Well, it's that time of the month again... the time for the monthly Collector Club newsletter! There was no sneak peek this time, probably because not everyone who is a current member is going to be a member in January. Which reminds me... I wonder if Breyerfest goes on-site next year if there will be as many Collector Club members as there were this year? I think the fact that the event was virtual had a lot to do with the excessive number of members and quick sell-outs. I mean sell-outs have happened in the past, but weren't nearly as bad as this year in the entire time I've been a member. The Santa Surprise selling out within an hour? I think that's the fastest it's ever went. Another draw-in was the 70th anniversary specials, like the offering of the Deluxe horse. Then again the awesome specialty club models for next year and the Deluxe Alborozo (whose name is officially Chalice) didn't help so I'm assuming that we're going to have another tough year with not being on the computer at the right time when limited editions are released. Anyways, the freebie for the month is Christoff, the winter Classics. If you're a member, be sure to put your entry in for him. The Featured Story was "A Family Affair" and, without giving too much away, it talked about how they came up with the idea of giving Benasque a mare and foal to complete them as a family. While I think the idea cute, it's gotta be frustrating to those who wanted to have both but weren't selected for either one or the other. The family looks good completed, and apparently they were originally going to make Benasque a silver filigree until they decided for whatever reason to make him blue. I would personally love to see that blue coloring on other molds. Although not a reveal in the newsletter, they are still part of the Collector Club topic since you have to be a member to join the Stablemates Club. Our pal, Atticus, is apparently going to be a 50/50 split of matte and glossy. It has been quite a glossy year, and honestly I wish they'd tone it down a bit. Gloss looks good on some colors but not everything, although admittedly it looks pretty good on bays. However, I think they could have gone without it for Hendrik. That means if you get a glossy Atticus, the only non-glossy horse you could get is the chestnut splash pinto gambler's choice. A surprise for the Stablemates Club optional release is a foal set! I couldn't wait for Breyer to release a foal set through the Stablemates Club, just like they did with the Vintage Club a few years ago, and one of the foals (Leti) is a drafter that could be Atticus's baby while the other (Addie) could potentially be Hendrik's baby if the mother was an appaloosa. Not surprisingly they're glossy, but they're also too adorable to resist! So with the New Year so close, what are your model horse resolutions? This past year, I've obtained several grails I wanted for a while. The original Bobby Jo joined my heard. I added Bluegrass Bandit back (a horse that I sold years ago and have been wanting ever since) at a decent price and finally obtained the rose grey Valerio, among other horses. Jujube is a gem in my collection for sure. My goal for 2021 is to obtain a few more older Premier Club horses.
Today is the FINAL day for FREE shipping on pre-orders for $100+ purchases. Be sure to get in your order by midnight tonight! I'm really surprised that Breyer went without a decorator for the Stablemates Club this year (not including the blue in the gambler's choice) but honestly I'm happy that they didn't. I love the Django mold and was hoping for a realistic color on him. Well, my wish came true! Here he is... Hendrik! He's a stunning dappled flaxen chestnut, and with all the spots this year in the SM Club lineup, it's a nice change of pace to see a solid colored pony. Not that I have anything against spots, of course, since pintos and appaloosas makes up about 90% of my collection, but I did wonder if any of the horses were going to be solid colored for next year. Maybe the optional 7th horse will be the decorator since the majority of people prefer realism on Breyers? I'm hoping they'll show it before the year is up like they did last year with Duke, the Clydesdale shrinky. If it is a realistic color, I'd still like to see a silver bay in the Stablemates Club lineup one of these years, Breyer ;) Remember that the glossy Breyerfest models were supposed to start shipping today but please know that not everybody's is going to be shipped on the same day. Breyer also doesn't always update an order status as "fulfilled" right away, nor do people always receive a shipping notice email, so just sit tight and be patient while Breyer sorts it out. I can't wait for my Cheesecake to get here!
