I'm not too surprised that the Collector Club Appreciation glossies didn't sell out. For one thing, the regular run line had slim pickings. For another thing, it's just too close to Christmas (I liked it better when they did it in October) and everyone is spent from holiday shopping. Those who participated, feel free to share what you get. I'm curious to see how many of those Saddlebreds and chases they really did gloss. Personally if I had participated, I would've hoped for a glossy Andy to add to my Moody Andalusian conga, one of the few congas I'm going to be holding on to. Alas I didn't participate. I'm still waiting on the Santa Surprise that Breyer offers on Christmas morning to Collector Club members (I'm assuming at least that they're still going to be doing that since they ended up still doing the CCA last minute) and I'm patiently waiting for Stone to get through the rest of their 12 days of Christmas horses. I tried for Ba Humbug today, and sadly lost; a reason I never collected Stones much before. You can't get your heart set on them. The 12 Days of Christmas series turned out really good too - the artists were definitely creative and Stone did a great job replicating them - that I'm having a hard time choosing. I have a couple more I plan to try for before all of them have been released. One of a kinds will be posted tomorrow to those interested. I'm not even going to bother trying after how quickly Ba Humbug and Tomte sold out today but good luck to those who do! Another model I wouldn't have a very good chance on is Bunyan. Like the Stone OOAKs I've already decided not to try for him, not because of my horrible chances, but because he is an animal mold. He is the much anticipated animal winter decorator lottery model, and he's stinking cute! Love me a curly beefsteak any day! And in wedgewood blue?? It really makes me want to add a bull to my collection but again... chances. If you want to try your chances though, you can submit your name into the lottery draw through December 19th. I do want to warn you that he is a micro run, meaning only 58 pieces were made, so he is extremely limited, way more limited than Zugspitze. His price tag for those that win him is a whopping $295 plus shipping. Breyer is really getting in on those second hand prices, aren't they? They'll be competing with Stone soon.
Apparently Breyer didn't get their technical issues resolved like I had thought, and so they didn't reveal the 2022 regular runs this week as planned. They've also apparently been refunding people for overselling some products, like that new pin board, and a few things have been pushed back to a spring 2022 release date. Due to this, I have to be more cautious about pre-orders so I won't be pre-ordering as many as I typically do, therefore it is possible that batches of more popular models could sell out. Also, please be aware that if you do pre-order to be lenient on shipping times because, as we all know from this year, the issues are still happening. I ship first come, first serve so the sooner you pre-order, the sooner you'll get your model(s). This post will be updated if I ever decide to sell off any previously conga'd molds. What I look for in molds to conga are: *Unique characteristics... does this horse have something that other breeds don't? *Size... the mold needs to represent the sizing of the horse in real life accurately. For example an Arabian shouldn't be the same size as, say, Othello. *Collectibility... is the mold lightly used for possible future releases? Or is it pretty much dead? AshquarAs a person who loves the hot/racing breeds, I had to have an Arabian mold to conga, and Breyer has plenty to choose from. In the end I chose Ashquar. This guy displays the fiery Arabian breed very well. Most people who saw him were like "what in the world is he doing?" but those who has watched a live Arabian show will know the tell-tale strike out that the stallions perform, as shown in the picture below. Despite loving blood red chestnuts in real life, I just didn't feel at the time when Ashquar was originally released that his common color justified his Premier Club price so I didn't keep him. I've bypassed quite a few molds I plan to conga for this reason. Ashquar hasn't had too many flashy releases (mostly because of the breed) so I technically don't have a conga yet but I'm hoping Breyer won't push him too far into retirement with the release of the new Arabian Mare. Personally I thought the new Arabian Mare much too tall to represent the shorter Arabians... maybe a Shagya Arabian would be a better fit for her. ConstantiaThis mold is one I've been waiting for the entire time I've been a Premier Club member. I chanted every year "please make a new Standardbred mold to replace that tippy pacer" and although she is actually trotting, not pacing, my wish was finally granted with the release of Constantia! As a person with a background in racing, Standardbreds have a soft spot in my heart, so I plan on collecting everything on this mold, even the plain colors, and will forever keep the original because I've waited for her for so long! Now, Breyer, let's get an updated Bluegrass Bandit... Gypsy Vanner (original)Prior to this mold, like Constantia, Breyer didn't have a Gypsy Vanner specific mold and mold of choice Goffert was too tall to cut it. The new Gypsy Vanner mold represented their smaller size and fluffy feathered feet very well. Thankfully I didn't have to wait for a Gypsy Vanner nearly as long as