Her Name is Dumpy

Not a bad flea market day; it was unbelievably cold, but clear. I picked up a nice Matte Black Walking Angus Bull, and a Jorgen Jensen Pewter Ring. I passed up some bodies; the prices were good and they were all intact, but none of them were high-demand or easy movers. I’ll consider them later in the season, when I’m desperate to fill up the body box for BreyerFest. A few good books, too, but like the bodies, they can wait.

The ring is a tad small, but adjustable, and very much my style: substantial and modern-looking. It was also a bit of a steal; because it has an adjustable shank, the vendor had tossed it into a box of cheap, "gumball-machine" jewelry. Awesome!

The Bull is very nice, too - just a bit dirty, with a few minor marks. He was also a good deal too, because of the whole "lacking the Breyer mold mark" thing. He wasn’t quite as exciting a find as the ring, though, because I already have one in that particular variation. (Paid way too much for it back in the day. Oh well, live and learn.) Once he’s had his bath, it’s straight to the saleslist for him.

Speaking of variations, here’s one you don’t see every day:


See? Told you.

She’s another one of those eBay impulse buys from a few years back - I mean, how could I NOT buy her? The price was reasonable, and you just don’t see that many models performing essential body functions - that body function, anyway.

You see variations in the tail positioning all the time, especially in newer models with thinner tails, like Strapless or Lonesome Glory. But the Family Arabian Mare? Good grief, it’s practically a tree trunk!

There’s an indent at the base of the tail that points to the plastic being warm and bendable when it occurred, which makes me think her little accident before she left the factory, not after. The tip of the tail is slightly flattened, too, but still bears the factory paint - further evidence of some strange factory shenanigans. The kind of impact required to move a tail of that density would have left a mark - on both the horse, and whatever it came in contact with.

I suppose there could have been some strange confluence of events outside of the factory that could have led to her acquiring this most distinctive characteristic; we’ve all seen our share of some pretty messed-up models on eBay. But the fact that she’s in otherwise decent shape - no smoke stains, bloating, or major finish damage - rules out most scenarios I can dream up.

(I can, however, imagine the reaction of whatever person - child, or adult - who may have received her as a gift. And why she didn’t get played with all that much.)

One good thing about her unfortunate condition is that it revealed something - something I’ll cover in my next post.