We asked for them, and we got them! A new, colorful Welsh Pony set! I'm glad Breyer FINALLY decided to include ponies into the Celtic theme but I'm still bummed that they didn't do more, and I know I'm not the only one. Lots of people have been asking for Bouncer since the begining. Although he could always be the surprise, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for either Emma or Goffert. Let's not forget we still have a decorator also!
Now without further ado, here are Brighid and Beltane! Apparently Brighid is a flaxen chestnut, not a palomino as originally thought. This pair is very cute and have been bumped up to #1 on my Breyerfest wish list. While at Walmart on a food run, I came across a freshly opened box of Mini Whinnies and noticed that they were series 4. I didn't even know they made a new series. Honestly I haven't been able to find series 3 yet. Anyways, I ended up purchasing a few for eBay because I figured there probably wouldn't be too many due to the China ban. I didn't get the chase but apparently its name is Vegas. Anyways I have been working on a Wild Life stablemate collection that I mentioned in a previous post, mostly from boredom, but also to bring in some side income while I'm out of work. I'm still in the process of a couple, and the ones shown below are already up on eBay. I've made a macaw, a zorse mare and foal set, an alligator, a leopard and a giraffe. I also have a rainbow leopard I'm doing, which is turning out to be really cool, something like Lisa Frank would design. By the way, the spots on all my horses are 100% hand painted. I don't use stencils, pre-cut patterns or masking. They are done completely by free hand in acrylics. I don't use colored pencils for fine details. It's all paint. I'm pretty good at getting the paint as smooth as possible to look OF despite the detail. This is what makes my customs unique because I don't do a mix of mediums, nor do I use an airbrush. My final WIP are these three MW. They are a trio of horses painted like Red Dead Redemption 2 horses. For those of you who play the game, I made Buell the blue eyed cremello, the blue eyed splash Paint who is said to be the rarest horse in the game (and yes I added some mapping) and my personal favorite the gold Turkoman, aka Akhal Teke. They are all done on the MW series 3 new Thoroughbred mold.
Not surprisingly the Seattle Soiree was cancelled, and I fear Breyerfest may be next. Amazing how things have changed so much in such a short time. At least for Seattle Soiree attendees, they are offering your choice of either a full refund or to keep your tickets and be sent Puget and Redmond. The special runs for Seattle Soiree will be distributed based on a lottery selection. If Breyerfest were cancelled, it would probably be similar, with your choice of either cancellation or to be sent the celebration model with special runs via lottery. This way will certainly help those who are typically unable to attend to be able to purchase Breyerfest specials so it won't surprise me if tickets sell out completely this year. I'm wondering how they'll do store specials though? Will they even have the pop-up tent specials or single day models? How will the show work (if they'll even have a show?) because apparently they are still having the diorama contest after today's reveal of the prize model, shown above. I guess the diorama contest could be done via photo but the live show would be a little trickier since not all flaws can be seen in photos, unlike in real life. I think it would be smarter if they just cut the shows out and refunded those who bought table space. Losing money from shows is a small cut compared to the losses some companies are taking from this lockdown.
