Ashes

At last, a release that doesn’t do a whole lot for me:

And that’s fine. I’m sure he’ll be lovelier in person, as most Breyer releases are. I remember not being particularly in love with the Vintage Club Chalky Alabaster Cantering Welsh Pony when I initially saw him, and then when my Gambler’s Choice arrived, I found myself smitten.

What will be nice about the Chalky finish is that it’ll emphasize all of the sculpting details that tend to get overlooked in discussions about Kathleen Moody’s sculpting style; hobbyists tend to get derailed by her manes and tails.

(For the record, I am pro-hair. If my love of Emma does not make that obvious!)

But again, Ash doesn’t float my boat. There have been a lot of Othello releases, and a lot of Othello releases in some variation of Dapple Gray, like the 2001 Volunteer Model The Poet. If it had been in another color that the mold hadn’t come in as often (Bay Roan?) I might have considered him.

One positive outcome: no more silly talk about the Othello being the Surprise release! With the reveal yesterday at BreyerWest that Brishen is being used for a Store Special, though, that means I either have to recalibrate my guess there, or hope my second choice (Croi Damsha) is still in the running.

Another positive spin I am putting on him is that it might make my life easier if I – as is usually the case – am stuck in the middle or the back of the line during my ticket times. As others use their slots to snap up Ash, I’ll have a better shot at getting items I am more interested in.

The only release (so far) that I absolutely positively need is the Angus Bull/Hamish, with the Georg/Oak definitely being a contender. I’m pretty sure that’s going to change once we get the Drafter section out of the way and get a pony mold or two in the lineup.

Aside from the (obvious to me) Croi, who else? Will it be something more modern like the Bouncer or Emma, or more Vintage like the Shetland Pony or Cantering Welsh?

I am good either way.