the Standardbred. I wasn't thrilled with the original release, being a flaxen chestnut with a weird iridescent sheen. The modified Andalusian version has no part of my collection; the feathers are a must! TroubadourWhile most people were disappointed with the release of Troubadour, I fell head over heels in love with him. His beautiful soft silver dapple bay color with one of my favorite pinto patterns, the splash pattern, and mapped to boot! I still have original Troubadour in my collection and I don't plan on selling him any time soon. While I'm new to Morgans, I've heard people who know the breed well say that he is a prime example of the breed, so that's good enough for me. He seems to be a little too tall for the breed, however the introduction of Saddlebred blood into Morgans has made some specimens up to 15.2 HH making them look taller than what they really are. MistyThere are only two vintage molds I conga; one is Misty. The unique shabby coat on this mold is so unique, no other mold is like it, and that's what I look for when selecting molds to conga: characteristics that set them apart from all other molds. She also has some of the most expressive eyes I've seen. She is tiny, just like her breed, barely bigger than a Classics model. Lady PhaseLady Phase is the other vintage mold I collect, mostly because she is still regularly used compared to most vintage molds, which is why I chose her over many of the other stock horse molds. She comes in an array of colors that most molds don't and Breyer continues finding flashy colors to put on her. Flashy colors appeal to me, and she represents a stock horse almost perfectly in size and muscling, so she is still part of my collection. Maybe one day this will change if Breyer decides to finally retire her for good, but I will enjoy her for now. Bobby JoRemember when I said that I tend to collect the unique molds? Well, you can't get more unique than Bobby Jo! No other horse is in that cutting pose. There is a lot of plastic on this gal. She replaced my Nokota conga, whom I dispersed once she was released. I still have her original, a never sell, and will continue collecting everything Breyer releases on this mold that I can get my grubby hands on. We still have yet to see her as a Breyerfest surprise model. DundeeAdmittedly my Dundee conga isn't as big now as it was when the mold was first released (I was obsessed with this mold) however he is still part of my collection. As far as stock horses go, running poses are my favorite. He replaced previously conga'd Roxy, whom I still love but most likely won't be used much anymore since she was already a celebration model, a Breyerfest surprise model, a flagship model, a Collector Club special run, a Mid States/TSC model and several regular runs. Dundee is her gelding look-alike. AltynaiAnother rare breed Breyer added to the lineup was the Akhal Teke mold, released as Altynai. As with the Standardbred and the Gypsy Vanner, Breyer no longer had to use another breed to fake as an Akhal Teke, most commonly the Thoroughbred molds. As I mentioned above, the racing/hot blooded breeds have always appealed to me, and thus the Akhal Teke is right up there with my ultimate favorites. His pearly coat colors doesn't hurt either! Best of all, we still have yet to see him pop up as a Breyerfest surprise model. Drafts, Mustangs & ThoroughbredsBeing my favorite breeds and due to the fact that Breyer makes so many modern sculpts of these breeds that I like, I do not conga all of them but instead collect only the colors I like no matter what mold they're put on, or portrait models of real horses.
Just got an email today from Breyer stating that the Collector Club Appreication event will still be going on this year after all, despite the fact that it's so late into December and most of their regular line stock is sold out. I'll be passing on this myself, but good luck to all who try to get one! It will be taking place at 2 PM tomorrow so I highly recommend to start loading up your wish list tonight to prepare for the rush, as you're going to need $150 worth of merchandise to get a glossy model and they probably didn't make too many of them. You must not only add the free glossy model to your cart but you also need to write THANKS into the coupon code in checkout. I always remind people of this because you won't get the glossy model unless you do both. Anyways, the glossies for this event are going to be the 70th Anniversary models from last year: Just a heads up... if you haven't purchased anything off Breyer's website recently, you might be a bit surprised that Breyer is now charging tax on everything. In March of 2021 President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act to begin charging tax on over $600 of goods people sell online. This is greatly going to affect small businesses that never reached the $20,000 threshold before. I know both Breyer and Peter Stone have already started implementing this tax in preparation for next year and the tax will apply to the CCA event tomorrow so just be aware. Unfortunately, as much as I try to keep my prices as low as possible, this will also mean that I will have to start charging tax on my own website. However mine will start after the first of the year so I highly recommend getting your pre-orders in as soon as possible. For 2022 I will only be selling through my website to keep things simple. I'm officially breaking up with eBay after selling since 2008 so I appreciate all your support!
