The Curse of the Koh-i-Noor

Cripes! Breyer released a new special run today - Koh-i-Noor!



According to legend, the Koh-i-Noor diamond this model is named for is cursed. Well, apparently I got hit with the curse, because I missed out on this guy! I saw he had been posted on Facebook this afternoon, and foolishly thought I could finish getting some things done around the house before I bought one! I'll never make that mistake again!

(Okay, technically the curse of the Koh-i-Noor only applies to men, but I'm using it here for dramatic license.)

If this guy looks familiar, it's because we've seen him before - he was produced from extra Winter Wonderland stock. According to the email from Breyer, only 750 of these guys were produced, and some of them will have three, two or even no stockings at all. Gah! I knew I should have ordered one right away! And shipping was free to boot. Curses!

Well, hopefully I can find one somewhere for a reasonable price. The curse can't last forever, right?

Winter Wonderland and Glossy Bandera!

Greetings, readers! I have new pictures to show you - I was finally able to open my Winter Wonderland, and the glossy Bandera I traded my glossy Hickory Hills Wall Street model for came today! I'll start with Winter Wonderland:

I love this model. He's gorgeous! My weakness for pearly paint strikes again!

I could be biased, but I think this is one of the better Holiday Horses they've done in recent years. He's so shiny and beautiful! I almost wonder what he'd look like in gloss...

And he's very nice, quality-wise! I didn't see anything majorly wrong with him, and only a few very minor issues. All in all, he's yet another worthy addition to the collection!

Next, Glossy Bandera:

I thought this guy was nice enough in his original release, but the gloss makes him really nice!

And I didn't see any major quality issues with him, either! And they certainly didn't skimp on the gloss with this one - he has that deep wet look that goes really nicely with his metallic coloring.



I still wish they'd painted the eyes on this release, though. He just looks so dead-eyed and unfinished, especially with the "patina" look they put on his mane and tail. It's an unfortunate misfire, but something I can get over. He's just so shiny!

That's all I have for now. In other news, it does look like people are starting to receive their Mini Brishen models, so I'm hoping to get some photos of mine next week once it comes in. I can't wait!

2017 Holiday Horse, Winter Wonderland

A few days ago there was a rumor on Blab that next year's Holiday Horse was a palomino Totilas. The rumor was true, and here he is: Winter Wonderland!



I've been waiting what seems like forever for a palomino Totilas! I still die a little inside every time I remember the 2014 Breyerfest volunteer model not being this guy. Total devastation (although Here's to You looks very nice on my shelf, don't get me wrong).

Anyway, Winter Wonderland is a definite must-have for next year. My husband usually gets me the Holiday Horses for Christmas, though, so I'll have to wait a year to get mine (presumably they'll be available at Breyerfest first).

I definitely like what little I can see of the paint job that's not being blocked by all the trappings. His color looks very similar to Noelle, if a little darker. Should be interesting putting the two next to each other to compare.

 I do kind of wish they'd tone down the outfits, though - they keep getting more and more elaborate every year. Pretty soon we won't even be able to see the model under them (use this space to imagine a giant cotton ball with horse legs sticking out of it, in lieu of my nonexistent Photoshop skills). I'm especially mystified by the owls.

Can't we just have a nice blanket with matching leg wraps or something? I used to get out all of my Holiday Horses and put the tack on them every Christmas, but the outfits have been getting progressively more complicated to put on and take off; this year I didn't bother. And I'm always worried about accidentally damaging the models while dressing/undressing them. Thoughts of the Snowflake MFT with his simple blanket seem quaint now - Bayberry and Roses and those ridiculous things on his legs are enough to make you (well, maybe just me) tear out your hair.

Interestingly, my searches on IDYB for this post led me to the realization that next year marks 20 years of Holiday Horses. I feel like Breyer should do something to commemorate it, but I have no idea what that would be (set of 20 Mini Holiday Horses on the Stablemate molds, a la the Breyerfest 20th Anniversary Commemorative Set? Sans costumes, of course. Way too small to be practical.) Well, it's an idea, anyway.