Nothing much at the flea market again, this week. This I consider a good thing, since every time I log onto Blab I end up throwing more money at the Breyer web site. (Honestly, I should have just direct-deposited my check into Reeves account this week!)
This time it was a "Second Chance" offering to Collector’s Club members of the most recent Web Specials: Mont Tremblant, I’m Yours, Fall in Love, and Paddy. Announced via Twitter Saturday morning, all sold at issue price, only one item per customer. Since the only piece of the four I didn’t have was I’m Yours, and I’m no greedhead, that’s the one I caved on.
I didn’t bother to log on here to post anything about it because I assumed that the piece counts were infinitesimal - and that posting would be moot. I think everything except the I’m Yours is sold out at this point, though I haven’t really had the time to check to see if that’s still true or not. (Frankly, I’m a little afraid to!)
This sale is no reflection of the popularity - or lack thereof - of the Web Special program. No matter how tightly you run a program, there are going to be leftovers. What these represent were the leftovers of nonpaying customers, returns, and possibly some overage made to cover damages.
Actually, with the relative ease of entering these drawings, I wouldn’t be surprised if the redemption rates drop a bit. A lot of the people who couldn’t be bothered to put a stamp on an envelope before - or had their entreaties to enter rebuffed by their "financial caretakers" (parents) - can now enter anything and everything they want with a few mere mouse clicks.
If they "win" but cannot pay, oh well. No consequences for them, just more labor for Reeves, as they track down another buyer.
I admire Reeves’ marketing experimentation, but I do wish they’d space these experiments out a bit more. I guess they figured as long as they had all the extra staff on hand getting ready for the Kids Only Event, they might as well toss a few bones to the rest of us sitting at home trolling for gossip from said event.
It does make me worry about what’s going to show up in the NPOD this year, though I am relieved that I’m not going to have to witness any fistfights over leftover Mont Tremblants. Surprise SRs are nice (and I’m pretty darn positive it’s going to be more than just Killarney and Taskin), but what we really line up for are the oddball surprises - the failed experiments, abandoned concepts, leftovers, samples and whatnot.
What gives me hope is that most of this kind of stuff is difficult to distribute almost any other way. I just can’t imagine having a drawing - a la the Chestnut Esprit - for every single one of those things. It’s neither economically feasible, nor fair. And what fun is a big ol’ tent sale, without any surprises?
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Buried Treasure?
Another crazy work week, with an extra helping of drama. (This particular "drama" was something that was a long time coming. Didn’t make it any easier to deal with, though.)
I should just go back to bed (because I need it!) but there’s been quite a bit of drama in the model horse world over the past two days that I need to deal with, too.
I had a small window of opportunity to do a little web surfing on Thursday, so I dropped in on Blab for a few minutes of lurking. I noticed a new thread entitled "Buried Treasure?" and thought oh, someone must be talking about that self-published book about restoration I wrote a while back, of the same title. I still get the occasional inquiry about it, so I clicked on the thread to see if I needed to answer any questions about it, and …
Well, here’s what’s pretty much an accurate rendering of my ensuing internal monologue:
It was a rough week, and I was definitely in a "I deserve a pony!" frame of mind. Plus, it’s my birthday this weekend, and I hadn’t yet bought anything specifically for that reason.
I exhaled, crashed for a bit, then I woke up with a start and realized I needed to post a little something here, at least in the comments. (Note to self: really need to look into this "Twitter" thing.)
According to the write up on the web site, they were "discovered in the Breyer archives", though judging from the style and quality of the paint job, they hadn’t been sitting in the archive for very long.
What were they originally intended for? Prizes? Raffles? Volunteer giveaways? Heck if I know.
I know some people are doubting the truly "lost" nature of such a Special Run, but as someone who works in inventory management services, I am not. You’d be shocked how easily inventory can become lost or misplaced, even in a relatively small warehouse. All it takes is a couple of missed keystrokes, or a few mislabeled boxes, and POOF! There goes a few thousand dollars worth of merchandise.
We’ve also seen from recent finds in the NPOD - like the Glossy Summer Soltices, and the Palomino Appaloosa Proud Arabian Foals - that this is not an isolated incident. (Reeves, if you’re reading, I can gladly get you in touch with somebody to help you with that. No, really.)
I happen to think in this case that since they had significantly more than a dozen pieces for this horse, they decided to go a different route. Since they didn’t do any advertising at all, I could see it being a "word of mouth" marketing experiment - one that obviously worked!
Are there other "lost" SRs knocking around the Breyer warehouse? I have no doubt about it. Are any of them "piecey" enough to do this again? Time will tell.
I should just go back to bed (because I need it!) but there’s been quite a bit of drama in the model horse world over the past two days that I need to deal with, too.
I had a small window of opportunity to do a little web surfing on Thursday, so I dropped in on Blab for a few minutes of lurking. I noticed a new thread entitled "Buried Treasure?" and thought oh, someone must be talking about that self-published book about restoration I wrote a while back, of the same title. I still get the occasional inquiry about it, so I clicked on the thread to see if I needed to answer any questions about it, and …
Well, here’s what’s pretty much an accurate rendering of my ensuing internal monologue:
OMG! It’s a super-limited 62-piece metallic buckskin Foundation Stallion hidden on the Breyer web site! Where’s my credit card? @#$%! GAH!Not only that, I just happened to find it literally minutes after the thread was posted, so when I clicked on the link, I think they still had 61 of 62 pieces left. I had no idea at that point if they had, or were, going to do any other advertising for it, so I spent a good ten minutes in utter panic mode, until I received the "confirmation of your order" screen.
It was a rough week, and I was definitely in a "I deserve a pony!" frame of mind. Plus, it’s my birthday this weekend, and I hadn’t yet bought anything specifically for that reason.
