Breyerfest pickup people: More invoices were sent out today. I'm happy to say that I've already filled the majority of pickups and I still have two books that have not yet made it to me, so there should be plenty of leftovers. I'm getting a bit edgy because a couple of people that I've sent invoices to from my first batch of tickets, whom put down deposits back in February, have never responded to me, either by paying or contacting me. Please, please, please I cannot stress enough to keep an eye on your email or let me know of any changes to your information. I'm getting worried that these people may have changed their email and not notified me of doing so, therefore I'm hoping y'all will read this post. If payment isn't made by July 3rd, I will have to forfeit your deposit and move on to the waiting list, which I don't like to do, but I need these models to have homes waiting for them by Breyerfest. Having Breyerfest pre-orders broken up into payments is a new way that I've decided to try and a lot of people liked it, so I want to continue it, but I need everyone's full cooperation to do so. If you ghost me, there is no way I can get your pre-ordered models to you. If you didn't read all the terms on my listing when you originally purchased back in February and thought that what you paid was the purchase price, please let me know ASAP so I can refund you. I'd much rather do this than have you lose your deposit. Thank you for your understanding!
Wait list people: Next Friday, July 8th, I will be posting extra models on a secret page that won't be made public. Only those who are on the waiting list will be able to view these models and purchase them. The total amount (including shipping) will be due on this date, I cannot do payments this late. If they do not sell out through the wait list, I will post any extras still available on Monday, July 10th, to the public in my Model Horse Store. Unfortunately because Breyer waited so late to send tickets this year, I won't have enough time to message wait list people and wait for a reply to see if they're still interested in their pre-selected model(s) of choice (like I had originally stated I'd do at the beginning of the year) so I think this way will make it easier for everyone. Directly from the horse's mouth:
"Greetings, Premier Club members! As June comes to a close, we’d like to provide an additional update on the shipping status of Zafirah, the first release of the 2022 Premier Club. We have received an updated quote on her arrival time, which is now slated for late July/early August 2022. Both the shipping and manufacturing industries are still reeling from effects brought on by the pandemic, and unfortunately these delays are outside of our control. We want to see these models delivered to you on time as promised, and we are doing our best to manage both our business operations as well as your expectations as a customer. When Zafirah is available, you will receive an email in your inbox with a link to complete your purchase. In addition, we will also share this information on our social media pages. Once available, Zafirah’s purchase window will be open for approximately two weeks. We sincerely thank you for your patience during these trying times, and we can’t wait to get these beautiful models into members’ homes! Regards, Breyer Web Team" Those that have pre-ordered Zafirah from me, the wait is almost over. It sounds like she'll be here after Breyerfest so at the end of July/early August be on the lookout for your second payment so I can get her shipped to you ASAP. Thank you for your patience! Another double post today because of so much happening. With Breyerfest just around the corner, everything is going to happen quickly. Now that we're nearing the end of the month, the June newsletter is here for Collector Club members. The giveaway is one of my favorites of the year, a complete set of Lancelots. Lancelot was a Collector Club gambler's choice Classics sized model. Breyer started this a few years ago with Calvin but haven't made one yet this year, unless it just hasn't arrived yet like the club models we're all still waiting on. I loved all three of these guys, although I ended up with the blue, whom I still have. The sneak peek was another glossy with a quote from Breyer saying they're on a glossy bay streak. I'd say so, as we've seen lots of them this year from the glossy CCA Orren Mixer paint to Robin and Nestling to Hope the Horse of the Year. Who will this be? So what happened with all the releases we were promised this month? Most likely the ship that was supposed to bring them didn't arrive yet. Although we still have a week before July officially starts, many of us are still waiting on either the Premier or Vintage Club models. Why are the Stablemate Club models still arriving on time but not the bigger guys? Well, the simple answer is that you can fit more stablemates on a boat. Most likely the Vintage Club will be next (unless they're having issues with the flocking) because it's a mold they used before. With the Premier Club model, they have to break the mold and weed out any issues before they can even paint them, so it's a lot more time consuming. The good news is, I'm hopeful we'll see the Arabian mare before Breyerfest because this was shown in the Breyerfest program: Dirndl is apparently on the new Arabian mold. While I thought about wearing a dirndl to Breyerfest to kind of set the mood, I think I'm going to pass. The things are tight as all get out and imagine trying to pull it off when you get to your hotel after Breyerfest when it's clinging to you from sweating like a hog? No thanks. The other model, Lederhosen, is definitely a model I need in my collection. He looks like a Rocky Mountain horse, a common horse here in Kentucky, and that color is just realistically lush! I'd love to see it on a Collector Club model that is available to everyone.