Our state is currently under a mandatory stay home order for the next two weeks. The day before the lockdown started while we were out shopping for what little remnants of food were left after the panic buying, we stopped at Walmart for some customizing fodder. There was a newly opened box of unicorns complete with a chaser so now I have three total rainbow Magnolias and enough unicorns to keep me busy the entire lockdown. It may seem an excessive amount but it's my little light in a dark world right now. Sneak peeks. The 70th anniversary collection. Blind bags. Breyer sure does have a way of driving us nuts! I'm starting to lose count of which series they're on. Apparently my local Walmart is the slowest in the world at getting in the blind bags because they completely skipped the series 3 Mini Whinnies and went straight to series 4, which I only liked the Paint horse. The others were kind of plain. The chaser, Vegas, apparently looks like this: Quite a simple paint job compared to most MW chasers. The chaser for the Unicorn Surprise, on the other hand, is jaw dropping. I didn't care much for the blue or pink chaser but the past few have been awesome. I'm still trying to track down that gold and black Magnolia for a decent price, who seemed to go as quickly as she came. On the other hand, my three rainbow Magnolias are staring at me as I type this. I have a feeling this pandemic is going to make me miss out on the beautiful purple chaser too: Honestly it doesn't seem like I'll ever see the series 3 unicorns at this rate. Besides the chase, I also liked the Walking Arabian, whose coloring is very similar to Rose from the Fairytale Friends Club, and the blue Thoroughbred, whose coloring looks similar to Seafoam from the FFC. The other three are too similar to colors I already have. I didn't join the FFC because it didn't seem worth paying that much extra for glittery manes/tails and the prices on the second hand market aren't really that great, so it's unlikely I'll join next year either unless they do more intricate (perhaps realistic?) paint jobs. As with other horses, I'm very picky with my unicorns too.
The odd release of the Collector Club grab bags at this time of the year verifies my previous post when I stated how Breyer was pushing releases because they, like many of the companies out there right now, are taking a major hit in sales. They can't replenish their regular runs because of the China ban. According to the website, you'll receive at least $300 worth of merchandise for $149.95 and free shipping, which really isn't bad considering that the CC grab bags often contain goodies like previous club models or Breyerfest items.
I bought one a few years ago and was very happy with it. Unlike the holiday grab bags, the CC grab bags can contain Breyerfest and specialty club leftovers. I decided to help keep Breyer afloat by purchasing grab bag #1 and will update this article once everyone posts what they got. Here is what others have received: GRAB BAG #1: *Breyerfest Giverny *Breyerfest Buckaroo *Breyerfest Corral *Breyerfest Hands Down *Stablemates Club Coco *Sarafina (or Serendipity) *Latigo Dun It *Classics palomino Morgan mare and foal RR set *Stablemates surprise blind bag *Mini Whinnies surprise blind bag *Spirit play set (Chica Linda with rider) *Jewelry box (horse) *2020 calendar GRAB BAG #2: *Breyerfest Celebration (some received Laredo instead) *Breyerfest Hands Down *Stablemates Club Fylkir *Sarafina (or Serendipity) *LV Integrity *Mira and Antares *Classics chestnut Arabian mare and foal RR set *Stablemates surprise blind bag *Mini Whinnies surprise blind bag *Spirit play set (Spirit with rider) *Jewelry box (Pegasus) *2020 calendar GRAB BAG #3: *Breyerfest Namid (some received Stunt Double instead) *Breyerfest Nazruddin *Breyerfest Rock-a-billy *Breyerfest Hands Down *Stablemates Club Zahrat *Sarafina (or Serendipity) *Protocol *Classics Malik *Stablemates surprise blind bag *Mini Whinnies surprise blind bag *Spirit play set (Boomerang with rider) *Jewelry box *2020 calendar GRAB BAG #4: *Breyerfest Red Carpet Royalty (some received Versailles instead) *Breyerfest Adios signature model *Breyerfest Tschiffely's ride *Breyerfest Hands Down *Stablemates Club Allegiance *Sarafina (or Serendipity) *Enzo *Bath time color changing pony *Stablemates surprise blind bag *Mini Whinnies surprise blind bag *Spirit play set (three horse set) *Jewelry box (unicorn) *2020 calendar We can now scratch off the name of the surprise model for Breyerfest: it's called Slainte Surprise. I'd honestly never heard of the word before but according to Breyer it means "cheers" in Irish. They didn't give much by the way of hints, just that "you'll be cheering when you unwrap this beauty". Beauty makes me think mare, so I'm hoping Emma is still a possibility. Of course we won't know which mold is used for the surprise until Breyerfest weekend. Collector Club members should check your email because the March newsletter has been sent out. Included is the monthly freebie to enter for. This time it's Patrick for St. Patty's Day. I won't enter for him but good luck to all who do! For the monthly lottery model, we were shown a sneak peek of a colorful decorator and given the hint that it wouldn't be St. Patty's Day without a rainbow. Funny I was just talking about using a rainbow decorator for Breyerfest, which by the way, we still need a reveal for. Ironically, even though I paint decos, I only collect certain OF decos, and rainbows are a particular weakness of mine. I'm still on the lookout for Rainbow from the Weather Girl series. The actual rainbow, not the pintaloosa. Which mold do you think it will be based on the picture above?
