The Forgotten Generation

Star Wars tickets were successfully purchased, with a minimum of drama. And why yes, I am super-excited about the SPACE HORSES.

The connection between the model horse community and the science-fiction one is long and well-documented, so I will be very disappointed in you guys (waving hand at entirety of the model horse community) if I don’t see any Orback customs by BreyerFest at the latest. Get to it, everybody!

Anyway.

I only just skimmed my issue of Just About Horses (it arrived yesterday) so I’ll leave that for another time, other than to express the sentiment that I am sure is on the lips – or in the thoughts – of many model horse hobbyists: an injection-molded Akhal-Teke, at last!

No, what I want to discuss today is my annoyance at some of the early 70th Anniversary merchandise, like this Journal here:

(There’s also a blanket and a beach towel.)

Conceptually, these products should appeal to me as both a quilt designer and a Breyer historian. And at first glance, they did.

But then I took a closer look at it, and realized that… this was not terribly well-thought out or well-executed.

I think they started out with the idea of seven different models for each of the seven different decades, but started taking some liberties with it when they realized there weren’t that many horse molds released in the 1950s.

And by the end of it, it looks like they just decided to use whatever silhouettes they had on file.

Not only that, there are a number of historical errors in it. The Family Arabian Stallion probably debuted in 1959; the Family Arabian Mare debuted ca. 1960, not 1958 – that was the Old Mold/Proud Arabian Mare; the Running Mare was probably released in 1962, not 1961; and of course, the Zippo Pine Bar was a 1999 release, not a 2007 one.

(The graphic for Zippo obviously being cribbed from the 30th Anniversary BreyerFest graphic without being properly edited, I presume.)

I am also not thrilled that, like the generation that grew up on them (frantically waves hands) – models from the 1980s were largely ignored. Only four models from that decade were included, but three from the last two years – Bristol, Hamilton and Georg – were?

Not cool, Reeves. 

While it may be true that the 1980s were considered the least artistically successful decade in Breyer History, many of those molds are still in active use today. I’d consider some of them more historically significant – at least, at this moment in time – than newer releases like Latigo or Desatado.

Phar Lap (1985) was used for the first BreyerFest Celebration Horse Dr. Peaches; Buckshot (1985) has appeared as a BreyerFest Raffle Model, Prize Model, and Live Show Benefit Model (Winchester, Pele and Reno, respectively); Roy (1989) was sculpted by the legendary Francis Eustis and recently used as a BreyerFest Celebration Model; and Secretariat (1987) was Chris Hess’s last official sculpt for Breyer and also Secretariat.

So I would have swapped out a few of the 2000/2010 models with a few of those, and maybe included the Fury/Prancer and one of the Nonhorse molds (Boxer or the Brahma Bull) from the 1950s to even things out a bit.

But what do I know, right?

Roany Roys

Chamonix for me? Of course not, silly. Silver Filigrees never take the easy way to this house! Eh, I should be selling more than buying anyway (speaking of, anyone need a Bowland?) As for the latest newest Web SRs - a Running Mare and Foal set in pinto - we'll get to them next time.

As expected, the photograph of the BreyerFest Roy is much better seen on paper than it is via an out of focus cell phone pic: shaded Bay, with lighter-colored feathering, dark gray hooves, a slightly sunbleached mane, tri-colored eyes, and light overspray-style roaning. I think hobbyists will be surprised in a good way - once they look at it for what it is, and not for what they wish it was.  

This is not the first time they’ve put a Roan paint job on Roy, but it is the first time that it could pass for a Roan without qualification.

The first attempt was the first non-Roy release: the #837 Belgian Brabant, introduced in 1991, the year after Roy was discontinued. He’s commonly described as a Dun; like most of the other models in the Catalogs and Manuals at the time, he had no official color description.

According to one internal Reeves document I have ca. 1992 (contemporaneous with his production) he was described as a Bay Roan. That’s how I thought of him back then, when I gave him any thought at all: another not-entirely-successful attempt at more realistic roaning.

A few years later, in 1996, they tried a slightly different style of Roan Roy, this one named Sebastian (#953). Slightly different is being a bit charitable; heck, calling him weird would not be out of bounds. How else would you describe a horse with a blue-gray mane, tail and body, and dark chestnut lower face and legs? As a Chimera, maybe?

Either they had some very interesting reference photos to go by, or there was some miscommunication somewhere - the same level of "the telephone game" that gave us a Buckshot Blue Roan Belgian back when.

(Hey, now there’s another vintage color revival I can get behind!)

Anyway, as for the people making yuck faces over Roy - young or old - just treat him the same way you treated the Glossy Black Goffert this year. There are tons of options to choose from. Sell them cheap-cheap, donate them to charity, hand them off to the passing tourists at the Park, chop ‘em up as bodies (it’s a Eustis sculpt - surely there’s something worth salvaging there), paint them orange and use them as high-concept jack o’ lanterns…

Or better yet - use them to upsell the hobby to others (like my National Model Horse Day idea)!