I can't believe only a few more days and we'll already be into 2021! Remember to pre-order before December 31st for FREE shipping on orders over $100. I have already moved the 2021 releases to my Store in preparation for the new year. Also, new customs have been posted to both the store and my eBay page. If you're interested, be sure to check them out! 2020 has been a hard year, no doubt, but even if you haven't been directly affected by the virus, there is still the threat of it hanging over our heads, at least until we know how this vaccine will work out (and thank you to all healthcare providers on the front lines willing to be the guinea pigs for this new vaccine... y'all are always willing to put yourselves in harm's way for the sake of survival for others) so now that we're coming to the end of the year, let's hope 2021 will go a little smoother. A new year, a new vaccine, a new president and renewed hope. I'm hoping things will be looking up by July and we'll be at Breyerfest in person, as I'd love to be able to offer pickups. If not and it's virtual again next year, I can still offer pickups on special runs but there is no way I'd be able to do store specials if the setup is the same as last year. I can't believe it won't be long until the Breyerfest special runs are revealed, and tickets go on sale. By the way, are we ever going to know who the celebration horse is? It takes at least 6 months for Breyer to produce the models for Breyerfest, so it's gotta be soon. All things considered, the hobby has been good to me this year. I have cranked out more customs this past few days than I think I have over the past 3 months. I've already listed some and will be listing more tomorrow. I've finished several Stablemates, all Halloween. I've made a couple animal decos that are currently getting finishing touches, and am going to be starting on Christmas decos this next week. Here is a sneak peek: Breyer is having their end of the year sale now so be sure to head over to their website to check it out. From a collector's point (aka rare stuff) there isn't really much, mostly warehouse bargains and retiring regular runs. The Christmas blanket with Yuletide Greetings apparently was part of the deal but it is now sold out. A big question is: will there be another Ambrose this year? Ambrose was a connoisseur quality - and American made might I add - appaloosa that Breyer offered on December 27th last year. It was kind of out of the blue, as they'd never done it before, so I'm thinking it was it just a one time offer. They did reveal one of the last two Stablemates Club horses, unless they show the optional 7th purchase then it'll be three more reveals, but the optional horse for last year wasn't shown until the very last day of the year. This is the vintage model and his name is Raider. He's a glossy chestnut frame overo on the G1 Seabiscuit mold. In my opinion, he looks like a mini of the "Picture This" contest horse that we voted on at Breyerfest. So this leaves the Django model. I'm kind of hoping Breyer won't use a decorator this year, as I'd love to have other realistic colors on Django, but I don't think it's likely. I think deep down that Django will be our decorator. The optional 7th horse last year was revealed on the last day of the year last year, so my guess is if they do show it, that's when it'll be. They did say for sure that there will be a 7th horse though.
Merry Christmas y'all! We had safely returned back from Kentucky right before the snow storm hit. It's a whopping 15 degrees out and we're expecting up to 9 inches of snow by the end of today here, so it's safe to say we got a white Christmas. This is perfect customizing weather and I have quite a few almost finished. I can't believe the year is almost over and we still have yet to see the rest of the Stablemates Club lineup. On the other hand, Breyer leaked that one of the Premier Club 2021 horses was going to be a mare and foal set (please be drafters!) so that's pretty exciting. I have all the previous mare and foal sets from the Premier Club except the Welsh ponies just because they weren't very colorful. As per usual Breyer released their Santa Surprise at 11 AM EST to Collector Club members. This one is named Jol meaning Christmas in Iceland. As you can guess based on the name, he is on the Icelandic mold, which has only been used a handful of times before. As to myself, I'm a bit disappointed. Not so much in the horse per se, as I think the glittery snow on clearware would look pretty neat, but in the price. $135 for a pony mold, Breyer? Bouncer was only $95 a few years ago when he was done in clearware as the Santa Surprise. I miss the days when they were that price. I guess considering the fact that there were only 500 made of each color with the usual incentive of 12 coals makes the gamble a little more worth it, but I'm personally going to pass.
