Since we're winding down to the end of the month and there still hasn't been a bay horse shown in the sneak peek from last month's newsletter, I'm assuming that the bay was, in fact, a regular run, most likely the Arabian mare. It definitely wasn't the lottery model for the Collector Club, who turned out to be Flamingo, and whom was shown today: I can't tell y'all how much I need this gal in my life. She is a beautiful (possibly pearly?) rose grey on the Weathergirl mold, my second favorite Arabian mold next to Ashquar. She is, quite literally, his girlfriend in my personal opinion, just as Forever Saige is the girlfriend to Fireheart. I entered for her, however I haven't been picked for anything in two years now, so I'm not holding my breath. Not to help matters, they lowered the number of her to 500 pieces... I'm not sure if they made too many of the last lottery model, who was limited to 1,000 pieces, but I'm hoping more that this is a reflection of the current number of CC members for the new year. I know not everyone renewed their membership this year after so many flaws showed up on the specialty club models so it's possible the number of CC members went down a bit from people who feel like they don't need to rejoin the Collector Club if they don't join the specialty clubs.
Honestly though the Stablemate Club and Premier Club both had huge dips in resale value from the influx of Collector Club members the past couple years due to Breyer now offering the Deluxe membership, so sad to say but there needs to be less competition. I'm assuming that the Premier Club was probably reaching well into the thousands the past few years since it is unlimited and since the Vintage Club, which is usually less popular, is already up to 1,000 memberships. This year, I'm planning on possibly keeping all three of my Premier Club models. Due to still fixing up the new farm we bought last year, I didn't get the chance to purchase a second membership, however we'll see how things sit financially next year so that I can - hopefully - start offering Premier Club models on my website. The Vintage Club models could quite possibly show up on my website, however, since we have no idea what Breyer will have in store for us until they're released. Happy New Year's Eve to everyone! I hope your new year's resolutions involve something horsey. I've seen a lot of people post that this is going to be their first year in all three specialty clubs, so that gives a lot to look forward to! Speaking of the specialty clubs, Breyer has been throwing some last minute releases at us left and right, including some sneak peeks that they've never shown before in other years. Yes, you read that right. But first, let's show a reveal that they typically do show every year, a January release that was viewable in the Collector Club newsletter. People have said this reveal could possibly be the new regular run Arabian since, technically, they haven't officially been announced yet. However, others are saying that they wouldn't show regular runs in the Collector Club newsletter (even though they have shown web exclusives that have been available to everyone, not just CC members, in the CC newsletter before) so they're guessing possibly the first lottery model of the year, which isn't a bad guess considering that they haven't done a bay in the Birds of a Feather series yet. Now to the awesome, brand new, never before seen stuff. They have shown a sneak peek of the unfinished Stablemate Club new mold! *gasp* This horse has future unicorn vibes written all over it! Typically we have to wait until Breyerfest for this reveal. Which leads me to the next reveal... the final stablemate mold used for the event stablemates... and it is Kit, the new Haflinger. Not really surprising, I kind of saw this coming based on the theme, but I'm still excited to see what new coat pattern they are going to use nonetheless. I love the mold, Kit had such a soft face and sweet eyes, just wasn't sold on the clipped coat. The final reveal is the third Premier Club release. Say what? I know, I was shocked too. Never before has Breyer shown a sneak peek of all three club models. Here is what they showed us today: It looks like my guess as to a draft mare and foal set, most likely by Kylee, was correct because that, my friends, is a draft foal butt if there ever was one. I must have! I may end up actually keeping all of the Premier Club models next year, and I finally decided to go with glossy for Cancion. I can't wait until that boy is a regular run so I can paint a portrait model of my little Paso Fino, Roberto, on the mold. I wish Breyer had waited to do Vivaldi on the new Paso, especially given how excited his contacts were to have their baby portrayed as a Breyer, but I'm hoping Breyer has something else up their sleeve to turn the Cancion mold into in the coming years.
