Meadowlark is here!

 Good news, everyone - my Meadowlark is here! Behold the awesomeness! 

She's so shiny and pretty! 

Clearly I haven't had time to shelve earlier arrivals, as Goldfinch is back there looking disgruntled that someone else is stealing the spotlight. Or maybe he's trying to woo the pretty new lady? 

Unfortunately, she leaves a little to be desired in the quality department. Many little flecks of debris in her gloss and it looks like they started wrapping her up before the gloss was dry - she had something like tissue paper stuck to a couple of spots on her left front leg. It might warrant a replacement, but with Breyerfest a week away, it'd probably take a month or longer to get an exchange, if they even have any replacements. Blargh. 

Her tail has a lot of little bits of dust or whatever in the gloss, not that it's very visible in the photo. Well, if you can't see it, does it really matter? I don't show, so ultimately it's not that big of a deal, but still. 

I did get a shipping notice for my Fireheart model - yay! He won't be here until next week - the sooner the better! Woohoo, Breyerfest is only a week away! 

Fireheart, Breyerfest programs and the last auction models!

 Lots of announcements today - first off, today is the first day we can finally order our Fireheart models! 

As you may have guessed from some of my earlier posts...it looks like my Fireheart is going to stay with me after all. Based on the photos of the production piece, plus the newly released photo of his auction model....well,  yeah. The above photo didn't do him any favors for me, but the photos I've seen since then make it pretty clear he needs to stay here. 

And as a bonus, apparently they are actually in stock now and able to ship! That's definitely good news. 

Secondly, the print version of the Breyerfest program can now be ordered! 

They're $5 each (seems a bit steep..) and ship for free as long as you order them by themselves with no other merchandise. You can only order one per transaction for some reason, so if you want more than one...you'll have to do a new order for each one, I guess. But at least we're getting a print one this year! 

Lastly, the last six auction models have been unveiled! Behold: 

Oh boy, this might be our sale-topper right here. As an aside, did I make any '80s hair band jokes when Fireheart was first released? I feel like I did, but if not...he definitely looks like something an '80s hair band could appreciate, am I right? Haha! That's a really nice color, too! 

Wow, an Old Timer auction model! Too bad he looks...like an updated version of the Jake raffle model from 2002. At least the hat is a different color? 

With the way these auction models are looking, the raffle models may end up being this year's "chump change" items, since they're runs of 26. But I digress.

Interesting color on this one - looks like something you'd see on a bull. 

At first I thought this one was an extremely red chestnut, and didn't really like it. Then I realized it was supposed to be a decorator and warmed up to it a little...but only a little. Needs more paint for something that'll probably sell for $5,000 or more. 

And here it is...the long-awaited Hamilton auction model! This guy might be the sale-topper, too. That's a beautiful color...and glossy! I can't wait to see how much these models all sell for so I can hide somewhere and cry die of jealousy plot world domination for plastic ponies  rob a bank  hide somewhere and cry. 

That's all I've got for today! Can't believe we only have a little more than a week until Breyerfest! 

More auction models!

 Exciting news - more auction models were just posted on the blog! Let's take this from the top and start with the Othello! 

Ooh, an Othello! He's pretty much my favorite mold, so my heart sank a little when I saw this one. He reminds me of the auction Dundee from a couple years back. This one will go high, too. 

Ooh, another rainbow with gold mapping! This one looks incredible. I'd personally prefer silver mapping, but to each their own. Another one I'd love to own! 

Ooh, this one has a factory custom roached mane. Does this mean we'll get a RR or SR with roached mane in the future? I hope so. He's a beauty, too! 

I'm a little blah about this one - it's a beautiful color, with a lot of detail, but I feel like it's missing something. Maybe it should have been glossy? Who knows. 

A new zebra! Gasp! And such an electrifying (heh) color, too. It's been quite a while since Breyer used color-shift paint; maybe something new is on the horizon on that front? I hope so. 

And of course, our Saturday raffle, Bonheur. 

A point I forgot to make yesterday is that each new mold pictured here is another one knocked out of contention for the surprise model. I think it's probably safe to say the surprise won't be on the same mold as any of the auction models, since that hasn't happened since 2011 (when one of the rare surprises was in the auction). But I can't help but note that Desatado (and Forever Saige) haven't appeared in the auction yet...so hope is still alive! 

