Struggling with the words again, today. I just finished up a big writing project for work which has left me with an overwhelming need to work with my hands, but it looks like the sewing machine is going to be out of commission for a few weeks due to a service backup, too.
Tax paperwork and inventory it is then, for the month of January…
For obvious reasons, I’d rather not be one of those people, but so far I haven’t been all that into this year’s BreyerFest reveals. Except for the Constantia Via Lattea, of course. And much to my relief, she’s a Limited Edition!
As I’ve explain before, I haven’t had a lot of happy fun time on the Internet lately, so I apparently missed all the brouhaha over Constantia’s Premier Club release paint job. This I do not particularly understand: over-the-top paint jobs on Premier Club releases are just par for the course, right?
I love home improvement-type shows, but I always roll my eyes at the obligatory parts of the show where potential homebuyers complain about the paint or wallpaper. The most superficial, easy-to-fix stuff! If you can’t see the bones because of the paint…
This means all three of last year’s Premier Club releases will have BreyerFest releases this year. That’s not altogether unusual, but it is that they were the first Traditional releases they officially announced. That makes me optimistic that we might see a bit more vintage goodness than average this year?
The other two Premier Club molds aren’t doing much for me, though. In a shocking twist: they’re just not realistic enough for my tastes!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for less realistic/more artistic sculpts: if someone was to randomly send me a von Hamilton in the mail someday, I would not complain at all.
But the Zafirah represents an aspirational body type I simply think shouldn’t be encouraged. The paint job they put on her is lovely, and camouflages some of the issues I have with her, but I don’t know if it’s enough to persuade me to buy her.
And I feel like I’m the only one in the world right now who is not in love with Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig’s Amazigh Stallion Anamar on any level.
Well okay, his mane is nice.
Now I didn’t hate the stenciled dappling on its original Premier Club release; they’ve been experimenting with that concept for years. While they do look a bit odd on Anamar, that’s mostly because of their starkness. With a little tweaking on the technique – using those dapples as base layer, instead of as the finishing touch – they’ll look miles better than the goofy hand-airbrushed star dapples. Probably save on labor costs, too.
But the more realistic color of Speos doesn’t make me want one any more than I did before. He still falls a little too much on the cartoonish side for my tastes. For better or worse, Speos reminds me a little bit of the original chestnut release of Sherman Morgan. Although I have warmed up to Sherman Morgan in more recent years, he’s still not high on my list of favorites.
As for the sneak peek that’s probably Brighty, I am also not overly enthused. At least it’s not going to be another Bull mold? It’s not so much whether or not I’ll like it, but the fact that it will be exceedingly hard to get.
Even absolutely ordinary, run-of-the-mill Regular Run Brighties are going for $50 to $75 nowadays, which boggles my mind. They don’t strike me as that kind of scarce, but I’ve been out of the Brighty market for a while, so maybe it’s just me.
19 comments:
No I personally don't like ANY of last year's PC molds. Arab looks lame with that hind leg. Pacers paint job was hideous, should have done a nice dappled bay and made a lot of people happy. And that chunky wannabe Alborozo meh no thanks.
Regarding star dapples: Thank you!!!
I hated Anamar (still don't like him), but a friend of mine loved him, so I basically gave my Anamar away for shipping costs. The other two PC models are okay, IMO, but not enough so that I decided to stay in the club this year. I think he's just too chunky for me!
Thank you! I feel like the only one who’s hated Anamar. His neck is just too big - especially compared to his hindquarters and super short back
Maybe that Brighty might end up being an online exclusive like the Rhenish Draft last year. Would make sense since he is very popular and has already been a Store Special and Special Run in the past.
The only brightys I have are the Xmas box on with lights and wall street I like Amar but I think it's mostly the pr paint job which to my fuzzy eyes at a short distance looks beautiful but yes they could have branded the stars in a but more I live the zafir. I recognize she's not really a good body type but as someone with a few hundred stone Arabians I can fit her in well with them. I also would have much preferred the standard bred had not had the grey roaring? Effect. As someone physically incapable with my resources to attend breakfest I can really only hope for what is offered online I'm still looking for a stein to hit under 100$ which probably means never so I won't hold out for the pacer but I think she's beautiful if the "white" I wish they had done a production run on that mold too
Relieved to find out I'm not the only person who dislikes Zafirah. I mean, I WANT to like her, but with those physical problems, I just can't. On the other hand, the Constantia looks amazing!
