Many people have asked me if the Collector Club is worth joining. This year was the first year I joined and I would say that yes, it is worth the $25. You get access to "insider information" which I love, like what the grab bags contain before you buy them and when limited editions are going to be released. You also get access to two Collector Club special runs a year. Unlike the Premier Club, it is your choice whether or not you want to buy them but they're not free with the membership and they typically cost around $60-$70 per model plus shipping. Collector Club releases grab bags that are much better than the ones that are released for holidays, as well as an annual Just About Horses magazine, plus numerous lottery drawings on quite pricey horses usually around $150-$175 plus shipping. The holidays are my favorite time to be a Collector Club member. Often around Black Friday or Cyber Monday they will have horses available that typically are only available to either Vintage or Premier Club members. The price is a bit higher than what they were offered through those clubs but the benefit is that you can buy it now instead of waiting until you see if your name was one of the lucky ones drawn like with the lottery specials. There is also a special released on Christmas day. Another benefit is that on new releases on web specials you also get a chance to purchase some models before the general public. The time when these models are released during the year varies so that is one of the surprises of being a Collector Club member. The other is that you have no idea what the next model is going to look like! Collector Club members also get access to exclusive test run pieces. Here are a few recent examples of things available only to Collector Club members: Here is the most recent test run model. She is a beautiful bay blanket appaloosa Clydesdale mare. In order to get her, you had to enter the drawing. Your chances of actually winning her are very slim since Breyer had only produced ONE of her, and even if you were the lucky one chosen you would have to be willing to shovel out $850 to buy her. Still... to those who are looking for a OOAK horse directly from Breyer that nobody else has it would be a good deal, especially if you planned to sell her on the second hand market. Imagine what serious collectors would be willing to pay for her! Personally I would keep her though. She would be a priceless piece I would cherish. If I could afford her. The winter special run for Collector Club members only is Avalanche. If you're a member of the Collector Club and one of the 350 people selected to win this model, for $165 you could own this silver filigree mare on the popular Bobby Jo mold! I'm not fond of silver filigree coloring so I didn't enter but one of the perks about being a Collector Club member is that you can enter these lottery drawings. This handsome fellow named Coeur de Lion was available only to Collector Club members from the beginning of November until the middle of November when he was released to the public. He is a classic sized model of the traditional "Lionheart" who was produced as a flagship model in 2012. If you were not able to get Lionheart, this is the perfect chance to get his smaller twin. This horse is True North and he is part of the Premier Club, one of three clubs available to join. The other two are the Vintage Club and Stablemates Club. Now in order to get True North you have to sign up for both the Collector Club AND the Premier Club. There is a deposit required at signup of $30 for the Stablemates Club and $100 for the traditional clubs but this is deducted from the pricing of the models as they are shipped. For example, each Stablemates Club model costs $20 but $5 is deducted from the price of each model from the deposit, making the total cost only $15 each. Unfortunately shipping is not included in the final cost and you are obligated to purchase each model released in the club that year, whether you like that particular model or not. Since you don't know what the models will look like, it is taking a bit of a gamble, although many collectors love the surprise. Charlie was offered by Breyer as a Black Friday special. I have to say that this was a wonderful thing for Breyer to do. I decided to buy her for $145 because I don't have an appaloosa in my herd and I've always wanted to have a rather expensive horse that was NOT a lottery model or a filigree. Charlie was originally only offered to Vintage Club members and was limited to 500 pieces. I'm very excited to get her! This was sent to my email last year when I joined the Collector Club. Every year Breyer offers a special run on Christmas morning to Collector Club members only. It is quite limited and only is offered until it is sold out, which is usually within the day. If you've decided you want to join the Collector Club next year, this is the 2017 Collector Club special run. Her name is Moondance and she is on the Forever Siege mold, which is one of my favorites produced through the Premier Club! The final reason to join? You get exclusive access to the Collector Club tent at Breyerfest! This year inside the tent were four Classics sized horses on the Swaps mold that you could vote on which one you liked. Does anyone see a new special run in future?