Finally, some auction models!

 Good news, everyone! (Happy 4th!) We have some amazing auction models to drool over! First up, this amazing Ruffian! 

She's described as a, "Glossy Neon Tiger with Blue Interference." Jaw-dropping! Do we have a sale-topper here? I think it's very likely. 

This Lady Phase looks like a test for Pima, am I right? Or maybe the Appaloosa Hero's Welcome? I imagine she'll go high too. 

We finally get an auction model on Vermeer! He's pretty, but I wish we had a different angle to look at - this is pretty much my least favorite angle of his. 

Another Weather Girl auction model! She's definitely a wild color. She almost looks glossy, though I think it's just a trick of the light. Another one I wouldn't mind having in my herd! 

Ooh, a Goffert! He reminds me of a shinier Java. His eye looks like he's scared of something on the ground in front of him. Haha! 

And lastly...

Be still, my heart. It's been a long time since we've had a Susecion/Le Fire release. These may also be sale-toppers. Look at the amount of detail on the mare! This pair makes me wish I could find a money tree behind my house! Alas...

That's all they've shown us for today - I hope we get more tomorrow! 

Featured Model - 7/3/2021, Gold Rush

 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. You may have noticed that Featured Model was on hiatus last week; my apologies about that. Anyway, this week's model is...Gold Rush! 

This handsome guy was a raffle model at Breyerfest 2002. He's item #711417, and was a run of 26 on the Huckleberry Bey mold sculpted by Kathleen Moody. 

I wasn't that much of a fan of this model when he was first released - I thought he was too plain to be a raffle model. I guess I'll chalk that up to being young and dumb? He really is a nice color, with a lot of depth to it and plenty of shading despite being a simple palomino on the surface. I've actually seen a couple of Gold Rushes sell in the somewhat recent past, and for not-terribly-outrageous prices if I recall correctly. Perhaps there's hope that I'll own one eventually? For how pedestrian I found him 19 years ago, I'd be proud to own him today. 

As for Huck himself, he's always had his share of popularity, and has received a large number of releases in response - I have a good number of them on my shelves! His most recent Breyerfest appearance seems to have been 2015, so I'd say he's due to make another appearance there soon. Perhaps the surprise model? Or the volunteer model? Either would be okay with me...but not my bank account. If not Breyerfest, maybe as a TSC model? He was a web special in 2018, so I wouldn't expect them to use him there again. Either way, I hope his next release is obtainable! Haha...

Tobias is here!

 Good news, everyone! My Tobias model has arrived - behold! 

The promo photos made him look glossy, so I'm a tad disappointed that he isn't, but he's a really nice design otherwise. 

I feel like this paint job has flown under a lot of people's radar. All those teensy spots! The paint jobs on these models just keep getting better and better. 

Though, for all his detail, I wish he had eyewhites! But that's a minor complaint. I've seen some nasty quality issues with these guys, but other than being thin through the shoulders and some blurred masking, mine is pretty good. Definitely a flashy addition to my G2 Appaloosa collection! 

Breyerfest 2021 Program and Bonheur!

 Huzzah - the Breyerfest 2021 program is now available for viewing on the website! Check it out here. Nothing terribly exciting, other than the reveal of the second raffle model - they left out the auction model pages, obviously. They're probably still stinging from the Great Program Fiasco of 2014! Haha. I was a bit intrigued to note that they're actually doing some content at the KHP itself - I must have missed that. I'll have to check out some of those seminars, too - there's a few things there I'm interested in. Only two weeks from tomorrow and we'll all be reveling in Breyerfest once again! 

Our grand reveal for today was Bonheur, the second raffle model - and the astute viewers on the Internets were right - it is Roxy! 

That gloss is to die for! 

She's stunning, even if she is a little plain. I like her face marking, though. I'm also not sure why they're calling her a silver bay when she's clearly some type of liver chestnut? I think they did the same thing with Notoriously Framed. 

Anyway, that's it for today - but I'm super excited for Breyerfest now! Woohoo!