The Not a Surprise

It was raining this morning, so no flea market. I picked up a bunch of odds and ends (no Breyers, no horse-shaped objects) at the Salvation Army on Friday, so the weekend wasn’t a total loss.

They finally announced the Gambler’s Choice/Surprise Special for BreyerFest on Friday, too (announced as in "quietly added the information to the web site.")

No. 711145 - Stoneleigh Surprise!

Four horses are ready to go out for a ride!
Which one will you get for your trip through the British countryside!?

Could be anything, though I’d probably rule out most of the draft molds. (Yes, I know some people ride Drafters. Still doesn’t make it likely.) Also, in spite of the hostile commentary, I’d rule out most of the distinctly American-style molds too, because contrary to what they’ve been writing, most of the mold and color selections fit within the "British" theme just fine. (Not all, true, but most do.)

For some reason, both the Flash and the Gem Twist molds spring to mind. Newsworthy and Bouncer are still contenders, and there’s the possibility of a new mold in the mix somewhere.

That a new mold is coming is almost a certainty at this point: the mystery here is in what capacity. Sure, it could be the Surprise - wouldn’t that be a kicker! - but we still haven’t heard word one about the Raffle models yet, either. Don’t we usually know about them by now?

Going with what we’ve seen before, the Surprise will be one mold, in three colors and/or patterns, and one "rare" color/pattern/finish. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the three colors might be suggestive of the Olympics: a Chestnut for a "Gold", a Grey for a "Silver", and a Bay/Buckskin/Dun for a "Bronze". (The obvious flaw in this concept: I don’t know what that would mean for a fourth color.)

I am surprised that hobbyists are surprised that there is a surprise (take THAT, English Grammar!) but I guess I shouldn’t be. In spite of their proclamations to the contrary, what most hobbyists possess are not facts or knowledge, but opinions, which are not quite the same things. 

(Note: I am not a whole lot different, but I like to think my opinions are at least better informed.)

The sense of entitlement to information has been another factor dissuading me from participating in forums of late. I try my best to provide what information I can, but I get the feeling that a significant portion of people - not just hobbyists, but "normal" people, too - expect everything they need to know delivered to them personally.

That’s not how the world works. I know not everyone loves - or is even moderately good at - doing research, but if you really want to compete or participate at a certain level at anything, you really just gotta buckle down and do it. You can’t leave that kind of work to someone else.