Breyer must have solved their computer problems because several releases were available for purchase today. First off, if you are a Collector Club member who entered for Zugspitze (the silver filigree Georg) check your email to see if you were chosen to purchase him. All emails have went out. Sadly I was not chosen for this guy but congrats to those who were! Don't be too discouraged if you weren't either, as Breyer does sometimes pull from the waiting list a few days after the original list is selected. If it helps at all, I was in the club for three YEARS before I finally was pulled for my first lottery run. In my entire time as a Collector Club member, I've only been pulled a handful of times: for Teton, whom I ended up reselling when she came with a mold flaw; Jujube from the waiting list; Goji because I just think nobody liked the mold; and Goldfinch from this year. That's it. I consider lottery models pretty elusive unless you're willing to pay second hand prices. Secondly, the Stablemate Club final release (new mold) Twist and the optional foals for purchase are now available. I've decided to forego the foals since I'm not typically a foal collector but I can't wait to see Twist in hand! I bet there will be lots of variations amongst his rabicano roaning! Also, in case you missed it, an email was sent out stating that the 2022 new mold, who will be done by the same artist that did beloved Django, was going to be a Haflinger. Finally, a couple random freebies popped up in my account today. If you were a VIP Breyerfest member, you should be getting your promised pin. If you were a Deluxe Collector Club member this year, you should be receiving Chalice soon, the Deluxe stablemate, whom you admittedly probably forgot about by now. I almost did. It's always nice to have surprise pony mail pop up on your doorstep. He was a drop dead gorgeous sooty buckskin made on the Alborozo mold to look like a miniature version of Breyer's at the time (up until this year) most expensive Breyerfest raffle model sold. I'm a sucker for both sooty buckskin horses, along with buttermilks, and always loved Alborozo in real horse colors.
Since I didn't get picked for Zugspitze, I decided to spend my savings on a holiday horse from Stone... let's call it a consolation purchase. They are doing their Christmas event right now and I really like how they're releasing one at a time rather than all at once. This way gives people time to save up and the potential to get what they want without worrying about the others they like selling out. If you've not seen them, I highly recommend checking them out, if not for eye candy if anything else at https://stonehorses.com/pages/christmas-around-the-world. The IT department at Breyer must be going crazy by now. Going on 2 weeks and they're still having computer issues over there because this was just updated: While we all know that Breyer likes to be secretive about their problems, it does make me wonder what in the world is going on over there. I had a Stone model I was planning on purchasing today if I didn't get picked for Zugspitze but now it appears we have to wait until at least Monday so I'm going to be fretting over the weekend about what I want to do. Wait for Zug and risk the other one selling or foregoing Zug and purchasing the Stone. Ugh! Model decisions... anyone relate? Bit of a short and sweet post today. A little bird twittered that the 2022 regular runs will be revealed next week so I'm hoping that's true. I know many of you have been asking me about this. I can't wait to see them as much as y'all! I'm especially excited for the palomino Geronimo, the next horse in the Orren Mixer series according to the annual Just About Horses magazine sent to Collector Club members. Speaking of the Collector Club, if you entered for the silver filigree Georg, be sure to keep an eye on your emails... Breyer is supposed to be drawing names tomorrow! Premier Club members got a sneak peek of another mold for next year. I cannot tell what it is breed wise, but it looks very promising! Some are speculating another drafter, others a reiner. In my humble opinion it looks like an Andalusian or Spanish breed of some sort with how long the mane is and the amount of creasing in the neck. Maybe a Lipizzan stallion (hopefully rearing if so) to go with Carina and Selene? If so, put some wings on him and I could see that working out with those collectors who've been wanting a pegasus for years. I guess we'll see when the time comes. Whether this sneak peek will be the second release or the third was not specified.