So here's the one last day of the year and the start of a new year is upon us! Happy 2023 y'all! Breyer must have just received another container because they're releasing a boat load of new releases this week. With Black Friday just around the corner, couldn't they have waited until early December? Ugh... Anyways tomorrow at noon EST Breyer is releasing their annual holiday blind bag series, Merry and Bright stablemates. They are all new molds in color shifting decorator colors. I don't have any of the holiday stablemates because I'm not big on decos but I have to say that of all the previous holiday blind bags, this one is probably the best so far. At least we don't have yet another Alborozo unicorn thrown in there. The elusive Chadwick is finally making his appearance as well. If you would like to order him, he will be available to Collector Club members only on Wednesday at noon EST. This guy I do plan to order, as I've been waiting to add him to my conga since I saw him at Breyerfest. Hoping I'm able to snag one before he sells out. If you're a Vintage Club member, your wallet is going to be over $200 lighter alone. Poppy and Ollie has been released (mine is still available in my store and has been discounted for my Black Friday week sale) and must be ordered by December 5th. In addition, if you plan on staying in the club next year, you have to dish out another $100 to renew, also by the same date. After that, memberships will be available either until December 31st or sell out. Word of mouth is that Justin Morgan will be one of the molds used in next year's club because of this picture in JAH: Remember they are increasing the club memberships to 1,000 from 750 for 2023 so quite a few more memberships will be open for those who would like to join the club themselves, although I'm expecting they'll still sell out pretty quickly.
I had to do a bunch of training at the shipping company I work for in preparation for the upcoming holiday rush (that will eventually end up in overtime) so you can only imagine how happy I was to find out that I had a little something come in the mail that I've been waiting on for almost a year now... Ellington! Though he may be small, he brightened my day with his adorable subtle dappling and glossy goodness. Apparently Breyer is also still using the drawstring bags for Deluxe stablemates and it has his name/silhouette embroidered on it. I really miss those through the Stablemate Club. The mare and foal sets for the Vintage Club this year have been leaked. You will get one of three sets: alabaster based cremello, chalky palomino or glossy wild bay. Their names are Poppy and Ollie. I just sold off all my Hermosa conga so I'm offering my set for sale if you would like to keep your conga complete. If they don't sell by their release, I may keep them in hopes of getting either the palomino or cremello set. I'm also offering the collectible stablemate, mini Dandy in my Model Horse Store. We have now seen which color was chosen for Giorgio, or mini Georg through the Premier Club. Not surprisingly it is Anamar inspired rosey dapple grey, which I figured would either be that or the liver chestnut since roan pinto would look a bit weird on a draft horse. I will be keeping this guy for my permanent collection but some people purchased multiple Premier Club memberships, so keep an eye out on model sale pages if you want to add him to your own collection! Finally, there is the new mold for the Stablemate Club this year, Kit, who is supposed to be a Haflinger but appears to have a clipped coat, rather unique for Breyer. I can only remember them doing it one other time with the Strapless from the Fox Hunting gift set. As with Poppy and Ollie, I will be offering mine for sale, however if he doesn't sell by the time he's released, I may end up keeping him. I'm so-so about the mold. There have been lots of standing molds lately and I'm more of an action pose collector, however his color is cute. I'm still waiting on my JAH magazine, unless it was sent to my old address as my first Ellington was. I had to contact Breyer to be sent another. I think that Breyer needs to find a way for club members to verify their current shipping address. I also know that I'm not the only one who has moved within the past year so it definitely would save them money in the long run if they could somehow do this. They got smart with the Premier Club by sending the stablemate with the third model, which makes it so much easier than shipping it to whatever address you used a year ago. Just my thought for the day.
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! 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.