The following horses were released through Breyer's Premier Club only. I will write my own personal review of each one and post a photo of it so you can decide for yourself. The Premier Club releases three models a year at $175 per model. You have to pay a $100 deposit at sign up and $33 will be deducted from that deposit when each model is released, so you only have to pay $142 plus shipping. Each model comes with a collectible box with the horse's picture on it, a velvet bag and a certificate of authenticity. The exact number of each model is unknown, but it is usually around 750ish. The Premier Club horses replaced the Connoisseur models but are painted with the same level of detail as the Connoisseur models but, unlike the Connoisseur models, are on all new molds. Desatado is a rearing Mustang stallion. The picture shows a beautifully dappled darker bay horse. When the horse was actually released however, I was surprised that the horse looked nothing like the picture. The horse is more of a reddish bay than the picture shows. I feel so-so about this mold. I do like Mustangs but I think the mold looks more like it should belong on an Andalusian or Lipizzaner. Kalahkaari is the first Marwari horse produced by Breyer... and he is one of my favorites! I love the coloring on this horse and I especially love the mold. The only thing I would change is that I wish there was dappling on this guy. He is still very stunning even without it though. Brishen is the first on the Gypsy Vanner mold. I think the flowing mane is beautiful but I don't like the way the tail is straight up. I like the new resculpt of the Andalusian version of this mold, with the tail that flicks to the side instead of upward. I'm also not fond of the coloring on this particular model. Carrick is supposed to be a palomino Thoroughbred. Although I like the coloring, I don't like the mold at all. It reminds me of a deer with the long, skinny neck and bandy legs. Ashquar is a very realistic looking Arabian stallion. When I first saw this horse, my first response was "wow" because of his features. I think this horse depicts an Arabian far better than any of Breyer's previous Arabian molds. The chestnut coloring is kind of plain but I'm sure there will be more colors produced on this beautiful mold. Latigo is a bay blanket appaloosa depicted as a loping Quarter Horse. As with Desatado, I'm so-so with the mold. I would probably buy it if it were on a color I liked but compared to some of the other molds they've made through the Premier Club, this one is kind of plain. Wyatt is the complete opposite of Latigo. He is poised like he is jumping out of the starting gate in either a Quarter Horse race or a barrel race. I love the action in this model. This is what I like to see in the Premier Club. I also love his coloring. The starry dapples look just like the ones on Santiago the limited edition polo pony. Falhófnir is an Icelandic horse. I know Icelandic horses are technically ponies, although the Iceland language doesn't have "pony" in it so it is called a horse there. The mold, however, is on the smaller side, like ponies. I love the detail in this beauty. The flowing mane and tail while the pony is tolting looks very realistic but not exaggerated, like on Brishen. I also love the dappled bay pinto coloring and the fact that you could get either glossy or matte. Croi Damsha is a Connemara mare. She is on another mold that I would consider greatly exaggerated in detail. The weird looking tail proves this, as does the bucking stance. I'm not really fond of the mold because of this, but I do love the coloring. She has the star dapples that Breyer doesn't make on its models too often. Hermosa and Corazon are an Andalusian pair. This was the first mare and foal set released through the Premier Club. I'm not really fond of their plain black and white coloring, which seems too simple to be Premier Club models. I also don't like the molds themselves, especially since I heard that the mare is known to be tippy. Bobby Jo is a beautifully sculpted Paint horse on a cow working mold. The horse really does look like it is turning with the cow. This is an exciting mold that I hope to one day own. The coloring on Bobby Jo is beautiful and highly detailed. Forever Siage is a stunning blanket appaloosa Mustang mare. She is by far my favorite next to Bobby Jo in the Premier Club. I envy those that were able to join the 2015 Premier Club. The mold is a taller one than some of the others released in the Premier Club and being a sucker for Mustangs I also love the detail in the sculpture. The coloring is beautiful and one of the most detailed. Geronimo is a standing Warmblood. I have to say that since this was the first in the 2016 series, I was not tempted to join. He has too much empty white and not enough coloring. I would actually have been disappointed in paying $175 + shipping for this model. It is a very plain mold as well. I prefer the action molds. Shannondell might have made up for what Geronimo lacked. These two horses are beautiful! I especially love the braided mane and tail but I would have been happy to receive either mold. Being a lover of the Othello mold, it would be lovely to have a drafter in an action stance. The bay coloring isn't too thrilling but it is expected since Clydesdales are typically that color. Yasmin was the last horse released in the Premier Club in 2016 and is yet another Arabian. She is more realistic than the Oasis mold but I think I like Weather Girl better, however, Weather Girl is a tippy mold and this one appears like it would stand a bit better. The coloring is better than Geronimo but I still think she'd look better with dappling. True North is the upcoming first release in the 2017 Premier Club. I would be more tempted to join with him rather than with Geronimo, however I do think that this guy still sports a lot of white. I don't really like the mane on this horse either. The second horse in the 2017 Premier Club is Duende. I have yet to find out the details of this guy so I don't know if he is an Andalusian type horse or a Mustang (hard to tell from the dappled grey body and long, flowing mane) but I think he is stunning! Very detailed and realistic.
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