UPDATE: Sold out within an hour! I'm really surprised! A final reminder... if you're planning on pre-ordering any regular runs from me, be sure to get your order in before December 31st to receive FREE shipping on purchases over $100. Due to numerous requests, I have decided not to give up eBay altogether (though I'm still not happy about the managed payments however I understand that most of you have purchased from me via eBay) but I won't be able to offer pre-orders for regular runs until January due to eBay's pre-order policy that they must be shipped no later than 30 days from purchase date. I am also on Mercari if any of you use that, but again, due to policies, I have to wait until the items are in hand to sell them. If you want to pre-order with PayPal, I am currently offering pre-orders on MH$P too. I'm thinking about getting a second Stablemates Club account for next year to be able to offer the models for those who don't want to be tied in to the contract of having to purchase all the models. I will probably do that with the Premier Club too one year, however since I'm still a fairly new dealer (2021 being only my second year) I'm still experimenting with what people want and what they don't, it won't be this year, unfortunately. Of course there is always a possibility that I won't like all the models released through the Premier Club or Vintage Club next year, so there will still likely be club models available for sale :) The past couple years, Breyer has shown the entire Stablemates Club lineup by the end of the year, minus the new mold which is always unveiled at Breyerfest. Considering that it's only little more than a week away from the new year and all we've seen is Atticus and Tobias (shown below) it was about time they showed us something new. I'm actually impressed with Tobias who was revealed this past week. I've always liked semi-leopard appaloosas but this guy in particular looks like a mini-me of Heartland, a horse who is a cherished member of my permanent collection, minus the fact that Tobias is dun (note the leg barring) while Heartland was bay. For those who don't know, Heartland was from Breyerfest 2007 and was the first Breyerfest horse in my collection. Though I sadly didn't get to go that year, a friend of mine went and brought Heartland back for me. I remember seeing her on the Breyerfest poster that came with the JAH magazine that year and wanted her so badly, especially as I was born and raised in the "heartland" of the USA being a midwestern gal, and she was on my favorite mold at the time, Ruffian. The reveal for today - with no prior sneak peek thank goodness - was Dahlia. Apparently she's going to be the gambler's choice, and I'm loving the color combinations! You could get either dappled blood red chestnut splash pinto with blue eyes (my favorite), Amber champagne, ocean blue deco or black Pintaloosa. With this reveal, it appears that Django will likely be the decorator since the G1 is always a realistic color. I'm working on a Croi custom myself right now. Demand for my customs is far exceeding what I've been able to put out, but the good news is that I'll have two weeks off work due to the holidays so I'm going to dive back into it. I just bought a crap load of bodies that I'll be able to work on equalling about 20 Stablemates, 2 Classics and at least 3 or 4 Traditional sized. Between all these there should be plenty for everyone. There will be some animal patterned horses, Halloween horses and Christmas horses since these are my most requested. I should be finished with the first round this weekend. The sales of these horses will help me to get through the next couple weeks without pay (as I'm almost completely sold out of regular runs due to Christmas gifting and won't be getting in another order until my 2021 RRs come in) so I appreciate everyone's support!
I will be heading to Kentucky tomorrow to visit family so I won't be blogging again until Christmas day when the Santa Surprise is released. Until then I sincerely hope y'all have a safe and merry Christmas! My website is finally coming together, and though it was a bit hectic putting up all my products yesterday, it seems to be working smoothly. This is my first time relying upon my website for pre-orders rather than eBay so I'm kind of just testing the waters right now. I do think it has come along well and could give Shopify a run for their money in design. I'm happy with it so far, and there have already been a few orders placed (thank you, thank you!) so spending the entire day tweaking it to perfection was worth it :) Anyways, I promised to show y'all the Stablemates and Classics for 2021. First up are the Classics: I like their idea for a "hopeful" year after a hectic 2020. This seems to be their slogan for the year, from what I've read in the dealer catalog. I get it now. The vibrant, bright colors on their benefit model, ironically named Hope will be symbolizing the rebirth of a new year. Did y'all hear that Breyer is going to be using new packaging for 2021? Apparently they are swapping out their traditional window boxes for "deluxe foil packaging" whatever that means. I guess we'll see once the first regular runs arrive. The 90s leopard appaloosa horse looks an awful lot like a custom I did. Not exact but I could see how they could have used it as inspiration. I think he's pretty cool, even for a clearware (which I typically don't collect, though they're somehow multiplying in my collection... gotta spay and neuter them apparently) and we have a new lineup of Classics horses, although I could've sworn they usually release more than that. The colors are all very nice and that pinto American Dream is a stunner. As for the stablemates, there is a new palomino and pinto set, which I think is awesome. To me, it shows all the various shades of palomino: cremello, gold, sooty and chocolate. Definitely a must have if you're into colorful ponies. The Stable Surprises apparently made a comeback, this time with some boyfriends, and possibly new foal colors. I say possibly because I'm not entirely sure... it could just be the dads of the foals that were already in the previous sets. I also notice the red roan Icelandic is missing.
