Where do I start with today's post? Hmmm.... lots of news to be had this week. I guess I will start with the biggest shocker - the Collector Club Black Friday sale. The timing was a bit of a shock, as it's typically not offered until the weekend before Black Friday to Collector Club members. Regular runs are always part of the sale each year, but considering that Breyer probably doesn't have many regular runs available (as is evident from the sale) there weren't many included like there usually is. Here are screenshots of the club exclusive models when they were available: I would have loved to try my luck at getting the dunalino Nayati, but alas I got on only 15 minutes after the sale was announced and he was already sold out. None of the other ponies interested me because either I already had them or I didn't like the color. Unfortunately, everyone, if this is a sample of what Breyer has available at the warehouse, I don't see them doing a Collector Club appreciation event in the way we know it. They could always do it as a backorder, of course, or they may do something else altogether entirely, but considering that it's already November and we're winding down to the end of the year... they don't really have much more time to think of something new. I hope I'm wrong, though, but don't be disappointed if they don't. Collector Club members can also enter a raffle for the new test piece, another that I'm skipping out on because of the mold and color: My Snickerdoodle arrived today, and she's a sweetheart! Since I don't collect dolls, it will be available for sale on my website during my Holiday Sale for those of you who are prop collectors. Thank you to Breyer for listening to us collectors after the staining incident with Gingerbread and put the blanket in a plastic bag instead of on the horse. No staining, and the pony is nearly perfect, minus some typical masking issues/overspray. Her mane and tail are pearly but her body is flat matte, not shimmery metallic. The cuddle buddy she came with is oh so soft! If you have children that love soft stuffies, these would be perfect gifts to get them started in this very addicting hobby! Last, but I'm sure it won't be least, it was just announced that these new stablemates are popping up at Dollar General. While they did start making a version of what they called "Paddock Pals" for Five Below stores, they now seem to be branching out to a wide range of budgets that can afford their products because, honestly, you shouldn't have to be rich to afford collecting Breyers. Kudos to them for that, and I hope my local stores get them in, as I have several Dollar General stores near me. ***Photo below is NOT mine and all credit goes to the original photographer*** It looks to me like they're made in that same kind of rubbery plastic that the stablemates in the wooden stables were made of, from the Breyers Farms series designed for kids because let's not forget that amongst the grand scheme of things Breyer is still a toy company, and they'd make great stocking stuffers. I will update for sure if I ever find any at my local stores.
I've been debating myself whether or not I want to get into pin collecting since Breyer has been coming out with lots of cute pins of late. They just released their pin board, complete with a free Smarty Jones thoroughbred pin. It does make me wonder though how many the board can hold. I'm wondering if it's bigger than it looks? I still have my VIP set from Breyerfest and bought the glow in the dark Thriller pin, who was a lot bigger than the VIPs and was really nice quality. It may be something I might stick with. After all, pins won't break if they fall off your shelf :) Anyone try to snag Brunhilde today? If you don't remember who she was, she was the fall Collector Club release who, like everything else this year, ended up getting pushed back. For this reason, now that they're finally getting shipments in, they've been cranking out the releases back to back to the point where it has been difficult for some to be able to purchase what they want. The same thing apparently happened with Burnhilde today. The website crashed for about 20 minutes because of the traffic of all those trying to get one, giving everyone a flashback to Breyerfest 2020. Due to production and shipping issues, I doubt they made many of her to begin with, and there are probably thousands of CC members trying to get something in hand after this hectic year. When Gingerbread sold out, I had someone ask me if I knew if they'd get in any more of her, but unfortunately I don't believe so. In the past, once the web exclusives sold out, they sold out for good. Now Breyer did make another batch of Sassy and Lafayette but they were Collector Club member exclusives. I doubt they'd make more of their non-member web exclusives. We're still waiting on the Classics clearware decorator, Baltazar, so keep your eyes peeled on him, as he'll probably be another quick sell out especially since the unicorn mare and foal, Diadem and Alcor, are now gone.
