I get asked all the time: when is my pre-ordered model coming? I answer back about the shipping delays, and then I'll get a snarky comment about how Breyer needs to bring production back to the US. Well, Stone is an American based company. If you look at Stone's website lately, you'll find that they have really been really upping their game as far as cranking out the horses this year. For years people complained that Stones were "too limited" or "only OOAKs" so they never got the chance to purchase much from the company directly. Last year, however, Stone responded by hiring on a few more artists and thus have added a lot more events to their yearly calendar than they used to. You go to their website and there are still many models still available in their store. They are trying to keep up with demand, the demand that customers have been craving for years, but at the same time it's backfiring in a sense to collectors. Their prices are slowly going up, and not by just a few dollars like Breyers does every year, but by a hundred dollars. There were absolutely no traditional sized models priced at $289.99 during Equilocity this year (the pricing that quite a few models sold for last Equilocity) as all of them were at least $369.99 or more. Why? Well, while they have more artists to make more models, all those new artists Stone hired on need a livable wage, therefore Stone has to increase pricing. All of you that are wishing for Breyer to come back to the US... think about it. If they did, we'd be paying lottery model pricing on everything. Do we really want that? Also, during the little more than a year I've been collecting Stones, I've noticed that their quality has been slipping a bit with the increase in models this year. Sound familiar? Breyer collectors complain about the same issue. The more product output, the more likely there will be flaws. Take my new DAH Bunny for example. This is the first model I've purchased from Stone this year that didn't include hair or a fingerprint imbedded in the paint, a tribute to that "get 'em out as quick as you can to satisfy our customers" mentality, so I appreciate that. This is actually my first Bunny from Stone - she usually sells out everytime I try to get her - but I scrambled for the Easter design and was excited to get one. What could be more fitting than a bunny design on a Bunny model? I really wanted her as a mare version of Georg and I wasn't disappointed. They look cute next to one another on the shelf. Bunny even has udders, similar to Breyer Susecion, who also became very popular as Breyer's only model with mare "bits" to this day. She may just be my new favorite mold. Paint wise, she turned out really good. My only regret is not picking a mold with a longer mane/tail for this particular pattern so that the rainbow color showed up better but that's my fault, not Stone's. Whether intentional or not, she has a darker pink dorsal stripe down her back. Speaking of Breyer, many are wondering when are we going to see the next releases? It seems that the Tractor Supply hype is leveling out. I have removed them from my website after having orders canceled on me when I tried to purchase them online and I still haven't found any at my local stores. They still have lawn and garden stuff out, and are still selling chicks, so it might not be until October/November. The holiday horse, Snowbird, has shown up at some Tractor Supply stores as well. Breyer has leaked out two different pictures of the holiday horse, a light grey with dappled legs and a darker shaded grey. While I was kind of hoping for the light grey, it appears the dark grey is the one seen popping up at Tractor Supply, although the shading amongst the grey has varied greatly with some being a lot lighter than others. Let's hope we hear some news from Breyer soon. Yes, these delays are tiring but understand that, as I said above, if Breyer came back to the US, prices would rise considerably. To keep prices low, I'm willing to wait for my promised models, whatever it takes, just so I can continue affording the hobby. There are a lot of Stones from Equilocity I'd love to purchase but can't because of the price. Our models will come, y'all, we just have to be patient.
Ashley
9/12/2022 09:24:22 am
Great Article! It covered a lot of different subjects and you are so right! I would never be able to afford Breyers if they moved production back to the US. 9/12/2022 04:34:16 pm
Firefly also has "mare bits". And Weathergirl. :) Really good article! Thoroughly enjoyed the read. :) Thank you! Comments are closed.
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