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, Breyer is still pumping out horses while the rest of the country is shutting down. Here in Ohio schools are closed for the next few weeks, though they're saying expect possibly the rest of the year. I will be hiding in my house for the next few weeks homeschooling my kiddos and working on some customs that I've been putting off far too long to resell to help pay the bills while I'm out of work. I'm thinking of doing miniature animals on stablemates, similar to the Big Cat and Wild Animal series. Meanwhile, we have had a rarity: two back-to-back club releases, so members of both of those clubs can get combined shipping. Fairytale Friends "Sunchaser" and Vintage Club "Starlight" are available for purchase. By the way, Sunchaser looks 10x better in real life than the stock photo. He has more of a gold luster from the in-hand pics I've seen. I'm still underwhelmed by the Vintage Club model and am a bit shocked by how quickly the VC models are being released this year. It's no secret by now that the virus is affecting Breyer as a company since they've had to postpone stock for RRs so maybe they're trying to compensate with the club releases? I don't know, but we're due another SMCC model next month, and then the first Premier Club release (yay for Altynai!) in May.
People on social media are jumping the gun by worrying if Breyerfest will be cancelled or not due to coronavirus. Honestly, let's just take it one day at a time. July is still a ways off, and the virus is predicted to settle down during the warmer months before returning again in the fall, so I personally don't see Breyerfest being cancelled. Postponement is what many events are doing, like the Kentucky Derby, however so many people have already booked hotels (some non-refundable) that it's a lot of pressure for Breyer to still host the event on time. If Breyerfest IS cancelled rather than postponed, I don't see Breyer simply refunding tickets. This is a HUGE money maker for them so I'm sure if worst came to worst, they'd make it an online event somehow, maybe offering so many models during each time slot on their website just as they would at the event, and linking ticket times to accounts, sort of like they do with the lottery models when they make certain models available to certain accounts. They'll figure something out, I'm sure. Let's have some faith, eh? The mottled nose from the February newsletter has finally been revealed. He is a cute varnish roan extended blanket appaloosa on the older Fjord mold. He is pretty but not anything I need (not big on the mold) so I'm going to pass on him. Some food for thought... with the return of the Berry Ponies and lack of pony molds so far for Breyerfest, what if Breyer is planning on using various pony molds in the surprise this year instead of different colors on the same mold? I think I quite like that idea!
I honestly cannot tell you how thrilled I am that Breyer has finally released a new color on the Fell Pony mold! I'm working so hard on trying to save for Breyerfest and the club models I signed up for so I've already told myself NO LOTTERY MODELS THIS YEAR. Then they do this, using one of my favorite molds. So guess what? Yep... I entered. Although $150 is a bit steep, but considering the fact that they've only made her twice before and the fact that this was the most beautiful color made on this mold to date, I think she's worth it. Anyways meet Jujube a Gypsy Vanner with to die for blue eyes. She is considered a silver bay, though she looks more flaxen to me, almost like the color of Abdul from a few years ago. There isn't much "silvering" in her mane/tail but it does, however, look slightly pearly. I love this mold, I love silver bays, I love pintos, I love pearling and I love blue eyes. The artist who designed her is also one of my favorites. Honestly, this horse was made for me. If I don't win her, I might cry. Oh, and by the way she is part of the Berry Ponies series, as I suspected. She was the horse in the sneak peek from the Collector Club newsletter. Apparently they are going to make a comeback with the Berry Ponies this year after doing the America the Beautiful series for the past few years. It'd be nice to have one from each series, and since I'm not too fond of many pony molds, this girl is by far my favorite so far. I'm holding out hope that I'll win, although I'm not expecting it since it hasn't even been a year since I won Teton, and currently I only have one CC account.