Anamar would look perfectly fine...in bronze, with a General on his back, at the top of some war memorial. For a Breyer mold meant to be 'showable' the shoulder is out of proportion, way too long and bulging. He looks like he tried to mount the wrong mare and ended up with a massive hematoma for his trouble. That wouldn't explain his shoulder being 1.5xs the length of his head rather than the same length but it does cover what looks like swelling instead of bulging muscle. Maybe set him up as Marengo in the famous painting of Napoleon Bonaparte if you want to use the original grey.
Ha! I like the Anamar! True- why bother with a "realistic" paint job on that guy. Like the modernistic Doe & Buck, or poor Khemosabi...
I love that paint job though- it would look fabulous on so many Breyers. On poor Anamar, the stockings on the raised feet probably
exaggerate his weird proportions.
Anamar's not too exaggerated for what he is- better known as a Barb. They're some oddly built horses! I quite like him. And Constantia. I might be the one person who even likes the club color, even if the attempt at sabino roaning makes her look more like she's running through fog than roaned.
Zafirah, though. . . I keep trying to like her, but I don't think I'll be keeping mine, so the BF release won't come here either, even though the paint job is nice. I'm hoping for a detailed sabino on a draft for the vintage instead. Would definitely be an appropriate year for multiple vintage molds though, so I'm going to join you in hoping. No such thing as too many vintage drafts!
I don’t mind Anamar as much as Zafirah. His neck is a bit chunky but the more you look at Barb horses, the more it makes sense. I won’t be getting the Zafirah SR, though the color is nice. Unsure about the Anamar, so I’ll have to see the other releases first. Constantina is just meh. I would like the LE if she had eyewhites. Looks like her eyes are just plain black from the stock photos, but we’ll see.
As for the suspected Brighty… not sure about him. I don’t collect Brighty and I can’t justify spending a whole lot in something I don’t collect, so I’ll just see how this plays out.
I understand the gripe about last years premier club, but I like Anamar the best. Constantina’s color just wasn’t realistic and, well, we all know about Zafirah. I am, however, intrigued by next year’s club.
True that. Barb horses are strange looking, but their necks are quite large in proportion to the rest of their body.
Interesting point- I waz wondering if Constantina was albino. Then wouldn't she have more complex eyes?
*sigh* "waz"? :^)
I like Zafira in this new color despite that she's not my favorite type of arabian, EXCEPT... that front. That has to be the shortest forearm I've ever seen on any horse, model or living. I just can't get past it. I hate it because I very much like the new black and white color. I really wish they would change the mold and fix that flaw!
I'm glad someone finally explained the reason Constantina looked like she'd been left out in the sun too long. Roaning! Ah, so not sun-faded book cover. (That was my initial impression.) I do like the Anamar, and I also agree about the dapples being to stark. I joined the PC this year because I liked the Paso Fino, and now I'm super excited since there's probably a draft mare and foal to look forward to.
The white BF Constantina is tempting me to get an online ticket, but what I really pine for is a racehorse mold honoring Sodashi. Not a BF thing, but I'd love to see. I have Mischief the Holiday Donkey, and his scruffiness matches the hint. With the prices of BF models being as high as they are, I'd probably need to limit myself to two. Not sure if he'd make the list, depending on what else comes down the pipe.
Gah!! **TOO stark** not to... sigh. I committed my most loathed proofreading typo mistake. >:(
Albinism doesn’t actually exist in horses. She’s basically a Pinto who is one gigantic spot. Her eyes could realistically be brown or blue.
I like Zaphirah, but it may be because I live near Scottsdale and she reminds me of all the multi-million dollar horses around here. (Which probably bolsters your point Andrea, and rightly so). I'm hopeful this means I might be able to snag her with my online ticket, because I seem to be in the minority in liking her so much. I like the chestnut Anamar too, but am realistic enough to realize I probably won't be able to snag him easily in the secondary market. You never know, though. The Brighty is adorable but I'm reconciled to admiring him from afar and wishing luck to those who can make it in person. I'll be super happy if I get Araba!
The Appy reveal today - I am definitely not the target audience. I like the molds, and I like how the mare's legs are painted, but I personally prefer blanket Appys. The pair seem to be popular though, so I hope that those who want them can get them.
Post a Comment