Of course Breyer couldn't let go of their unicorn series, despite the many collectors who shun them for being unrealistic. They've made a new blind bag series, this time with a chase and a super chase for enticement. They've also made single packs of unicorn stablemates in their blister packaging. The blue Warmblood looks similar in color to the chase from the previous unicorn series, in my opinion, so I wonder what the chase is going to be this time? Meet the 2021 traditional regular runs! Breyer revealed them today when they sent us dealers the digital dealer catalog. I have to say that this lineup is probably one of the best ever. I'm so excited to share them with you (I do apologize for the rather grainy pictures... I was in a hurry to get them up and took pictures of my computer screen) and pre-orders are currently being taken right here on my website. Estimated ship time is late January to early February. I will post the Classics and stablemates in a different post tomorrow, although they're available on my website as well. If you would like to see them, visit my 2021 New Releases page :) Here he is... the man we all saw in the Collector Club JAH annual magazine. The second in the Ideal Series, which apparently is going to continue on for a few years. Honestly I wasn't too impressed with the chestnut from last year, but I gotta say this guy will fit right in with my flashy herd. To go along with their Breyerfest theme, from what I'm seeing of the 2021 regular runs, I'm expecting a colorful year! It's nice to see a return of the Roxy mold, this time on a beautiful dun blanket appaloosa, complete with a realistic mottled nose. I have a small conga on this mold and I plan to also eventually add this guy to my own collection. His name, quite fittingly, is Choclately. Another mold making a comeback is the Icelandic Horse. This is the first color I've actually liked on this mold. The grey of Elska was too light for my liking (was mostly bare plastic) and the plain bay of Svali Fra Tjorn was too common. I regret not entering for Honeysuckle but at the time I was just getting back into collecting again and didn't have the funds for her. Two things have happened with this release that I've been secretly wishing for in years: one is a cremello in a regular run. Two is a traditional scale model of Cloud's herd members. They did them in Classics series but only Cloud was made in traditional. Well, I got what I wished for, and on one of my favorite all-time molds (yes, I'm a Forever Saige fan rarity) so this set will definitely be joining my herd! This is Encore, Cloud's daughter, and her foal, Tor. Admittedly I wasn't in love with initial release of Georg, not because of his mold... even though he's not an action-y pose, which is what I like most, he had the most dreamy eyes and his face is so full of expression, it almost looks as if he's smiling... it was more due to his color. I'm not fond of plain bays - not his fault - it's just my preference. However, I have loved just about every other color this horse has come out in so far, and I'm really digging this bay roan. The bay roan will look so good with my Vintage Club red roan Julius that I can't wait to see him in person! I expect a big sell out on this boy, whose name is Theo (I cherish the short and simple names) and he's an Ardennes. When I first saw this guy, I initially thought that he would make a good stallion to Bellatrix and Spica. Although I can't tell if he's solid black or will have a bluish tinge like they did, I guess I'll find out once he's in-hand. His name is Obsidian and he's a beautiful black stallion on the Gypsy Vanner mold. This stunning boy is Arctic Grandeur and he is your 2021 holiday horse! I have signed up to purchase him, although I'm not doing pre-orders until it gets closer to time, as he's not expected to release until September 2021 and I don't like to hold people's money that long. He is a stunning grey horse (looks very close to the color of his original release minus the star dapples) and is carrying a friend in the form of an arctic fox on his back. Last but not least, this is your spring flagship horse, Livingston. Now, as I am an online dealer only, I won't be getting him myself. In order to get the flagship horses, you have to have a physical brick-and-mortar store and you have to spend a certain amount of money in Breyer orders. However, I do have some fellow dealers in my area where I sometimes can purchase them to offer here on my website, although I do have to price them a bit higher since they are technically second hand. I will try my best to locate a couple of these beauties to put here on my website when he's released in April.
I know many have been waiting and asking. Well, I finally have some information for you! The dealer catalog for the 2021 new releases is supposed to be sent to my email by the end of the week! This information has come directly to me from Breyer. I'm actually relieved since everything has been selling out almost as soon as I get it in this year, which is great, but my store is looking pretty empty. I need some more inventory to add to it.