Hello, everyone. I still haven't gotten a chance to message back anyone who has tried contacting me over the past couple weeks. We're still incredibly busy here. I've been pulling 10 hour days at work (I'm used to only 8 hours and it's leaving me pretty exhausted by the end of the week) so getting everything we need to done has been going a lot more slowly than we'd hoped. Our property is now partially fenced and the ground is being broken for our new barn but we still have a lot of fencing to do. We're aiming for everything to be completed the first week of April, pushed back just a bit from our original date of April 1st. Below are some updated photos: Sadly, I wasn't able to come up with enough money in time to bail the little Paso Fino mare I posted about from the auction fate. I was about $500 short, plus transportation costs (gas prices are $4.25 down here) but I'm happy to announce that a rescue group did end up getting the highest bid on her at the March 10th auction so she won't be ending up on the meat truck, thankfully. Thank you to everyone who tried to help her from purchasing my models, and the money I did make from my model sales will be put to good use. It will be going towards purchasing another auction rescue once we're finished setting up. I will update when we plan on heading to the auction. On the Breyer end, we've had a few releases that you've probably heard about by now, however for those of you who haven't, I'll quickly go over each of them. Anyone who collects plushies... P'eggy the Easter pony was released while we were moving but is now sold out. However, if you missed her like I did, she may be available second hand. A discovery has been had of the new Vintage Club release, Cooper. I wasn't able to sell mine (he isn't a very popular mold despite being on an outrageously beautiful color) so he had to be shipped to a relative until we get our mailbox up and all that new address paperwork completed. Until I see him, I've been told of an oopsie made by Breyer in which rather than Vintage Club 2022 stamped on his belly, I will see "Kingfisher 2022" instead. Here is Breyer's official announcement: This solved the mystery of the next Birds of a Feather series sneak peeked in the newsletter who apparently won't be the real Kingfisher, but instead was a mare and foal pair named Robin and Nestling. These two, topped in a high gloss finish, are too adorable for words. However, I'm betting that, like Cooper, they won't be too popular since they're on vintage molds despite having a jaw dropping color. It was, however, very gutsy of Breyer to offer these, being the first on the series on vintage molds Breyerfest VIP tickets are still available to the surprise of many. However, I think the fact that Breyer is making VIP ticket holders pick up their models at the event and not shipping them this year has a lot to do with this. I'm tempted to get one myself if they don't sell out within a few more weeks. Those of you that put down deposits on Breyerfest pickups... I announced July 1st for the remaining payment but remember this could change if Breyer needs payment by, say, the end of May. The only thing we know right now is that we'll be making our master lists in May, but when models will be chosen and payment due is anybody's guess. Just be prepared if it IS earlier than July 1st. Shipping will still be requested after the event when I weigh the packages (especially those that ordered multiple models) and can give an accurate shipping weight.
Happy Friday, everyone! After just releasing Breyerfest tickets, Breyer then decided to finally release Cooper, a gorgeous leopard appaloosa, to Collector Club members. He looks amazing without his tack on, and I wish I could purchase him myself because I love his loud color, but since we will be in between addresses next month, I'm offering him for sale in my store to someone who will cherish him. Next up is a test run available to Collector Club members only. I was a bit saddened to find out that Breyer had intended to release this guy as a regular run as a gold medal series, but they never ended up doing so, probably because gold Valegro didn't sell well. I love anything Thoroughbred and the gold tone shading is just stunning on this guy. I wouldn't have hestiated purchasing him at his regular run price but I can't afford his current asking price of $1200 right now. I'd much rather buy a real horse with that kind of money. Good luck though to anyone who enters! You only have until February 28th to put your name in. Collector Club members should have received the latest newsletter, and seen the sneak peek for the new Birds of a Feather series coming next month. This one looks promising, looks like either a stocky or draft mold. I'm hoping they'll release it later in the month so we'll have a mailbox put in by that time at our new house, because I do plan on entering for this one. I'm a sucker for anything flashy. The only "bird" I've won so far is Goldfinch, so I'd love to have another. I'm probably the last person to get him, but Dax is here! I'm astonished by how much the quality of the Stablemates Club horses keep improving year after year. I mean honestly it seems as if they'd eventually run out of colors! In the case of Dax, they may have. Doesn't he look like a shrinky of the variation Quill from Breyerfest 2019? (Picture used from IDYB for reference) My guy also had an oopsie in the form of the star on his forehead. It... well... is hard to explain but it is a little lighter than his chestnut color but not completely white like it should be. It isn't masking either. There is nothing to pick off. It just looks like the artist accidentally oversprayed the star with a lighter brown during one of the many layers it takes to make a dun colored horse like him. It's cool, and I love it. Sorry for the horrible picture (it was taken on my phone which doesn't have a macro setting) but you can see it on his forehead. He will be a keeper for sure.