Ever since the posting of the first Breyerfest store special, I've had many questions regarding Breyerfest. Rather than answering each of these individually so I'm not repeating the same things over and over, I've decided to post an article that y'all can come back whenever you have questions. I don't pretend to be an experienced BF attendee since last year was my first Breyerfest and, like most first timers, I was stressing about getting everything that I wanted. Will they run out? Will I get a good spot in the special run line? Will I miss my ticket time?
Ok... take a deep breath... and relax. Let me start off by saying that the portion of the Kentucky Horse Park that they use for BF is a very small part. It is not the entire park. You do have access to the entire park with your ticket and may venture as far as you please, but the majority of BF events revolve around the Covered Arena. You really can't miss it... it's the giant steel building you smack right into when you walk down the main path leading from the BF booth (big archway you can see from the parking lot usually with a lot of people mingling around) which makes it a lot easier than if it were all spread around the park. What's in the Covered Arena? The Covered Arena always has equine displays going on, includes the vendors/marketplace, is where the workshops are done, bathrooms are located, houses the air conditioned Breyer Lounge (if you paid extra for it) and displays of the special runs including all the surprise models. The Breyer Store is also in there, although the line starts outside under a covered canopy with misting fans to keep you cool while you're waiting. The Covered Arena is often loud, crowded and stuffy. It's best if you have a stroller to avoid going through there as much as possible, as it's incredibly hard to navigate through the masses of people. If you have a workshop to attend, it is located on the second floor. You can sign up for workshops here but be warned that they sell out fast. How do I get the Store Specials? You must wait in the line for the Breyer Store. It is long and takes about an hour on average to get through, but is often well worth it if you're looking for the store specials, and being that they only let about a dozen or so people in the store at a time makes a nice shopping experience so everyone isn't pushing everyone else out of the way. These models are often limited to no more than 1200 pieces and are put out throughout the day. Times of when they are put out do vary so it's best to get there as early as possible since they restock each morning. I went through the line at noon on Saturday, however, and they still had stacks of Store Specials left. You simply pick whatever you want and go around to the cash registers to check out. Easy! So what is in the Breyer Store other than Store Specials? There are current regular runs, new mid year releases including the holiday horse, previous Breyerfest special runs that didn't sell out, as well as club models from the Stablemates, Vintage and Premier Club. I've even heard of some people scoring lottery models from the Store. When I went through at noon they had Dead Heat (no stand), Celebration, Diwali, Blossom and Belle, the Classics Paint Horse Family, Scamper, Zahrat, Home Straight and Hands Down. If I'd have went through sooner, they probably would have had more. Most people swear that they put the best models out at the beginning of each day when they restock the Store Specials (which is why I always suggest going through the Breyer Store line early). The Breyer Store line and the Special Run line look very similar. Both are under those white canopies but on opposite sides of the Covered Arena. When you're coming down the pathway leading into the park, the Store line will be on the right side of the Covered Arena while the Special Run line will be on your left. There should be big signs - like in the picture above - telling you which one is which. My special run ticket says I'm number 500. Does that mean I'll be last? When you find the Special Run line, you will need to get in line based on the number on your special run ticket. There should be people holding signs that say 1-100, 100-200, so on and so forth until they reach 500 which is the maximum number of people going through the line at any given time. They will pick a random number from a drawing and that's where the line will start, so just because you're ticket is number 500 doesn't mean you'll be last in line. If they choose 350 and you're 500, you'll be somewhere in the middle, while number 349 will be the last person to go through the line. How do I get my models? You'll go from the canopy where you're standing in line up to a larger tent. In that tent, there will be a volunteer assigned to pass out each special run. The special runs will be on display on tables for you to see what they look like. You can then choose up to two special runs per ticket. You tell the volunteer you want that particular horse, they rip your ticket in half and give you your horse. The next volunteer will simply take the other half of your