With the fourth of July coming up soon, Stone horses released a new surprise DAH pattern with fireworks similar to Times Square that Breyer made for Breyerfest 2007. However, Stone has added blue interference and glow in the dark paint. If you want one, he's currently on their website for $254.99 in limited molds. Be sure to check him out! I got my first selections from my Breyerfest tickets, and although I have not yet received all my tickets (bear with me pickup people) I'm very happy with my first selections so far. If you haven't received an invoice yet, don't fret... it's most likely because I'm waiting for the rest of the tickets to come. If you do receive an invoice, then your model selections are guaranteed, and then I will label your order as processing until I pick it up from Breyerfest. Those who are worried about getting duplicates after multiple people posted on Facebook about this, it seems like the majority of the problem is centered on the individual lists, so as long as you did the master list, you should be fine. I can't stress the master list enough if you don't want duplicates, y'all. For those of you who aren't on social media, this is what the ticket books look like: They have some basic FAQ in the front, a map of the Kentucky Horse Park, your model tickets, show tickets and wrist bands to get in the park. The wrist bands look like this. These were for four All Access tickets. I like this new adjustable style over the old paper style anyday. I will have a few of these available if you have extra children you want to bring or non-collectors with you but don't want to buy another ticket for, as well as additional tickets for the Celebration of the Horse show. Order soon because I will have to mail them to you, and Breyerfest is literally just a few weeks away! I'm going to post this a final time so that everyone is up in the know that doesn't visit my blog regularly:
Breyerfest pickup people: Keep an eye on your email! I will be sending you all invoices to complete your purchase for your selected model(s) to your original payment method. If you receive an invoice, that means your model is guaranteed. A date will be set on your invoice which you need to complete your purchase by. If your purchase is not completed by that date, your deposit will be forfeited and I will move on to the waiting list. This is why it is very important to keep an eye on your email, and your SPAM folder as well just in case. Shipping will be billed to you the Monday after Breyerfest when I can weigh your package. Although I will verify your address before shipping, if your address has changed and you have not reported it to me by now, please do so ASAP. If by chance I happen to be short a certain model I will give pre-paid pickup people first choice of the leftovers. If you don't like any of the other models, I'll refund your deposit. Wait list people: Keep an eye on your email as well. I will be resorting to the wait list once I tally up how many extra models I've ended up with. You will have 24 hours to let me know if you still want the model(s) that you choose from the wait list back in February when I had the wait list form on my website. Models must be paid for in full, minus shipping which will be billed to you the Monday after Breyerfest when I can weigh the package, and prices will be on my Breyerfest Pickup page. If you do not receive an email from me, it means that I did not have enough extras of the model(s) you had chosen. Likewise, if you don't respond to me within 24 hours that you still want said model, I will move on to the next person on the wait list. All extra models that haven't been sold either via pre-paid pickup or the wait list will be listed for sale on my website in my Model Horse Store at an announced date/time. Please keep an eye on my blog if you missed out on pickups or the wait list back in February for my second chance sale. I wanted to give an update. I know a few months ago I mentioned on my Youtube channel that I'd be uploading more videos come April/May and said that I had planned on uploading more often. A few months went by, we're now into June, and I haven't uploaded a single video since February, not even for Breyerfest information. Although I currently have just a small channel, my subscribers are probably wondering what have happened to me, so I'm hoping the word will get out through my blog. While I've been keeping up with my blog for the most part, I have been neglecting Youtube. Why? Well, a couple reasons. One is that I'm burnt out artistically. Youtube, whether you see it this way or not, is art. You have to come up with videos in a way that makes you unique, you have to come up with what to say and you have to edit your videos to make them flow easier. It is no different from customizing in my opinion, just a different way of creating. Speaking of customs, I have no idea when I'll get around to making more. Hopefully by Halloween, as I know that's when the majority of my sales happen because of how popular my Halloweenies are, but we'll see. I'm not going to stress about it, I'm going to just take it one day at a time. I eeked out a few Ukraine benefit models and did try to force myself to make a summer themed pony, which turned out ok and is currently for sale on eBay (which I plan to stop selling there at the end of June) however I just couldn't do anything else. I'm just spent as far as creativity goes so this will probably be my last custom for a while. I get this way sometimes, where I'll be pushing myself to create so many customs that I eventually get overwhelmed and they aren't coming out as good as I would like them to be, so I need to walk away for a bit to remind myself that art has always been a passion of mine, not a job. I don't want it to feel like a chore, I want it to be fun, and if I make a few bucks off of my art... that's great! It'll probably just go into bodies for making more art. The same with Youtube. I've made close to 100 videos all told, and I'm just kind of burnt out. I'm taking a break for a while so please don't unsubscribe if you already are because I will be back!
