I apologize that I haven't updated about this until now. I've been down with an ear infection so I've been laid up on antibiotics and, to be honest, trying to get as much rest as possible. Anyways, here is the latest news from Breyer. Apparently they are still experiencing slight shipping delays. First, dealers are still waiting for shipments of Blazing Kansas and Ethel, as well as Sjoerd, but rumor has it that they will finally be here next month. Likewise, the first 2022 Premier Club horse, Zafirah, has been pushed back until June. I've had two people place a deposit on Zafirah from me so please be sure to watch your emails next month to pay her off so she can be shipped to you ASAP. Secondly, Collector Club members have been waiting for the April newsletter reveal that never transpired. With most model releases pushed back until June, including the new Hope pony, I'm expecting that's what happened with the March sneak peek. Most people are guessing that the May sneak peek is just another angle of the March sneak peek. The quote "June is set to be an excellent month" is hopefully a sign that the shipping delays are getting better, but obviously aren't 100% back to normal yet. Breyerfest pickup people: my preference lists have been submitted, and by the wording on Breyer's website, we won't know which models we were selected for until our tickets come in the mail in June. I will be contacting people on my waiting list first come, first serve about any extras I end up with. Please keep an eye on my blog and your emails so that when the tickets arrive, you can be notified of extra models if you're pulled from the waiting list. I'll give a date when I'll be pulling names from the waiting list and how long you'll have to pay if you still want said model(s). If by chance I am not able to fulfill any prepaid pre-orders due to not getting selected for a particular model (I've bought plenty of tickets and since this isn't a sold out year, plus with the higher run numbers, I think chances are good that this won't happen) I will either offer you one of my extra models in exchange or refund your deposit promptly, depending upon what you choose. Otherwise, still expect a July 1st invoice for the rest of the money for the model/models.
I've decided to make a difficult decision. I've decided to let go of my Dundee conga, mostly because I'm sticking with non-stock breeds to focus on for my personal collection. If you're interested in purchasing an almost complete conga (the only one missing is the one from Seattle Soiree and the rainbow 7 Arts Surprise decorator) I am offering it up for sale on my website. I also have it listed on eBay but you save a bit purchasing directly from me since I don't have to pay eBay fees. I'm drastically going to be downsizing on my personal collection so be on the lookout in my Model Horse Store for new models to be popping up soon. The big day everyone has been waiting for is here! The Breyerfest special run preference list is now open to be filled out and submitted. I've already submitted mine although you do have until May 26th to fill it out, which isn't much time, only a few days, so don't forget! If you mess up and need to redo it, just fill out the form again and Breyer is going to take the last form you filled out to go by. As with previous years, you can either select a Master List (preferable if you have multiple tickets) or an individual list. Breyer doesn't say exactly when they'll pick from the preference lists but they did say that tickets will be mailed sometime in June so I'm assuming we'll know what we're getting by then. You need to hang on to these tickets in order to redeem your models at Breyerfest. You have until 2 PM on Sunday, July 17th to go to the Model Handout tent to redeem your models at the event itself. Breyer will NOT be mailing special runs this year with the exception of the German draft horse on the Georg mold and the online store specials. Unfortunately, Breyer will also not be allowing for online payments, so those who were hoping to use Paypal's pay in 4 will not be able to. You must have cash or credit card upon pickup at the Model Handout tent.
As a side note, tickets are still on sale (amazing that they haven't sold out yet honestly) however if you purchase them from now on, you will not get to submit your special run preferences and will instead receive random models from whatever is leftover. Remember, if this is your first year going to Breyerfest (or even if you're a seasoned attendee and just need some ideas) visit my Breyerfest Guide page to get to know the area a little and for some ideas of things to do outside of Breyerfest. Are y'all getting excited yet? I know I sure am! I can't believe we're reaching the end of May and Breyerfest is literally less than 2 months away now! Crazy! Whether it is an enticement to have a sold out Breyerfest or just simply a last minute thought, Breyer has announced unexpectedly that they're giving each All Access ticket holder a FREE pin with their ticket purchase. There are three to collect but you won't know which one you'll get until the event itself. Although this was officially announced a few days ago, I was waiting until all three styles were released before I posted about it on my blog. You could receive either: VIP ticket holders will be getting a special surprise pin that will not be shown by Breyer until the event. I did not purchase the VIP ticket this year so I won't know until someone posts on social media, but I'm curious to see who it is. The pins are adorable, as I've had several in hand, however I've decided to not entice myself in pins because of all the other hobbies I already have, so anyone who is interested, come back to my Model Horse Store in July! I will have several of these available after Breyerfest for those who collect pins and can't attend in person because, let's face it, gas prices are ridiculous right now and I doubt it'll be much better by July.
