaway (find all the hidden images, again), and there's a purple rainbow Mason in the Walmart section. Ooh, I've been wondering when we'd see another Mason! He's been sadly neglected since his debut in 2018. I hope this means he'll get a regular run release next year, too, because he's just too handsome to sit unused.

I'm a little irked today because my Collector Club Appreciation order was supposed to arrive yesterday, but hasn't gotten here yet, and the tracking hasn't been updated since last Friday. What gives, UPS? Important things are at stake here! I want to see which glossy model I got before all the trading is wrapped up and I'm stuck with one I don't want! Hurry it up already! Sheesh. 

Well, hopefully my JAH and my CCA order both show up quickly, or I'm going to be a grouchy collector over the weekend. 

Uncle! Uncle! I give up!

 Well, we have our holiday mare and foal set of the year - say hello to Bellatrix and Spica! 

I love the color scheme in the above photo. Isn't it pretty? I suppose that's the point of the whole thing. I can't wait to see this set in person - they look and sound amazing, and the photo doesn't show the purple interference all that well. It'll be interesting to see what they look like! 

But otherwise...my wallet is pretty much on fire! Stop with all the releases already! Sheesh. They've been coming rapid-fire for the last week, and I'm ready to wave the white flag here. Sadly, it's probably not going to stop anytime soon - we still have the last Premier Club model, whatever the winter web special is, the last Stablemates Club model, plus whatever else they have up their sleeves for the end of the year. I have to think their revenues are down due to the pandemic, so I can't really blame them for releasing all this stuff to try to make that up, but still. Give us a rest...please! 

Speaking of new releases and arrivals, my cup runneth over - I finally got my Raia, plus Barrington, Honeybunch and my three Stablemates Club Valerio models. So I'll start with Barrington! 

I have to say, I like this guy way better in person than in the promo photos. He just looked so dull! Fortunately, he's much better in person. 

His color is really rich! While I still prefer the loose mane and tail, I can get used to these. I counted 32 little braids on his neck, all of which had to have a little dot of red paint, plus one on his forelock and the base of his tail. The painters must have been going crazy painting all those little braids. 

Sadly, his quality isn't the best; he has small rubs or scuffs on all four his legs in the white areas or on his feet. A bit disappointing for a run of only 500, but I might be able to take some of the scuffs off later. 

Next, here's Raia! 

This one had a bit of a convoluted journey to get to me, but she was definitely worth the wait (shipped to a retailer four hours away, paid for over the phone, picked up by my brother, then waited for my husband to make a work trip to the area and bring her back)! She's beautiful.

I've always liked the red bays with four white socks. So flashy! And I'm super-glad they used the flip-tail for her, since we don't see it that often. 

I didn't notice anything particularly bad with her quality, either, although she has black spots of mane color on her neck under the mane, due to the sculpted holes or "windows" in her mane. Would have been nice if they'd stuck something under there temporarily to catch the paint so it wouldn't end up on the neck. 

Next, here's Honeybunch! 

I was a little leery about this one, because I've been seeing a lot of reports of poor masking around her mane. This girl has it, unfortunately, but it's not as bad as some of the ones I've seen. 

I love the pearly on this one! She has it on her mane, tail and the floofy parts of her legs. I guess I'm a sucker  for pearly, but it seems like it makes every paint job pop a little more. I wouldn't want to do the scrubbing it would take to make a real horse look like that, though.

She does have some booboos, but it wasn't quite as bad as it looked at first - I was able to pick a couple of black/lint marks off without affecting the paint underneath. She does have a pretty big rub on her left eartip, though, and the culprit was easy to spot - the box she's being shipped in isn't quite wide enough, and the side of it rubbed against her ear and took the paint off. I've seen at least one other Honeybunch with the issue, so it's probably happening to a lot of them. Too bad the boxes couldn't be slightly wider, eh? 

Lastly, here are my Valerios! Drumroll please...

While I'm of course disappointed that I didn't get three different colors, I've had REALLY good luck with the randomly-shipped stuff lately, so I can't complain too much. I'm just glad I at least got two different colors.

I'll be looking to trade the extra palomino pinto for one of the other colors - ideally the Appaloosa, but I'd settle for the rose gray. The two I unboxed looked pretty good - I didn't see any major flaws on either of them. The palomino that's still boxed is a bit sunken-in through the barrel and chest - a rather common complaint from the looks of it. The unboxed ones don't seem to have that issue, so at least it's not all of them. Let's hope I can find a trade! 

