A Smart Chic Here, A Smart Chic There...

The Smart Chic Olena mold is rapidly becoming my modern equivalent of the Stretched Morgan mold: beautiful ones keep finding their way to me. Last year I got one of those “mystery” (Sample? Prepro? Test Batch?) Smart and Shineys from the NPOD; this year this fellow was part of my BreyerFest booty:

One of the predictions was correct: the Volunteer model was not a solid! The Appaloosa part was a bit of a surprise, since the last (and only other) Appaloosa Volunteer Special was the funky airbrushed leopard Zippo Pine Bar Zeppelin, from 1999.

The details on Parfait are amazing: striped hooves, handpainted light brown eyes, body shading, a lacy masked blanket. And roan, of course: three of my four Volunteer models are roans - black, bay and (now) chestnut.

I love roans, so that’s not a problem. It’s just a funny coincidence. (Well, I hope it is. I’ve actually been told most of these coincidences are. But some days I’m not sure.)

Then a few weeks ago, I ran across another lovely (and cheap!) SCO at the flea market – a new in box Topsails Rien Maker! He was promptly set free to join his brethren:

I had been eyeing that release for a while now, but I’ve been trying to watch the pennies lately, so a straight-up retail purchase was out of the question. Then this one showed up, along with the Missouri Fox Trotter Maverick, one of last year’s Tractor Supply Specials.

I’m undecided on the Maverick still; he’s very nice, but I’ve been trying to not get emotionally attached to him. Most likely he’ll be a part of my “pay off the credit card” year-end sales.

Speaking of Tractor Supply Specials, this year’s models will be rolling out in the next few weeks, depending on your local store’s timetable for setting up their holiday merchandise. One we already know: it’s a Matte Palomino(-ish) Wyatt, named Jesse. I’d love to get my hands on one, but again, that darn budget is getting in the way.

The second we only know by its name: Chance. If they follow the formula from last year, Chance will be a slightly older mold, and also spotted. I’m not in the mood or the mind to speculate any further on mold or color, other than I think it might be an Appaloosa of some sort, too.

I’m just hoping it’s not something I’ll have to arm wrestle my local hobbyists for.