The second reason is because when we moved out of state, we didn't realize how much work starting a farm from the bare ground up - as we're doing everything ourselves rather than hiring help and paying for everything as we go along - would be. Not complaining... I wouldn't trade this life for anything else... but I'm just saying that time has quickly been getting away from me. Time is honestly why I've never created a Facebook business page. If I have information to share, I just share it through my blog (and although I don't reply much to my blog comments I do read them all <3) since it is difficult in a normal time juggling a full time job, running a small business, a blog, making Youtube videos, painting customs and tending to my real animals, let alone adding daily Facebook updates to the mix. I'm sure by the end of the year I'll be creating content again. I was thinking about in addition to Breyer reviews making some ASMR videos involving our farm, like horse grooming videos, or perhaps a vlog of our farm life? I don't know. Something to help me improve my channel that has been struggling in the depths of Youtube for a few years now. I'll never add Adsense to my blog, as I know how annoying it is when you're in the middle of reading a post and a popup takes over your scream begging for subscribers. My blog will always be a hobby and nothing else. However, Youtube puts ads in my videos whether I have Adsense or not, but it would be really nice if I could earn a bit of side income from those ads since they're there anyways. I hope after explaining y'all understand and continue to support my blog and Youtube channel :) Two posts in a day is a rarity for me, but there were a couple of new developments that I must share. As most of us in the Breyer clubs know, we're expecting all three club releases this month. The first, the Stablemate Club release, is now available. Shelburne is next in line, the glossy dappled buckskin/dun Charleston, and was the model I was teetering on. I have put him up for sale on my website if anyone wants him who is not in the club, but if he doesn't sell by the end of next week, I'll probably just keep him. While we wait for the Premier and Vintage Club models, Breyer has announced some exciting news for virtual Breyerfest attendees. They will be offering a limited amount of special runs to virtual tickets holders but you will be limited to only ONE model no matter how many tickets you've bought (NOT one model per ticket if you've purchased mutliple tickets) and, from what I understand, it will be a gambler's choice, meaning you won't be able to choose exactly which model you will receive. While this was extremely nice of Breyer to offer that, in person attendees are now in a tizzy because Breyer originally announced that leftovers would be offered on Sunday.
My assumption? With rising gas prices, inflation, COVID-19 still a very real risk and the fact that they really upped the amount of models that would be offered this year, in person tickets haven't sold as well as they did in previous years, so Breyer is most likely going to have a lot of extra models. Meaning, even if you attend in person, there will still most likely be extras to be had. Breyer probably totalled how many special run models they had after people submitted their picks (some people could have only chose one model if they wished) and realized they're going to have a lot more extra models than they originally anticipated. The good news for in person attendees? Hopefully that will mean we will get most of our top picks. Breyer hasn't yet announced when they will be shipping out ticket books, but it should be soon since we're already at the middle of June, and they said they'd ship some time in June. I've been asked many times by collectors which do I prefer: Breyers or Stones? I've been waiting for the right moment to write about this on my blog, and since a few close hobby friends asked if I was going to be attending Equilocity while at Breyerfest this year, I think now is that time. Before I begin, I do want to say that I've been a Breyer collector for many, many years now and have always been solely a Breyer collector up until I branched out to Stones during Equilocity last year (mostly because of Breyer's shipping issues to satisfy my need for a new pony) so my history with Stones is pretty limited. Due to the pricing of Stone models, I have never attended Equilocity before in the past, although I regret it. While Peter Stone originally made a line of regular runs, as Breyer did, as the years went on, the PS company scaled down drastically to a lot more limited runs and one of a kinds. We all know that Peter Stones are expensive, much more so than Breyer. The pricing aside, what most collectors want to know is if they are worth the money? Considering that every PS model is made by a single artist and not a series of artists like Breyers are, it depends if you value art for what it's worth. PS artists have to make a living wage, and many hours are put into each model each artist creates, yet each model is a true work of art since it was made specifically for you by a specific artist. The DAH comes signed by the artist while the runs get a hang tag with the artist's number on it so you know who made it. Stone models therefore are more personal than Breyers. Another reason Stones are high priced is to attract serious collectors rather than flippers. Stone frowns upon people buying their models just to profit on. With the high initial prices, Stones seem to be harder to sell at original price, let alone to make a profit on. I found this out when I dispersed a few of my initial Stones to concentrate mostly on DAHs. Therefore, if you purchase a Stone model, I highly recommend only purchasing if you plan on keeping it yourself. With most Breyer models, regular run prices tend to go up by $10-20 after a few years of being retired, and more with the limited edition or special run models. Not so with most Stones. Unfortunately, because they are so limited, the