Will the REAL Kingfisher please stand up? Finally we get to see what this beautiful boy looks like, and no, that's not a new mold. It's the combination of the non-feathered Gypsy Vanner mold with the Gypsy Vanner wavy mane and tail. Befitting a Kingfisher? I think so. For $195 plus shipping, and provided you're one of the 500 people drawn for him, he can be yours! His blue roan color shows that, and personally he would be the perfect addition to my personal collection because blue roan pintos are a favorite of mine, although I've long decided to not even bother including the lottery models as part of my grail list since they're virtually unobtainable unless you're pulled for them, and my luck in lotteries this year hasn't been very good. (I lost my bet in the derby over the weekend and I'm still bitter by it) Speaking of the derby, unless you didn't watch it and somehow avoided the news since Saturday, you probably saw that it was won by an 80-1 longshot named Rich Strike, a horse with a horrible disposition if there ever was one. While his run and chestnut color reminded most people of the great Secretariat, to me his quirkiness looked more like Whirlaway, as he was literally attacking his pony and outrider post race, but that's a story for another time. In honor of his rags to riches victory and to celebrate the little guys, I've decided to have a flash sale in my store this week. The sale will begin tomorrow and last until Friday at midnight, or until sell out. There will be a good mix of new, old, limited edition, Breyerfest and stablemates. There will be Breyerfest models and lots of show quality models if you're looking for something to take with you to show at Breyerfest this year. I will also be including my Ukraine benefit customs and will donate a portion of the proceeds of each of those to Nova Ukraine through Paypal. In short, there will be something for everyone. While I do hope to get to where I can offer retired models year round rather than in sales throughout the year, I'm still working up to that. Once we recoup a bit from just buying a new house, I will focus on that as my next project.
Peter Stone people... if you haven't heard by now, Stone had their annual "county fair" in Shipshewana, Indiana where the Stone factory is based. This event was attended live by those who were lucky enough to go with the rest of the leftovers put on their website today at 3 PM EST. Most of them sold out in minutes but there are a few left from the time I checked the website at 6:30 PM EST, both runs and a few OOAKs. I didn't see anything that interested me this time, although I'm sure the majority of the best OOAKs were picked at the event. Their next big event will be Equilocity. A couple big announcements. Firstly, Breyer was supposed to close the window on in-person Breyerfest tickets yesterday. Apparently they updated the ticket purchase date to May 22nd or "while supplies last" most likely in hopes of selling out all the tickets. As of the time I write this post, general admission and all acess tickets are still available for purchase but VIP sold out a while ago. They have not given a date as to how long online tickets can be purchased.
Now for the biggest information we've been waiting for... the special run selection process. Here is the email Breyer sent today: "Effective immediately, there is no need to prepay for your Special Run models! The Reservation process will remain the same. All-Access ticket holders (including those who already bought AA tickets, as well as those who will buy AA tickets by May 22nd) will receive a Preference Form to rank their top choices for the exclusive Special Run models. Keep an eye out for that Preference Form link; it will be emailed to you after May 22nd. Two models (per AA ticket) will be selected based on your preferences, and Reservation tickets for those models will be added to your ticket book. For all AA ticket holders, simply present your Reservation tickets at the Model Handout tent before 2 pm on Sunday and complete your purchase onsite." This means that there will be no changes to the way I had intended to do pickups. Those of you that pre-ordered pickups from me, the timeline will stay the same. You all have already put down your deposits earlier this year to help pay for ticket costs and a small pickup fee for expenses to drive to Lexington to get your models. The rest (the actual cost of the model) will be due on July 1st as originally stated. Please see my Model Horse Store if you forgot how much you need by July 1st. You will have 3 days to pay so be on the lookout for that invoice. If you paid with Paypal, I will invoice you through Paypal. If you paid via credit card, keep an eye on your email for an invoice to be sent to you to complete your purchase. IF ANYTHING CHANGES (YOUR EMAIL, ADDRESS, ETC.) PLEASE EMAIL ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR UPDATED INFORMATION. Why do I only give 3 days to pay the second payment? If people don't pay, I need to fill that spot for that model, so if your second payment isn't received by midnight on July 3rd, you forfeit your model and I will resort to the waiting list to fill your spot. Waiting list people will be contacted as soon as I know how many extra models I will have once the preference list is chosen. BREYER HAS NOT YET SET AN EXACT DATE THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN but I will surely update once I know this information. Shipping costs will be invoiced to you the Monday after Breyerfest when I get home and can weigh each package for an accurate cost, as many people pre-ordered more than one model from me. Although I'm giving up to a week for this final payment, the sooner you pay this, the faster I'll be able to get your models to you :) Even if I do end up with surprise models on my preference list, they will not be offered for sale until the Monday after the event. Why? Gambler's choices are always a risk and I don't want to take the chance of someone getting a color they don't want, then returning it just for that reason. I always wait until after Breyerfest to offer them when people can pick and choose their color. Just makes it so much easier than selling them blind. As long as this process goes smoothly, I will continue offering Breyerfest pickups each year. As always, if you have any questions or if something isn't clear, feel free to reach out to me through my Contact Me page. P.S. Although my Ukraine benefit sale for April is now over, I have started making some Ukraine customs, which I have just posted on eBay. They are selling fast though, as I know many of you have been waiting for them to be. If you miss these first customs, I do have a few more that will be finished next week so keep an eye out for them. The reason I chose eBay for this is because it is easier for me to send the money to Nova Ukraine through eBay rather than if I sold them on my website. All the proceeds I made for Nova Ukraine in April and May will be sent over to the charity on June 1st so I'd like to thank everyone for helping a great cause. |
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