Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Moody Molds in Basic Black

Vita is basically back to being her usual pain in the butt self. We finally figured out the secret of getting her to stop making her "yucky" face at dinner time: chicken broth. She hasn’t been begging so much at the table, either, which we think is because she now thinks she’s already getting table food. (To be honest, it almost is.)

Looks like it’s my turn to be sick today: my back hurts, I’m nauseous, and I have a migraine. I have tomorrow off, so I can (I hope) sleep most of my aches and pains away. (I’m blaming any typos today, most justifiably, on the migraines.)

Reeves finally got around to mentioning some of the Reissues on their Facebook page - four days after they appeared on the web site, and three days after I mentioned them here. Who needs Facebook when you got me, right?

(A big portion of the hobby, still, and a couple of friends who have completely abandoned me. Didn’t they all get the memo that Facebook is like totally uncool now? I heard it on the radio, so it must be true.)

There are also a couple of (apparently) unauthorized photos of some 2014 releases floating about the Internet, including one of a Black Big Ben as an Royal Canadian Mounted Police Horse. He looks great in "basic black", but then again, most Moody molds do: whatever their anatomical or stylistic issues, you can’t deny they all have beautiful silhouettes - and black paint jobs do a good job of accentuating them.

I don’t have a lot of Big Bens in my collection - not for a lack of trying, but most of the ones I really love I can’t afford. Like the 2005 FEI Gift Model in Dark Bay, the 2006 Volunteer model in Gloss Dark Bay/Brown Sabino, Nautical, 1998 BreyerFest Copenhagen Serengeti…

I didn’t have an original Big Ben until recently, and I’m not so sure he’s an "original" either:


He’s another one of those things I found in the Sample boxes at BreyerFest. At first I thought he was a Sample for the WEG Reissue of the Big Ben, but now I’m not so sure. He could have been an ordinary, later run Big Ben that someone bought or brought into the offices, for whatever reason. Other vintage (sometimes, pre-Reeves!) models have made their way into the Sample boxes before, so it's not as far-fetched an idea as it seems.

I don’t have either the WEG Reissue or an off-the-shelf original, so I can’t verify his status one way or another.

Regardless of what he is, I like him and he’s staying.

6 comments:

RowanMorgaine said...

There's a (presumably authorized) picture of the RCMP Big Ben on the last page of Greenhawk's fall flyer here - http://greenhawk.com/images/pdf/eflyers/Sept2013/index.html

Katie said...

I'm not a big fan of Big Ben. I don't really seem to care for any of Moody's molds. Sorry Moody lovers! I am just one of these "new" collectors who prefers the newer molds to the vintage ones. Thank you for this blog though, it's one of my favorites!!

Anonymous said...

I have to laugh as maybe it is my age but to me Big Ben is not *that* old :) I have...er, had 2. One is the Milton and the other I resculpted the forelock and he's now sitting in a certain BNA's closet or junk box for the past 13 years. Thanks first commenter for the link to the BB. He's still there :).

BluelineGoddess said...

The original Big Ben has some mold marks the newer ones don't... a JEH in tiny tiny letters under the mane that was sort of an easter egg by the mold maker, and that Breyer removed at some point (my original Big Ben has it, but my Double Exposure Big Ben does not). Thought there was some other initial deal on his tail but my original BB is packed up so I can't grab him and look over him.

Anonymous said...

Yikes. I hardly think Big Ben counts as a vintage model. Just saying. I think he looks great in black and can't wait to add him to my conga

Anonymous said...

My 1999 Big Ben has bi-eyes, if that helps.