I don't know if 2022 will be any different, but I've heard from the shipping company I work for that also deals in international shipments from India and China that they're expecting things to start getting back to semi normal starting mid year next year. Let's hope they're right because this year has just been a drag. Again I don't blame Breyer at all for this, just the way the world is right now. The Collector Club monthly newsletter was sent out today. If you're one of the people who didn't get it or if you're not a member but would like to stay in the know, I will recap the major highlights. As you know, there is always a monthly giveaway. This time it is for this gal, Truly Unsurpassed: If I didn't already own her, I wouldn't hesitate to try for her, but as it is she is already a beloved member of my collection so more power to all those who haven't bought her yet! You will NOT be disappointed for sure if you're the lucky winner! I'm still wondering why Astrid was the sneak peek for August when we still have not had the chance to purchase her. I hope she isn't delayed a couple months like Fireheart was, though honestly at this point I'm kind of expecting it. While I understand that every business that deals with overseas shipments are having issues right now, most stores (particularly Walmart who we all know relies on China for most of their products) are already getting in their Halloween stuff, so I'm wondering what slow boat our Breyers are on for them to be this delayed? Anyways, enough moping. Here is the next sneak peek: The "wild about the upcoming web special" was a dead giveaway that this is the next in the Wild Animal series and I'm 99% sure that's an antelope. The mold, however, is a little more tricky, definitely something ribby which makes me think the Carrick mold. It would make sense since antelope jump high but really any long legged, slim bodied, Thoroughbred could pull off that effect. I guess it won't be soon until we find out considering that September is tomorrow.
The May newsletter came out, and it was a bit unique. First off, Breyer is offering a survey to Collector Club members that I highly recommend you taking if you want to have a say in what kind of information is contained in the newsletter. It even has a text box where you can tell them what you'd like to see if you have any suggestions, so be sure to check it out! Another new addition is instead of a collector story, they instead wrote about the True Blue event. I'm sore about not being chosen especially since I have yet to be chosen for any of the special events as yet. Unlike Breyerfest where you can choose if you want to go or not, you have to rely on the luck of the draw for the special events, and we all know that Breyer is notorious for their lotteries. Honestly though, after seeing the horses in hand, the only one that I really liked was Home and Away, and even he is a horse I can live without. Hopefully it'll be back to a live event next year and - hopefully - one of these years I'll actually be able to attend. Those of you in the same boat I'm sure understand. The giveaway of the month is a four pack of event stablemates for Breyerfest 2021 which really surprises me since the event hasn't even happened yet. This is new too as usually it's something from years back. It also makes me think that Breyerfest will not sell out this year so fingers crossed that there's enough models for everyone and most people get what they want without having to wait until December for backorders. Finally, the sneak peek was not a Collector Club reveal, but a reveal for Vintage Club members only. Folks, I believe this is our Classics sized model that was going to be a mini me of the Presentation Series. It is supposed to be a dappled bay on the Terrang mold with a wooden base and brass nameplate. I'm curious to see what his full reveal looks like however... This horse will be offered for sale since I don't collect many Classics models. If you'd like to purchase him, come back to my website when he's released and you can purchase him in my Model Horse Store. He will be offered pretty close to cost since he's just a Classics scale.
Unless you were selected for the True Blue event, it has been pretty quiet on Breyer's end of late. I decided to go ahead and write a post anyways despite there not being any new releases other than a prize model from Breyerfest and a test model to Collector Club members for - now hold your hats - $1350! He's pretty, and I was actually tempted to put my name in for him even though my odds of winning him were astronomical. I didn't because Breyerfest is just around the corner, as are the mid years, so I need to save as much as possible. In all honesty, I've been itching to buy some new ponies but market prices have been ridiculous for months. However, with people now starting to sell off some pieces from their own collections to make money/room for Breyerfest models, the tables are starting to turn. I recently just purchased a good portion of a fellow hobbyist's collection because she was downsizing for This reason. This was my first large collection I've ever purchased, and it certainly made up for the dry spell. Some of the horses will be sold, others will be kept for my personal collection. Hopefully it'll help cure the buying bug until July.