biggest issue is supply and demand. You can never get your heart set on something because chances are you won't ever be able to get it if it sells out upon its release. However, they make so many different colors and designs of horses that there is always another if the one you want is gone, and every model is so limited that you have the satisfaction of knowing you and possibly only a handful of others are the only ones in the world that own that particular model. The PS company only has a small highly skilled selection of artists that work at the factory and, as most customizers know, an artist can only do so much, so runs tend to be less than 50. Breyer does have an edge over Stone in the number of molds they make. By far the realism of their molds is far and above everyone else. With new molds being released every year on the regular, each getting more and more detailed, it is hard to not find a breed of horse that Breyer hasn't made yet. Stone only has a handful of different molds but many different mane/tail combinations for each mold. I'm always surprised with Stone artists how they can take the Arabian Mare and turn it into a Marwari, or the Andalusian and make a caribou. The molds for Stone horses aren't as detailed as Breyer's as far as muscle tone and most of them are in simple poses, however the PS traditional molds - or Stone sized - are monsters compared to Breyers. I couldn't believe the size of them and how heavy they are. On the contrary, the Pebbles were a bit smaller than Breyer's Classics scale. Breyer also has a slight edge over Stone in the durability of their models. The paint on Stones is pretty fragile, as PS models are meant to be collectibles only while Breyer tends to focus more on making their models suitable to play (although we all know that they are also fun to collect) minus the Collector Club models, of course. They therefore hold up better to accidents. While the early regular run Stones of the 1990s and early 2000s were similar to Breyer, lately they are getting much more realistic and detailed. Their appaloosas in particular are phenomenal, and they offer so many more colors than Breyer does. The biggest seller for me though were the eyes. PS artists definitely puts a lot of time into their models' eyes and you can tell by the depth of them. Stone's biggest attraction to collectors is their Design A Horse feature - or DAH for short - in which you can make a model to your liking, with limitations of course. They have quite a few colors and markings to choose from, and molds as well as colors change regularly. Breyer did something like this a few times, giving people the opportunity to create a horse of their dreams for $4,000, but for some reason it didn't take off like the Stone DAH did. Not Breyer no longer offers it except for one lucky person at Breyerfest who wins the lot in the live auction to design their own Breyer. Stone has limited their DAH program recently to only once a month, although they said they're trying to get back into offering it full time again. We shall see.
I don't have a favorite of either company. I like both for various reasons, and neither more than the other. I will always be a Breyer fan since I grew up with them, although Stones are definitely unique with all the themes they make. Breyer, for example, has never yet made a reindeer horse or pony with bat wings. I assume the majority of readers that come to my website are Breyer collectors since, after all, that's what my website revolves around. However, if you're thinking about opening up to Stones, all I can say is if you want to know if you like them or not is to buy one for yourself. You'll never know unless you try. As to Equilocity (the reason for the creation of this post) I will try to attend for the first time this year but unfortunately I won't be making it to the dinner. We are ONE MONTH AWAY from Breyerfest now! Can you believe it??? Well this is a new one! Apparently Collector Club Appreciation Day was last week, and by chance we were so busy with projects around our new place that I actually missed it, as it ended earlier today. It makes me wonder... that sneak peek we saw in the Collector Club newsletter that never transpired, and then again in this month's newsletter... is that the glossy Orren Mixer? If it is - which I now suspect it is - then I wonder if we will be getting a Classics gambler's choice after all? Usually Breyer releases it by now, however supply is still being affected since Hope has now been pushed back until August after originally saying a June release. But a Collector Club Appreciation Day now right before Breyerfest? The March/April date would have been much better, as I remember a lot of people complaining about it happening right before Christmas, but in June most people are saving for Breyerfest, not just the models but the rising gas prices as well. A lot of people are rethinking their plans to Breyerfest and cancelling their trip. Although Kentucky has some of the lowest gas prices in the country, we are still almost $5 a gallon in the rural parts, and over $5 a gallon in the big cities, Lexington included. Having the CCA event now seems a bit strange with most of the regular runs being sold out, and the rest are probably being kept aside for the Breyerfest store. Anyways, whether you participated in the CCA event or not, you had to buy $150 worth of regular run merchandise and here were the glossy models: I'm not too unhappy about not participating. The only one I really like is Theo, and since I already have him in matte, I don't need a glossy. Actually I have all of them in matte except Tiz the Law, whom I hope to get eventually since he's a cousin of my own OTTB, and he's probably the one I'd end up with. I only participated in the CCA event twice, and both times I ended up with the bay horse. It turned me away unless they happen to offer a year of flashy horses. I'd love to have that new Bristol regular run coming out in a glossy one day. More than likely he'll eventually become a CCA model.