That's all I have for today - I hope my Collector Appreciation stuff shows up soon! Looks like we're also starting to get glossy Sable Island Horses and EZ to Spot - in that case, I'd rather get the glossy EZ than Winx. I guess I'll find out eventually!

Sage, sneak peeks, and Breyerfest updates!

Lots of new today, readers! First off: Sage, the final release in the Fairytale Friends Club (at least for now) is now available, so make sure to get her/them ordered!



I'll note here that Sage is indeed referred to as a mare, and she's on the new Stablemate Warmblood Mare who keeps being referred to as a stallion for some reason, so...the new mold should really be called the Warmblood Mare, since that's...what it is, and I'm not sure what's been causing the confusion, since all of her releases so far have been mares. Anyway, her companion for this set is the Spanish Barb, transformed into a Mini Whinny! Exciting stuff, though I'll be selling the Mini Whinny and hoping he makes another appearance as a Stablemate someday.

Now that the Fairytale Friends Club's first year has been completed, I'll just say that I hope they put some better paint jobs on the models if they do it again. Pastels and glitter might work for a $4 Walmart release, but people expect something a little more complicated than that for $25 a pop. Let's hope Breyer takes those ideas into consideration!

In other news, I can't believe I forgot to post about all this yesterday, but there's a new sneak peek on the blog (Reiterating that I'm tired of sneak peeks - just post the thing!):



Clearly it's the crystal, but which one? It kind of looks like the back of a shoulder/part of a belly, but I don't know what it could be. Once again, the photo is cropped too closely to tell what it is. Hopefully we see it tomorrow! I don't envy people trying to buy crystals this year, though, what with all the fragility and shipping through the postal system and all. Fun times!

In other news, more Breyerfest updates have also been posted on the blog. I'm not going to try to sum everything up here, but Bonus Benefits for ticket holders have been posted here (free raffle tickets, woo!), and an explanation of model categories is here. Also, Jaime has a new video explaining some more of the benefits here (apologies if you're unable to watch that one; I wish they'd post it on YouTube). Lots of exciting stuff in store to be sure, and even some fun items for international collectors that can't participate in raffles and contests!

Featured Model - 5/16/20, Rosalind

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...Rosalind!

This pretty girl is item #712235 and was part of a set with the matching Gilen foal Rigel, both sculpted by Brigitte Eberl. She was released in 2017, but the piece count on them was never released by Breyer (Grr, they've been doing a lot of that lately).

I picked this girl because she was released in the fall of 2017, shortly after my son was born, and thinking about it reminded me of what it was like when he was a tiny baby, and it made me happy. Anyway, she's definitely a beauty! At first glance she looks like another white unicorn, but on further inspection, she does have nice peachy undertones and subtle dapples - and I love the spiral detail on her horn. Clearly I wasn't the only one who liked the set, because they sold out pretty quickly.

Where will we see another new Giselle (and perhaps Gilen) set? She does occasionally get used without him, so it's not a given that we'll see him. She was last seen as the web special Teton last year, so I doubt she'll be another one anytime soon. She was last used (in an obtainable way) at Breyerfest in 2010, so it's not out of the question that she'll show up there. I don't think she's popular enough to be the surprise model, but you never know (my guess for this year is still the Cleveland Bay). The GG Valentine and Heartbreaker set was finally retired last year after a healthy 9-year run (practically an eternity these days), so maybe they'll get another RR release. I guess it's anyone's guess! I wouldn't mind seeing her as a TSC special run, honestly. I guess we'll find out eventually!

Nayati models and a new Classic unicorn!

Greetings, everyone! Good news - my Nayati models came! I had fun unboxing them all - here are some photos for your enjoyment. First, the three boxes...

The suspense was killing me. What if I got three of the same color, like the three blue Othellocorns? What a headache. I thought maybe I'd get lucky and only two of them would be the same color.

Hmm, I see some spots in there, and some not-spots. Could it be? Did I hit the trifecta?

SCORE!!! I got all three colors! Time to go buy a lottery ticket!