Crane selections have already gone out to those who entered as well as the waiting list, and Stablemate Club members should have their buying bug cured soon, as will Premier Club members when we will be able to finally purchase Fireheart next month, which I'm really excited to see this boy in person. Breyer has revealed the next in the Birds of a Feather series: Crane after the rare white bird. While I'm fond of his mold, this color doesn't look much different than the regular run Shire, unless Breyer plans on adding something you can't tell in the stock photo (like pearling) as they did with Goldfinch when they made him chalky. For $185 rarity is what this guy has going for him. Honestly - and this might just be my aching head talking - I haven't been too impressed with the Birds of a Feather series so far, which is a shame considering I'm a bird fanatic as well as a horse lover. I was hoping for some colorful decorators thrown in the mix. After all, they did so with the Berries Ponies. A parrot would be a must have. Maybe next year... For those of you in the Premier Club, it was announced, not surprisingly, that Fireheart will be delayed until mid June. This guy will be one I'm keeping so he won't be available, but in case anyone else in the Premier Club didn't get the email, just know it is now official. *sigh* Unfortunately after all us dealers have been going through this year with waiting so long for regular run shipments, I saw this coming. It sounds like Breyer is getting a huge shipment in June (the timeline Breyer gave me for most regular runs I have on backorder) in which Fireheart must be included in that.
Customs are now available on the website. I still have three more in the works that I should be able to get finished over the weekend, so check back Monday if you're interested. They are also available on my eBay page. Can you believe it's already almost May? It seems like this last month zipped by. With keeping track of all the new releases that just came out, I didn't even realize it was time for the Collector Club newsletter was due until I found it in my mailbox today. The giveaway for this month is Bisbee. If you don't remember who she is, here is her picture: If you don't want to try your luck at winning a Bisbee but still would like to purchase her, the Kentucky Horse Park would greatly appreciate your business. Without many of the big events they host (like Breyerfest) they are losing out on a lot of income so any little bit helps when feeding the many horses they have at the park year round. Buying Bisbee is just one way to support our beloved horse park when we can't physically go there. Finally, we had our monthly sneak peek. The newsletter said "If it's not too much of a birden (spelled that way) we have a little sneak peek of an upcoming model for you!" so I guess we're in for another Birds of a Feather lottery model. When I first saw it, I thought that it sure looked like an Emerson rear, but whatever it is it's going to be a light dapple grey, so most likely something I won't be interested in, as I prefer the darker greys. The big question is... what bird is it? This has been a big question lately so I'll clear it up for the new people in the Collector Club. The $25 membership is best purchased if you want to sign up for the specialty clubs at the end of the year (enrollment starts in November and runs until December 29th for the Stablemates and Premier Club - Vintage Club is limited so it usually sells out in a day) otherwise you may not find your $25 to be worth it if you rely solely upon the special run models released through the Collector Club. Why? Mostly because the number of Collector Club members in the club has skyrocketed in the last couple years and special runs have been selling out within an hour, so if you're in the Collector Club in hopes of getting the special run models at cost, I recommend following Breyer's Facebook page for release notifications. Don't rely upon their emails, as I've often received emails after the product has already sold out.