Merry Christmas to all! If you're a Collector Club member, you were able to snag one of these today. Meet Spice Drop: A Croi in silver or gold filigree? Yes, please! Even though she is clearware, I decided to try for one, considering my love of the Croi mold and the fact that I haven't purchased a Santa Surprise in years. Spice sold out in about 10 minutes and the website kept crashing during checkout but I was able to put in my order. Can't wait to see which color I get! This is actually one gambler's choice that I don't really have a stand out favorite. What about you? Did you get one and, if so, who are you hoping to get? There are an additional 12 pieces of coal, as per usual, but only 2025 of the Croi models themselves, so I'm thinking they didn't really increase them much from the 500 pieces that are typically offered for the Santa Surprise, which to me is kind of a shocker considering that they're upping the numbers for everything else. Maybe next year they'll consider increasing it to 750 pieces.
A couple years ago, Breyer offered a limited release that, as a reminder of the Connoisseur days, was painted here in the US rather than abroad. Well, they've yet again brought that back this year despite not doing one last year, and were smart this time to do him as a lottery rather than a free-for-all like they did with Ambrose, who sold out so quick that lots of complaints were to be had, including yours truly. I kept trying to tell myself he was too pricey, I didn't like the mold, etc just to convince myself that I didn't need him in my collection. This year's all American boy is called Midas, and he is on the Flash mold. Outside of the Premier Club, this is probably the only time to get a horse with mapped markings. He's a hefty $295 plus shipping but those complaining about the price... I invite you to take a look at stonehorses.com for comparison as to how much horses made in America cost. Speaking of the Premier Club, Zafirah, the first 2022 Premier Club release, has had her off side revealed. She is a lot nicer on her off side than her show side. I love the blending of colors in her mane and tail. Truly does look like fire. My only issue with the mold itself is the same issue I had with the new Friesian mold... Breyer's vintage Arabian molds are in pretty much the same pose as this guy. I understand that it was a replica of the original resin, but I wish they would have changed it just a bit. Given her more of a high carriage to her tail rather than just slightly lifted for example, which is the hallmark of Arabians. I don't know. Maybe I'll like this gal in other colors when Breyer releases her in future. I felt the same with the release of Emerson. Didn't think I'd like him until I got Rocket and now I have a small conga of him. It was the color throwing me off. We also have learned who the other two sculptors are going to be for next year: Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig and, directly from the horse's mouth as it were, "the artist of two previous Premier Club favorites, Dundee and Geronimo". I'm not sure why they aren't saying Kitty Cantrell's name (maybe she herself asked them not to use it) but she was Mooning Piglet Studios when she made Dundee. I have to say, with Dundee as one of my all-time favorites, I'm super thrilled that she's in the lineup next year. Sarah I'm iffy about. I loved Croi, but didn't care for her Marchador mold. In giving her the benefit of the doubt, going off her previous molds, she is very good at making dynamic sculptures, which I like to see over portrait models.
Now, Breyer, we know you won't spill many secrets of next year's Vintage Club (maybe the optional release if we're lucky) but could you perhaps share the Stablemates Club lineup? As of right now as I type this I have NOT joined. I'm downsizing on my stablemate collection to only a few select molds, and I really want to see if those such molds will be part of the SM Club next year. Pretty please, Breyer? |
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