While I like all three colors, I think the dunalino is my favorite, followed by the bay pinto. Not to say I don't like the leopard - the color is definitely growing on me. I think the pinto would have been spectacular if he was also glossy, but they probably did that for the people who don't like gloss.

It's hard to see, but the pinto does have a blue eye (along with some weird paint issues on his chest/shoulder). A lot of people think Breyer's blue eyes look weird, but I like them most of the time.

Like I said, the leopard is growing on me too. If I could only get my hands on a Jackpot, this guy would have a twin! Oh well.



I love the shading on the dunalino...and I don't even like palomino models that much! This guy would make a nice companion for Cheveyo, or a glossy Cheveyo if I had one of those. Maybe someday! In the meantime, this guy has a very appealing color. I hope we see it again sometime!

In other news, there's a new Classic-size unicorn showing up at Walmart. I don't have a photo I can use yet, but it's a white unicorn with rainbow mane/tail on the American Quarter Horse Stallion mold by Moody, and his name is Sugar. Nothing I need to buy (the mold has always looked weird and awkward to me), but he's definitely pretty!

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.

Featured Model - 2/15/2020, Walmart Unicorn Crazy Surprise Series 2 Warmblood Mare

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...the Walmart Unicorn Crazy Surprise Series 2 Warmblood Mare! Sheesh, that's a long name.



This pretty girl (and I do mean girl; I have no idea why Breyer labeled it a stallion when she clearly doesn't have any bits) is one of the unicorns to be found in the Series 2 blind bag unicorn assortment at Walmart (slowly being replaced by series 3). She's item #97268 and was sculpted by Kristina Lucas Francis.

I picked this model because I love that color scheme! There's just something I really like about the pink/purple/blue color scheme. Other things that use this color scheme are various Frozen memorabilia and this level from Super Mario 3D World, among other things. I love it! I hope Breyer uses this color again in the future. 

As for the mold, she's certainly gotten a lot of use since her introduction waaaaaay back in...2019? Sheesh, it seems like it's been longer than that for some reason. Well, I'm sure they want to get their investment in the mold back as soon as possible. Where will we see her next? The possibilities are endless, but I suspect she'll be the mysterious Unicorn Crazy Series 3 chase model that no one has found yet. There's a decent chance she'll pop up as the Stablemate at the upcoming Seattle Soiree - I personally hope it's a mold I don't collect - the fewer things I have to track down afterward, the better. And maybe she'll get another realistic release as well? Let's hope so.

My wallet just breathed a huge sigh of relief!

More exciting reveals today, everyone - I'll just keep the goodness coming! Let's start with the 2020 Holiday Horse!



Shannondell, eh? The outfit is interesting, but I've never been a fan of mealy bays. I'm sure he's pretty under all that greenery, though! Next, more holiday items:



I'm not sure who decided the not-terribly-popular Rising Sun resin should be converted into a Stablemate, but it saves me money, so I guess I'm okay with it. I like that 70th anniversary ornament! None of the rest of it catches my eye though. Hmm, I'm sensing a pattern!



The Mini Whinny advent calendar is a super-cute idea, but again - nothing I need. Maybe for my kids? I'll have to think about it.

Next, say hello to the 2020 flagship model!



Lionel certainly is a handsome one, especially in palomino Appaloosa, but I'll pass. Looks like 2020 might be a fairly light year for me!

Now these have me excited. The Stablemate mystery foal sets return, now with unicorns?! Sign me up! I'll need all of those. That Warmblood Mare sure is a bright shade of pink, though. She looks like sherbet or something. Am I really surprised that there's yet another unicorn Alborozo and Magnolia? No. At least they won't be hard to get ahold of.



Now, these are interesting. Are they different combinations of the various horses, or are they in certain pairs, as the photo shows? I see they're randomly shipped, which is another way to say "blind bag garbage," so it could be hard to get them all...but I need almost all of them, so if I order four of them, I have a decent chance of getting all the ones I want...right? I'm glad to see a realistic color on the Warmblood Mare and the Walking Thoroughbred. Breyer is certainly getting plenty of use out of their new Stablemate molds, huh?



These are the last, for now. Are those Mini Whinny versions of Rising Sun, Firebird and the porcelain Cleveland Bay? Say it ain't so! None of those are molds I'm into, so I can resist these...for now. I guess Breyer figured out a way to sell just about anything - slap a horn on it and paint it purple and you're good!