Gray Hoof Midnight Sun

It’s been another long couple of days here, so here’s a treasure I unearthed during the recent collection cleanout (it’s almost done now, thank goodness):

It’s the Gray Hoof variation of the Midnight Sun! He’s not in the best condition, but I’m glad to have him, as he’s a remarkably tough bugger to find. It was the first/original variation of the #60 Midnight Sun release, who debuted in 1972.

The slightly later – and more common – variation of the Midnight Sun has some tan or light brown shading on those hooves and significantly more overspray issues, to the point where they sometimes appear to have short, foggy gray socks.

(You silly kids who think quality control is a recent issue! Pshaw!)

The hooves of the gray-hooved variation of Midnight Sun tend to be neater and cleaner, with my example being a bit on the fuzzier end.

I made the mistake of passing a near mint but somewhat pricey example (for me) at a local antique show; to assuage my guilt, I promised myself that I would buy the next available one I could find, and a couple years later this guy turned up on eBay.

I’d love to upgrade him, but he’s somewhat of a low priority right now; basically it’s another “I’ll buy him when I see him” situation. Since I’m trying to minimize my extracurricular purchases this year, I am not optimistic that it’ll happen any time soon, but I am not one to say never in my neck of the woods.