As a hint for upcoming molds: we really really really need a new pacer, Breyer. I cannot stress this enough. We also need a moody mare with her ears pinned back and some sass in her step, mouth slightly open. If y'all could make this happen... that'd be great! What new molds would you like to see? The event stablemates have been revealed, and they are - at least in my opinion - some of the best yet. Breyer did an interesting take with these guys in that, instead of German breeds, they are going to be named/decorated like German foods. My personal favorite is Emma whose name is Brezel, named after a German pretzel apparently, as she looks like a miniature version of the glossy silver bay Breyerfest live auction model in 2017. Next up is Spaetzel who is named after a German egg noodle dish as a buttermilk buckskin pinto on the Alborozo mold. Lakritz is the stunningly beautiful dappled grey Hanoverian with colored braids in his mane. Finally there is Doppelbock named for draft beer and is a shaded dapple bay on the Clydesdale mold. If you haven't seen them, here they are: When this theme was announced, I was greatly hoping they'd do a Black Forest Horse on the Emma mold so I was absolutely thrilled when this popped up today. Y'all were reading my mind, Breyer. I'm also happy to see another Alborozo in a real horse color for once, as this guy has had far too many unicorns made on him. The bay drafter is also nice and looks like a miniature of Brunhilde, and while I don't like the mold choice for the Hanoverian, you can't deny that he looks amazing in dapple grey. What do you all think about these guys? Let's hear your thoughts!
In case you missed yesterday's post, I highly recommend going back and reading it if you're interested in Breyerfest pickups. I'll be doing things a bit differently next year in regards to pickups since the special runs will be live this year. I won't be doing pickups for store specials, as those will be available to any ticket holders online, but I can probably try to get some of these stablemates for y'all if you'd like them. A gambler's choice single stablemate is available to $20 virtual ticket holders (again I highly recommend checking out yesterday's post) but if you want the full set or a specific one, a pickup person will be your best bet. These will likely be added to my website after the first of the year when the traditional special runs are revealed. Just an FYI the entry form for Zugspitze is back up and they didn't change the date to enter by, it's still December 9th with the drawing taking place on December 10th. The newsletter is also finally out for Collector Club members so keep an eye on your emails! Finally, I have decided to go ahead and put up Premier Club releases Firefly and Hawkeye for pre-order. They're due to release sometime this month and, with the downsizing of my permanent collection to just a few molds, they are molds that I've decided not to keep. If you'd like to pre-order them, they have been added to my store. Apparently the issues that plagued Breyer last week have not yet been fully resolved because they sent out an email today for their winter decorator (available via lottery draw) and shortly after I entered I saw on their website that entries had temporarily been suspended due to technical issues. They said they are planning to update as soon as they can, so I'm expecting a change in the dates on the entry form to make up for it depending how long it takes to sort out their computer issues. Not sure what's going on over there. Anyways, the winter decorator is Zugspitze on the beloved Georg mold, the main reason why I entered for him. He is one of the molds I'm going to continue to conga once I phase out my collection. They thankfully raised the number made to 450 to compensate for the growing number of Collector Club members and upped the price to $225 plus shipping. Pretty steep considering the larger amount when most of the lottery models were only 175 to 350 in number and cost less. Then again everything is going up. I just got hit with the news from my hay delivery guy that our hay will be going up $50 for a month supply. Not happy, but sadly just the way things are right now. I actually don't have a silver filigree anything in my collection, believe it or not. I had a silver filigree Misty at one time (Time to Party) from Breyerfest 2014 but ended up selling her and later regretted it, although admittedly I think Georg was made for this color. His large body just makes him look like a snow covered mountain. It says he is supposed to portray the Wetterstein Mountains in Germany. Breyer is already going all out with the German Breyerfest theme, apparently. Speaking of Prost! Breyer released ticket information today as well. There are going to be five different tickets in total. Three in-person tickets and two virtual tickets. Social media has been in a tizzy today in regards to the special runs being kept solely for in-person Breyerfest ticket holders, but honestly guys I'm not surprised. Breyerfest has always been an in-person event prior to the pandemic and Breyer probably lost out on a lot of money in shipping last year with everything getting delayed and needing to be shipped separately. Plus, unless you were international, Breyer didn't even charge shipping for anything. We need to be thankful they even had Breyerfest at all! At least now the special run models will still be a limited number. Ok, so now that that's off my chest, the three in-person tickets are: VIP, All Access (previous 3 Day) and General Admission (previous Single Day) tickets. They are the exact same as last year except you will be at the KHP rather than on your computer. The two new online tickets are Traditional Access and Stablemate Access. With Traditional you will get the celebration horse plus any store models you wish to purchase. Again NO SPECIAL RUNS WITH THIS TICKET. With Stablemate instead of the celebration horse you'll get a stablemate and any store models you wish to purchase. Both virtual tickets get all three days of online access. Here is Breyer's breakdown of cost and what is included with each ticket: Now that ticket information has been announced, I know many of you are wondering about pickups, especially my customers out West who are unable to attend in person. So I'm still going to continue to do pickups on everything except the surprise models, however I will be offering them a bit differently this year from last year. Last year, I went ahead and had everyone pay in full up front. This year, I'm going to offer a few with a small deposit due upon reveal of the model (most likely January/February) and the rest due a week before Breyerfest and shipping due the week after Breyerfest. So I will bill you to whatever payment method you used for the deposit around the beginning of July for the rest of the payment for the model and then again the Monday after Breyerfest for shipping.