ticket. Will there be enough for everyone? Unfortunately, they do sell out, which is why I stress that if you're after a certain model to purchase more than one special run ticket. If you don't use the ticket, there are always people hovering around the Special Run tent looking for people selling their tickets. When a model is sold out, the volunteer will put up a sign on the table saying they're sold out. The most popular two usually are gone within the first 100-150 people, By the middle of the line, about half the models are sold out, and the last 100 or so people end up with the least popular ones. I make a list of my favorite models and try to get them first. If they're sold out, I just go down the list to the next ones I want. Don't get your heart set on a certain model because you could come home disappointed. What else is there to do in the park? At the front of the Covered Arena is Fluffy the blow up horse and next to him is where you will pick up your stablemates if you are a single ticket holder. The celebration horse is distributed right before you go into the Covered Arena from the ramp way at the front of the building. The back of the Covered Arena (the opposite side of where you come in) is where the Activity Tent with stablemate painting is located and usually a food truck. Behind that are the barns where the real horses of the portrait models are stabled. Autographs are provided in the grassy area between the Activity tents and the barns. You'll have to look at your pamphlet, which you will be given upon entrance to the park, to see what horses are doing autographs at what times. You can also see the horses in their stalls at any time throughout the day, unless that particular horse is performing in the Covered Arena. If you have children, send them to Celebration Park to release some energy. If you follow the path right of the Covered Arean, you'll see it. There is a petting zoo, sandbox, pony rides, the splash dogs will be performing throughout the day, some performers and another popup store. The Saddlebred Museum at the front of the park - the entrance is through the parking lot - is free to Breyerfest attendees. It is air conditioned if you need a place to get out of the heat. The Hall of Champions (shown in the picture above... if you find Alysheba or similar graves with horseshoe shaped bushes then you're in the right area) is where the live auction will take place. The live auction horses will be on display in a glass case inside the Welcome Center of the park. What are popup stores? The popup stores are the small stores that sell the BF extras such as keychains, limited edition stablemates, Classics, plushies and crystal sculptures. They do not contain the Store Specials so don't walk in a popup store thinking you're going to find Benelli. There are usually three of them. One is located near the Activity Tent, the second is in Celebration Park and the third is by the Alltech Arena on the opposite side of the park. If one of them have sold out of something you wanted, you can always check the others to see if they have stock. The Collector Club tent: If you're a current member of the Collector Club, you'll want to stop in the CC tent for some goodies members only get access to. First off, you will see sneak peeks of various club models. Often they'll have the entire lineup (including the sculpt of the new mold) shown for the Stablemates Club, the reveal of the second Premier Club horse and special run reveals. Sometimes past lottery models are also shown. For the past few years, they've done the "Who Wore It Best" horses where you can vote for your favorite. It'll either be the same mold in different colors and you choose your favorite color, or different molds with the same color and you choose the mold. Cold bottled water and even alcoholic beverages after noon were also available in the CC tent. Where do I show my models? Model horse shows take place in the Alltech Arena. It is quite a trek from where everything else at Breyerfest is (and is also where the Celebration of the Horses show is performed at the end of the day on Friday and Saturday) but they do provide a shuttle service to the parking lot of the Alltech Arena. I personally have never shown at Breyerfest so I don't really know how fast paced it is, but from what I heard, it is fun and if you can win something, all the power to you! I don't know of too many people that come home without some kind of ribbon at least, although some come home with new models they've won as well. Showing does cost extra so make sure you pay for it in advance here as space is very limited. It is a big show, and thus will be pretty crowded. I've unfortunately heard of people also having models lost/stolen so be sure you take extra precautions and be attentive. As always, if you can't find your way around, there are many lovely people there who you could ask for help. The majority of people I met were extremely kind. After all, they're there for the same reason you are... to have a good time in the land of plastic ponies :) |
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