Roy’s ideally suited for the job. His thick limbs and pleasant demeanor make him an excellent first horse for kids. Lots of nonhobby folks (especially older guys!) love Draft Horses in general, out of fond memories of the family farm, beer hitches in local parades, or draft horse pulls at the fair. That it represents a rare breed (Ardennes) with a fascinating and ancient history would appeal to people interested in either history, or maintaining livestock diversity.

And it’s a BreyerFest Celebration Horse, so he’d make a good advertisement for the event, and the hobby itself.

See? Every model horse can have a value and purpose! Even Roy.

Chamonix

Nailed it! The next Web Special, Chamonix:

Silver Filigree Ashquar! Interesting little detail worth noting: the hooves are a different color than the ears and muzzle. Silver Filigrees haven’t been consistent on that point: just as often as not, the head and hoof colors match - most recently on the BreyerFest Silver Filigree Misty.

I’ll be entering every day - my Mont Tremblant needs a boyfriend - but doubt I’ll get him. As with most low-run Silver Filigrees, speculating will likely be an issue with this one. I won’t be heartbroken if I don’t get pulled for one. It’s not like he was a Kitten, a Khemosabi, a Polled Hereford Bull or a Traditional Man o’ War.

(Again, I want to reiterate: it was an educated guess, not the result of any insider intel. I’m just a little better than most at reading the signs. Making a ton of predictions also helps.)

In other news, per the Just About Horses that are just starting to show up, I was also partially right about the imminent reappearance of the Western Horse: there’s a shiny Appaloosa one named Glitterati being offered next year to celebrate the Western Horse’s 65th anniversary.

I thought the mold would show up in the Vintage Club first, but I am on board with this as well. Plus, I think he’d make an excellent model to use for a hobby outreach campaign.

Organizing a "National Model Horse Day" campaign has been in the back of my mind ever since a coworker mentioned National Clown Week back in August. (Yes, she's a professional clown. Not scary at all, either!) If clowns get a week, surely this great hobby of ours is worthy of a day, right? I wouldn't have to be Breyer-specific or anything like that, just a day to publicly celebrate and advocate for the hobby that gives us so much pleasure.

"National Model Horse Day: Because everyone does deserve a pony!"

Okay, off my soapbox now.

The BreyerFest Celebration Horse will be a Bay Roan Ardennes, on the Roy mold. Most of us were expecting something Drafty - likely a Percheron - so an Ardennes is a pleasant surprise. I don’t have my copy of the JAH yet to judge the quality of the paint job, but I’ve been hearing good things.

It’s nice to see more warm fuzzies about the selection of the Roy mold than I expected on Blab. He’s not one of my favorite molds, personally, but I’ve always believed it was partly because he’s had such a bland lineup of paint jobs over the years. The recent BreyerFest Special Run Radar showed just how much a pretty paint job can mend. 

But I’m sure we’ll be hearing plenty to the contrary, too. I find it so baffling that some hobbyists are willing to bail on the event based on a the very first release - sort of like bailing on a concert because you don’t like the opening act. While we’ve had both beauties and clinkers over the years, the event hasn’t been exclusively about the "Celebration Horse" for years.

And finally, it seems like the Maureen Love article in the JAH is mostly a tease, and noncommittal on the return of the Hagen-Renaker molds. I’ll have to wait and read it myself to see if I can discern anything more from it.

Dwelling on the Pit, Pt. I

Things are almost back to normal; pretty much everything except the paperwork is done. The paperwork will take a while, but I don’t mind, considering the quality of the stuff (the paper, and the horses) that I brought home. I’m going to have to have a sale on all the leftovers and upgraded stuff pretty soon. Maybe I’ll just sell it all as a lot, save some time…

Here’s a scan of the Armstrong Supply Company logo from the brochure I mentioned last week, just to prove I wasn’t talking out of my butt:


I did some cursory research, but wasn’t able to find anything more about the company - what happened to it, how long it was in business, or whether it’s now operating under a different name or something. At least I have a name and address to work with now.

My horse pickings were pretty modest this year: almost entirely stuff from the NPOD:

• Escondido
• Silver Charm Newsworthy
• Pink Poodle
• Lady Liberty
• Pintaloosa Standing Stock Horse Fun Foal
• Pippen (blue roan POA - in a Racehorse box? Odd.)
• Buttermilk (older Adios release in a JCP XMAS box, with video)
• 2009 and 2010 Dealer Catalogs
• Two Radars (one for me, one for a friend)
• LSE G2 "Denim" Arabian

I passed on the Alborozos, the Connoisseurs (The Widowmaker, Giselle, Gilen, Oasis), didn’t need a Frappe or Summer Solstice, missed all of the other Fun Foals, and I wasn’t "offered" any of the FEI Straplesses or LSE Sassies. (Apparently I wasn’t deemed worthy enough by the Breyer staffers - more on that later.) I thought about getting the other two Medalist Ponies, but interest seemed surprisingly low on them, so I figured I could wait another year on them and hope the price gets docked even more. The Silver is the one I really, really wanted anyway, and the $75 price tag was exactly what I was willing to pay for it.