The anticipation we've been waiting for is here! The 2022 mid years have been revealed. There are three traditionals this year and two new Mini Whinnies collections, one unicorn and the other horses. These guys will be listed for pre-ordering on my website on June 10th once my $5 stablemates flash sale is over. No word about a fall limited edition decorator, however since Anthem is being made for the rest of the year, we may not get one. This hasn't been confirmed but I just wanted to give a heads up to those who were asking. The first in the lineup is Battlefield Angel HP, a beautiful pinto Friesian Sport Horse stallion. The first regular run on the Vermeer mold, and a very nice one at that, I'm sure he'll be popular once he starts hitting the shelves being the flashiest of the mid years. Unfortunately, despite being a drafter, with this mold now being a mid year release means I don't think he'll be this year's surprise horse as many were hoping. I wanted to see a dapple grey on the Bristol mold for years now, and finally we got one in the form of Get Rowdy! He is a Dutch Warmblood eventer that is a must-have for Bristol congas. The bad news... I was considering Bristol as a possible surprise model for this year, being a warmblood, however I think this eliminates her from the lineup. I'm happy to see another Paso Fino added to the lineup, although admittedly Breyer really needs to upgrade the mold through the Premier Club. This is the only mold on the breed and it hasn't been updated since the 1970s. Anyways, despite being a bay, I'm actually looking forward to adding this guy to my own collection. His name is Vivaldi de Besuli and he reminds me of my own Paso Fino, Roberto. Breyer is making two new Mini Whinnies series. The first, which includes all horses, has two different chases: a blue and a red. Since I'm still trying to sell my last couple Mini Whinnies series, I won't be getting in any full boxes to sell on my website, however I may offer these individually after they're released. The Mini Whinnies Unicorn Surprise series 2 includes a rainbow chase and a holographic chase. I'm hoping this means we'll be seeing more holographic ponies in future, as the color is really growing on me. It seems like Breyer is going through with the mini Collector Club event that they do every year, this year being Ponies & Palm Trees. If you're lucky enough to live in Florida or can travel there, you can enter to go to this event, taking place in Wellington, Florida near Miami on November 11-13. Breyer did make a note that vaccination for COVID-19 is required for this event and vaccine cards will be checked. Please take this into consideration before entering. I will not be going due to using all my annual vacation time at work for Breyerfest, plus this part of Florida is still 16 hours away from us, but good luck to those that enter!
Another June release will be Gawain. He is the flockie mentioned in the Vintage Club letter. While I typically planned on keeping him for myself, I didn't realize Breyer was making the flockie a unicorn, and since I don't collect unicorns, I'm offering mine for sale. He is beautiful though to those of you who do collect unicorns, and if I hadn't just recently dispersed my Shannondell conga, he would have fit right in. I actually think Shannondell makes a pretty good unicorn! It says there is white, baby blue and silver tinsel in his mane and tail hair to add some sparkle. While I'm not old enough to have ever owned a flockie myself, I can completely understand how Breyer releasing this guy would have brought back childhood memories for a lot of the golden collectors. I mean, most of us are adults that collect literally what most non-collectors would consider toys. Similar to a grown man collecting Match Box cars or toy trains into adulthood, or video games for my millennial gamer husband. However, as an adult, I realize that the reason I collect - and I'm sure this is a big reason why most people collect - is because it helps our sanity. It gives us a reason to feel young again, to have some sentimental attachment to our childhood. Maybe it reminds you of the time your grandmother gave you your first model, and maybe that model brings her back in a way she can't be physically. Perhaps it helps keep you from being depressed in your everyday life, bringing you back to the easier days of being a child. Whatever the case, model horses are good therapy for the soul.
That said, I'm really hoping to get online and get a Rhendish Draft model on the Georg mold this year at Breyerfest. Why? He looks so much like a horse I rode in my childhood, a Belgian draft mare named Shelby, that I can't help but need him in my collection. In fact, when Georg first came out, I thought... that looks just like Shelby, minus the fact that Shelby was obviously a mare. I used to collect Othello but I ended up dispersing most of my Othello conga (so I'm really hoping he won't be the surprise horse this year for that reason) because I fell in love with Georg more. As a child my family owned three draft horses, two Percherons and a Belgian, all minimally feathered so Georg looked a lot more like them than Othello. Eventually I'd like to own the Premier Club original but he doesn't come up for sale very often. Someday maybe. |
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