As soon as I receive my digital catalog, I will begin listing horses available for pre-order right here on my website on a special page called 2021 New Releases. I highly suggest ordering early, as Breyer sometimes runs out and certain horses won't be available again until mid year. Estimated shipping dates for this first round is January/February 2021 and will be filled on a first come, first serve basis (another reason to get your order in as early as possible) with all of them typically being shipped out within a week of my getting them. Pre-ordering was very successful this past year so I'm going to do it again. All major credit cards are accepted on my website. At this time unfortunately I don't have Paypal linked to my store (hopefully soon!) but if you'd like, you may contact me with everything you're interested in and I'll send you an invoice to your Paypal email address to reserve your ponies. I'm so excited to see what Breyer will be offering next year! I can't wait to share these beautiful ponies with you :) I have to admit that I'm impressed with these two. Cassidy is just stunning with the shading in her mane, striped hooves and even mottling on her muzzle. A lot of detail was packed in a small package. I know a lot of people didn't care for her confirmation but I think her little pot belly is adorable and reminds me of an old broodmare I had as a child. Now honestly I didn't know how I'd feel about Duke after seeing his current stock pictures, but actually he's better than I thought he'd be. He has a glossy finish (which I couldn't tell from the stock pictures) and his filigree pattern is cool in that no two are exactly the same. Even on my guy each side of him is drastically different from the other. My only issue is that I wish they would have waited to release Duke as a brand new mold instead of putting him in the 70th blind bags. I do think the mold is cute though even if not very popular, and may even be the start of a small conga. The Stablemates Club never ceases to amaze me. With each passing year, the horses get better and better in detail. Apparently to current members who haven't yet purchased a 2021 membership, they've started revealing next year's lineup. This one appears to be a bay appaloosa, no doubt on the Appaloosa mold. We'll probably see his full reveal by the end of the week. Yay for sneak peeks! Answers to a couple other questions that people have been wondering recently have popped up: Wowza, 200-250 EACH? That was awfully generous of Breyer considering that most horses of previous years were 100-something or less. For those of you wondering when those Breyerfest glossies that were supposed to be shipped in December are due, here ya go: I can't wait for my glossy Cheesy (although now I'm wishing I would have gotten a glossy Benelli too from the picture) and rumor has it via social media that Breyer has already started shipping glossies to some folks so keep an eye out! As to Prince, the palomino Fighting Stallion Deluxe Collector Club stablemate, he'll be on his way too around the same time as the glossies, Breyer confirmed. Finally, there is a 2021 teaser out for the Premier Club (for those who haven't signed up yet) that says this: So now they're going to do the 50/50 split with the Premier Club? How exciting that we'll be able to choose! It'll depend upon the color for me. If the horse has a lot of white, or is a plain bay or black, I would probably gloss it. Those are really the only colors I care for in gloss. It would be nice if Stablemate Club members had the option to choose either glossy or matte whenever they had a split in the run. Which reminds me... there was supposed to be a split in the Stablemates Club for 2020 but there wasn't. Hm...
Though we're winding down the year, there is still much to look forward to, and I'll bring you all of the latest information I can find about upcoming releases :) So I just received my last order of the year as a Breyer dealer. My next order won't be until 2021 when the new regular runs are released. Looking back I am incredibly grateful to Breyer for making me part of their team by accepting my application to become an online dealer, but especially to my many customers who have made it all possible and worthwhile. I'm happy to be able to offer you all these beautiful horses. Though I've had a few with damaged boxes (not due to Breyer's fault but the fault of UPS) I've thankfully not had too many horses show up with flaws, and the few I did have, I customized. It's been a good first year as a Breyer dealer, and I'm looking forward to many more years with their company :) One of my favorite things about being a dealer is seeing all the different variations of horses Breyer sends me. A good example were a couple that showed up in my order today. The grey Shire, who is normally plain (at least in my world of color though a lot of people like him) had some outstanding dappling. I've never had a Shire with such bold dapples from all the horses I've purchased, and I've had at least a half dozen so far that people have ordered from me. I even went through my first shipment of Shires looking for some difference between them... darker shading, dappling, etc. and found none. Well this time, I finally did end up with a variation. Look at him: Another one that I've purchased a couple before was EZ to Spot. The ones I got with my first order were bare plastic under the spots. The one I received with my order has some lovely dark grey shading on the upper half of his body and legs, almost making him look like a roan semi leopard rather than a leopard appaloosa. I saw a few people get glossies that had the grey shading during the CCA event but this is the first time I've seen it on a regular run... and I like it! I love to see Breyer up their game, as more times than not when regular runs are first released, they don't look the same as right before they're retired (both the Shire and EZ to Spot are retiring this year which is why I've received a cluster of people wanting them lately) because Breyer changes them slightly. Take Lil Ricky Rocker, for example. When he was first released, he was bare plastic as well. Recent ones have been pearly over the white areas. I saw on social media that there have been lighter colored, semi-glossy Winx floating around. They make so many variations of regular runs and they're so cheap that it's hard not to have several of the same horse.
While some are reserved for customers who have pre-ordered back in September (I apologize greatly for the delay and appreciate your patience) everything else is available in my web store. |
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