I didn’t see any Autumns, no TSC or Mid-States pre-releases, no Christmas Catalog stuff except for the actual Christmas-themed pieces (Jewel, the ornaments, etc.) I just missed getting the last Music City (as did one of my roommates) and at one point I thought I was being offered a test/station sample of a Silver/Hobo, but I don’t know if that was just a case of bragging or affirmation, instead. (Annoying, but water over the bridge at this point.)

Lots of other stuff, too - the usual BreyerFest leftovers, recently discontinued items, new releases, clothing, odds and ends. They had Cream and Cocoa, but at the regular retail price - too rich for my blood. Not a bad assortment of pickings this year, overall.

Things did seem to go a little bit smoother this time around, but I don’t think much of what Reeves did had anything to do with it. It’s pretty much the same group of people who punish themselves every year with this nonsense, and we know how to police ourselves by now. There were the usual bad actors and cutters, but nothing is going to stop them short of serious professional intervention.

Reeves did enforce the one item per person rule on the Radars, more or less (allegedly they were confiscating multiple Radars from people in the checkout line, but I didn’t witness that personally.) I got one on the first day, and a second on Saturday for my friend, when I realized just how nice he really was in person. There are two versions - one with subtle dapples, and the other with more dramatic ones - though I couldn’t tell you which one is the more rare of the two. I got one of each, and I’m having a hard time deciding which one to keep. I might let my friend make the decision for me.

I was a little alarmed by the feeding frenzy associated with the Radar. He’s nice, but not elbow-to-eyeball nice. Things were nowhere near as crazy for Toby last year; it makes me wonder if the news about the nature of the "Store Special" has finally sunk in with the greater collecting public (i.e. lower piece run, no ticket required.) If that’s the case, Reeves really does need to step up their game in regards to the Pit, especially if next year’s Store Special is really something.

And regarding the Strapless and LSE leftovers, That Foal, That YouTube video, and the misadventures of my Hat - well, we’ll discuss that tomorrow.

On Radar

Overtime this week, again. The money is greatly appreciated, but I’d rather be here, writing. (Or even better, have a job that involves writing. I think the folks conducting SETI are getting more of a response to their search than I am to mine. Anyone want a copy of my resume? Relocating is not a problem!)

So Radar is Roy. Hmm, didn’t see that coming. I thought they’d go with a lower price point like they’ve done with the past couple of "tent specials," but maybe the relatively simple paint job is the cost-cutting move here.

We haven’t seen Roy in a while - over a decade, in fact, with the 740 Percheron Cross in Black, and the 1999 Sears Holiday SR in Alabaster. He’s pleasant enough a mold - not a favorite, but I don’t dislike him, either. Part of the problem is that most of the colors he’s been released in have been uninspiring; I think it says something that my favorite color on him is the Black. The 1992 Liver Chestnut’s not bad, either, but I’d like that color on almost any mold.

I know Francis Eustis has a lot of fans in the model horse community, but I’m not one of them. It has nothing to do with whether or not Roy is a faithful translation of Eustis’s work, or the rumored friction between him and Breyer. It’s entirely subjective: most of his work - though well-done from a technical standpoint - simply does not move or inspire to me. End of story.

Now, if I happened to find a Eustis Original somewhere in my travels, for a reasonable price, I’d certainly not hesitate to rescue it. (I did find one once, locally; the price was … amusing.) I would probably turn around and sell it to someone else who’d appreciate it more. I might hesitate a bit if it were one of his Drafts; I like his Drafts more than the rest of his work. His reverence for the heavy horses really shines through them.

I have an interesting article about Eustis in my archives; there was a long and well-illustrated article about him in the August 1970 issue of Western Horseman, "Animal Sculptor and Painter: F.W. Eustis." Here’s a photo from the article of him working in his studio:


Another interesting note: on the third page of the article, there’s also an announcement of the winners of Breyer’s "Name the Yearling" Contest. The contest was not a Western Horseman exclusive, but Breyer did promote it heavily there - another topic for another time, of course. A number of the names included on the list of winners were variations of Roy, inspired by the fact that the contest’s prize was a yearling sired by Roy Deck.

And 19 years later, Breyer releases a Eustis-sculpted model, named Roy. Just a coincidence, I’m sure, but a spooky-cool one!

So anyway, as you might have guessed, I’m not quite as enthused about the Radar as the chattering class on Blab are. I’ll have to see a better photograph before I make my decision; if the paint job is anything like that of the UK SR "Strikey," it might sway me. They seem to have done a nice job detailing out his face, so I will try to be optimistic.