Unless Breyer changes it up, in the past couple years, the special runs have been released as follows: -TWO Collector Club special runs (the January/February model was Lafayette and the fall model is yet to be determined) -ONE special run that we voted on last year at Breyerfest (this year was Notoriously Framed) in spring -ONE Classics gambler's choice model (this year was Slyder) in spring -FOUR lottery models for a special theme are released through July/August (this year was the Birds of a Feather series) -ONE special series model will be released in the fall via lottery draw (last year was the Wild Animal series) -ONE holiday horse and ONE holiday animal for lottery draws in November/December -ONE Santa Surprise horse is released on Christmas morning Hope this helps! Breyer barely eeked in their Classics gambler's choice right at the end of the month. Coming right off of just releasing Notoriously Framed probably wasn't their best decision but they still went quickly nonetheless, and I actually almost missed being able to purchase. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Breyer doesn't cancel my order from them being oversold because they were literally listed as "sold out" right after I placed my order. I like that the last couple years, Breyer has removed the decorator from the Classics gambler's choices. I hope they keep it that way, because with Calvin and Lancelot, it seemed like everyone just wanted the blues. With the others you'd be lucky to even get your money back. The gambler choice for this year is named Slyder and comes in three different colors: sooty buckskin appaloosa, flaxen liver chestnut splash pinto and dark dapple grey. For the first time ever, they are all glossy, which is great, as I always seemed to end up with the matte ones. With Scotty I got the matte bay roan appy, Calvin was the matte chestnut and the matte silver bay with Callahan. With Lancelot I bought two which I got the matte appy and blue (finally!) and then with Nayati I also bought two. Although with Nayati I ended up with a glossy for the first time, I received duplicates of - yet again - the appy. I ended up selling one but traded the other for the blue eyed pinto, who is ironically matte and the one I wanted most. With how luck would have it, I will probably end up with the appy in this year's gambler's choice, who is my least favorite. I'm actually torn this year between the grey and the pinto, though I'm leaning more towards the pinto because of his blue eyes. Who is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! A second reveal was shown today from the Breyerfest blog on Breyer's website. Meet Blanca, who is a black and white version of Charleston (why are black and white horses always so elusive in Breyers?) and is the runner up prize model for the Best Customs Contest. He and Noir will make a good matching pair if anyone is lucky enough to win them. Old Glory has been shown in hand arriving to those who were lucky enough to snag him from Breyer before he sold out so us dealers should be getting him soon! He is actually really nice and my favorite of the patriotic models so far. Those stripes make a big difference. He'll definitely be worth the wait! Tick tock, tick tock. Come on, Breyer. Let's get this ball rolling!
I spoke too soon with my last post. We were hit with the winner of the "Picture This" contest that 2020 Breyerfest attendees who were also part of the Collector Club was able to vote on last year. I personally voted for Adios because I thought his long mane looked amazing on this color with Zippo Pine Bar second since I conga that mold, however Latigo won the vote. He's my LEAST favorite so I am offering up mine on my website in my Model Horse Store (update: sold) although I will note that Breyer has been gambler's choice happy lately, and this horse is no exception. There are two different mold styles you can get: long tail/short mane or short tail/long mane, which caused the price to increase a bit from previous years. Breyer describes the color as shaded silver bay overo however to me it looks more like a flaxen liver chestnut, but to each their own. Still a pretty model that I would definitely keep if it were on any of the other molds, however this mold is difficult to conga due to the rarity of a lot of the "obtainables" mostly due to being a BF surprise model. I thought the name for this horse was a cute twist though. I saw people posting that this was possibly the sneak peek in the CC newsletter, however I don't believe so. While the positioning of the legs is similar, there is too much white on this horse that wasn't shown in the same areas on the sneak peek, also the sneak peek was glossy.
My conclusion... we still got another horse on the way, folks :) If any of you have joined the Collector Club this year, keep an eye out on your mail for your Collector Club welcome letter. What your membership card looks like will depend upon which club you've joined. I joined both the Deluxe and the regular membership. They were pretty much the same except the pictures and the Deluxe also mentions the included stablemate at the bottom. Here is a side by side view. Also, if you joined the Premier Club this year, you should also get a welcome letter complete with a copy of the artist's sketch of the first horse, Fireheart, which should arrive before May when Fireheart is released to members to buy.
Before I finish out this post, I just want to say in regards to all the moping about Lafayette "not being limited enough" as Breyer has decided to do backorders to those who didn't get a chance to purchase him outright, honestly guys even with the backorders, Lafayette is still a limited edition. Limited editions aren't necessarily numbers, but it more or less means that it was only produced for a limited time. Whether they end up making 1,000 Lafayettes or 10,000 Lafayettes, he is still limited in that he was only offered to Collector Club members for a limited time. For example, although the 70th anniversary horses from last year were made in the thousands, they were still technically limited editions since they were only made for a year. People were saying for months "Breyer should make it fair for everyone to get one" and they did, yet there are those who think every model made for the Collector Club should be rare. Sorry guys but if you want ultra rare models of only 350ish made, you're going to have to enter the raffles and shovel out $150-$175 for a truly limited and rare model. Please cut Breyer some slack. Let's be thankful that they did this because they really didn't have to. |
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