Please be aware since the event is in person, it is possible there could be cancellations since an in person Breyerfest is relying upon the luck of the draw and not a computer. For this reason I try to keep the initial orders small, but I will refund you as soon as I know that you won't be getting your model(s). Since all models were sold out last year, I'm also going to also be making a backup waiting list once the initial orders sell out in case I end up with more models than I sold. These will NOT require a deposit and if there are any extras payment in full will be due the Monday after Breyerfest weekend. As is usual, I will be sure to check over each model before they are sent for any major flaws. I will explain how this will all work out through my website shortly after the first of the year. If you would like the celebration horse and nothing else, and don't really care about the virtual material, I am offering the celebration horse, Nikolas, for sale in my store right now until sell out. Breyer sent a preview of the molds that will be used in the Stablemates Club for 2022. A lot of new molds have shown up. Charleston and Lyric, for example, have the hobby excited right now. While we still have some time before we see which one will be the gambler's choice, I have a hunch it's going to be Lyric. Usually its a smaller mold and Lyric would fit the bill. Breyer frowns upon my speculations before their official release so I can't say much more than that, but we should find out soon. Here are the molds for those of you who don't get on social media or missed the reveal: For anyone needing a horse hiatus during this dry period, I am going to be listing a few of my congas in my store. They will be available until December 31st or until sell out. Again, I'm not getting out of the hobby completely (can anyone really ever?) but I'm just going to focus on a few Breyer molds, that way I can offer my buyers more because I'm keeping less. Also admittedly after Equilocity, I've been bit by the Stone bug and do plan on slowly building up my Stone herd. People have been asking me who is better and this is a pickle for me because I've always been a Breyer collector up until this year, but maybe one day I'll write a more detailed post to compare them without bashing either company.
Until next time, guys, stay well and enjoy the rest of the weekend! Well, folks, Breyer apparently has had issues with their computers since Monday. I tried to call them about my Equidae order, which was supposed to be shipped to me last week and has been stuck in limbo ever since. They can't help me until their systems are back up. This issue is the reason why we didn't get our Collector Club newsletter, only the sneak peek that's typically in the newsletter to, as Breyer put it, "tide us over until they can get the newsletter sent out." So if you have a question for support, you're going to need to call them since they can't access their email, but admittedly the poor people over at Breyer won't be able to do much right now. They'll most likely just call you back. The best thing to do is wait it out. Anyways here is the sneak peek of the the winter lottery decorator from the email: Baltazar was released today, finally, just in time for Christmas. I was going to purchase him but with all the computer issues going on and delayed shipments, I think I'm going to wait this one out. I might snag him with one of my club models if he is still available, either the Premier Club final release or the final Stablemate Club horse. He is $29.99 for those who want him. Finally before I log out, I would like to announce that I have been doing yearly maintenance on my website throughout the week but it should be finished this weekend. A couple times I had to unpublish it so I apologize for any inconveniences, but I like to redesign it a bit after each year so it's not so repetitive. I also aim to start getting back to YouTube soon, now that the busiest part of the year (Black Friday) is nearly over at work. I am WAYYY behind on my model reviews. I also plan to start customizing again soon, making a few limited Christmas customs including a 12 Days of Christmas series, so keep an eye on my store if customs are your thing :)
Don't forget about my T-shirts available through my Bonfire store. They make great gifts! Get them just in time for the holidays! https://www.bonfire.com/store/brittanys-breyers/ |
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