No, I’m not starting a Devo cover band, either.

So yeah, I bought a bullwhip at the flea market the other day.


Why? The notion of using it as a crowd control device at BreyerFest may have played a factor, but mostly it was because it was there, it was cheap, and the thought of owning it amused me. (If nothing else, it'll make for a very ... interesting chew toy for the dog.)

I pretty much have the same philosophy when it comes to buying horses. I’m not the kind of hobbyist with a tightly defined want list: if something is cheap, and available, I’ll consider it. If it also amuses me in some way, I will buy it. End of story.

That would explain why I bought another Lady Roxana over the weekend. She was in the same collection as the Toadster, though in considerably better condition. I also bought her beau Sham, just because it seemed like the right thing to do at the time:


I’m not sure I’ll be keeping them - I don’t really need another Lady Roxana and the Sham, like every other Sham I’ve ever owned, has issues. Considerably fewer issues than most of the ones I’ve owned in the past, but enough to make me question his "keeper" status.

You know how there are some models you keep trying to upgrade, but in the end all you end up doing is trading out one set of bothersome flaws for another? That’s how it is with me and the original release of Sham. I have no idea how many Shams I’ve gone through over the years, but it’s been a lot. Like, running out of fingers and having to take off my shoes and socks to count, a lot.

What’s funny is that I’m not even looking for one of those "Perfect Commons" I talked about a few weeks back. I just want a presentable, garden-variety piece of arm candy for my original Lady Roxana, who’s mint and lovely and totally deserves it. And I just can’t find one.

There are probably a couple of things working against me here. The first is that most Shams were made in the mid- to late 1980s, an era known for its quality control issues. The second is my horse-buying philosophy: when you limit yourself to what you can find at the lowest possible price, the selection your have to choose from isn’t going to be primo.

I thought this guy might have been "the one" when I bought him, but nope: closer examination revealed a paint skip, molding flaws, box rub. He does have nice color and the wheat ear mark working in his favor, though. I’ll have to give it a little more thought.