I exhaled, crashed for a bit, then I woke up with a start and realized I needed to post a little something here, at least in the comments. (Note to self: really need to look into this "Twitter" thing.)
According to the write up on the web site, they were "discovered in the Breyer archives", though judging from the style and quality of the paint job, they hadn’t been sitting in the archive for very long.
What were they originally intended for? Prizes? Raffles? Volunteer giveaways? Heck if I know.
I know some people are doubting the truly "lost" nature of such a Special Run, but as someone who works in inventory management services, I am not. You’d be shocked how easily inventory can become lost or misplaced, even in a relatively small warehouse. All it takes is a couple of missed keystrokes, or a few mislabeled boxes, and POOF! There goes a few thousand dollars worth of merchandise.
We’ve also seen from recent finds in the NPOD - like the Glossy Summer Soltices, and the Palomino Appaloosa Proud Arabian Foals - that this is not an isolated incident. (Reeves, if you’re reading, I can gladly get you in touch with somebody to help you with that. No, really.)
I happen to think in this case that since they had significantly more than a dozen pieces for this horse, they decided to go a different route. Since they didn’t do any advertising at all, I could see it being a "word of mouth" marketing experiment - one that obviously worked!
Are there other "lost" SRs knocking around the Breyer warehouse? I have no doubt about it. Are any of them "piecey" enough to do this again? Time will tell.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Not Your Average Bear
My first reaction when I read the e-mail about the new Web Special Sucesion and Le Fire was: Only $135? What a deal! Seriously, that’s about 40 to 50 bucks cheaper than what boxed Regular Run sets of considerably greater piece runs are going for now. I thought with it being a two-piece set that they’d be charging a little bit more than that.
I’m not going to fuss over the affordability of the latest Web Special, though, since the flea market season is now officially underway.
It was another cold and quiet "opening day" on Sunday. There were quite a few horse-related objects lying about - used tack, potmetal carnival horses, tiles and other doodads - but I didn’t buy anything other than a couple of cute, Classics-scale ceramic Zebras of unknown origin for Mom. (They look vaguely Robert Simmons-ish.)
The big find of the week came the next day, when I stopped at the local Salvation Army on the way home from work. I needed a new wallet, and the only one I’d seen lately that I even remotely liked was a better-than-average knockoff I saw there last week. After picking it up, I took a quick cruise of the knick-knack aisle, and look who was nestled next to the Christmas decorations:
A pretty darn nice dark-faced variation of the Breyer Black Bear! When I picked her up, it appeared that she had some white housepaint speckled on her - something I see on a not-infrequent basis. A quick bath in hot soapy water and a gentle rubdown with a washcloth usually takes care of the problem.
After her bath, however, I discovered that some of those opaque white "paint flecks" weren’t paint flecks. They were rubs and chips down to the opaque white plastic. Such as this small gouge on the bottom of a rear paw:
She’s a White Plastic Chalky! Awesome!
I hadn’t heard of any Chalky Bears before; seeing as they have a dark, full-body paint job, they wouldn’t be immediately obvious to most hobbyists unless some damage - such as rubs or chips - happens to reveal it. They were within the realm of possibility, though, since the Black Bears were in production throughout the entire "Chalky Era", not being discontinued until the end of 1976.
That she’s a White Plastic Chalky is also somewhat typical of Nonhorse Chalkies - not all are, but a bigger-than-average percentage of them seem to be. I don’t know if it was a conscious decision on Breyer’s part, but it makes sense if it does. Getting good paint coverage for a basecoat on roughly textured molds like the Buffalo or the Bear would have been a major pain in the behind.
Just a few weeks ago I was griping to myself that good quality, harder-to-find Chalkies were rapidly shooting out of my price range. And now The Universe practically delivers one to my front door.
I’m not going to fuss over the affordability of the latest Web Special, though, since the flea market season is now officially underway.
It was another cold and quiet "opening day" on Sunday. There were quite a few horse-related objects lying about - used tack, potmetal carnival horses, tiles and other doodads - but I didn’t buy anything other than a couple of cute, Classics-scale ceramic Zebras of unknown origin for Mom. (They look vaguely Robert Simmons-ish.)
The big find of the week came the next day, when I stopped at the local Salvation Army on the way home from work. I needed a new wallet, and the only one I’d seen lately that I even remotely liked was a better-than-average knockoff I saw there last week. After picking it up, I took a quick cruise of the knick-knack aisle, and look who was nestled next to the Christmas decorations:
A pretty darn nice dark-faced variation of the Breyer Black Bear! When I picked her up, it appeared that she had some white housepaint speckled on her - something I see on a not-infrequent basis. A quick bath in hot soapy water and a gentle rubdown with a washcloth usually takes care of the problem.
After her bath, however, I discovered that some of those opaque white "paint flecks" weren’t paint flecks. They were rubs and chips down to the opaque white plastic. Such as this small gouge on the bottom of a rear paw:
She’s a White Plastic Chalky! Awesome!
I hadn’t heard of any Chalky Bears before; seeing as they have a dark, full-body paint job, they wouldn’t be immediately obvious to most hobbyists unless some damage - such as rubs or chips - happens to reveal it. They were within the realm of possibility, though, since the Black Bears were in production throughout the entire "Chalky Era", not being discontinued until the end of 1976.
That she’s a White Plastic Chalky is also somewhat typical of Nonhorse Chalkies - not all are, but a bigger-than-average percentage of them seem to be. I don’t know if it was a conscious decision on Breyer’s part, but it makes sense if it does. Getting good paint coverage for a basecoat on roughly textured molds like the Buffalo or the Bear would have been a major pain in the behind.
Just a few weeks ago I was griping to myself that good quality, harder-to-find Chalkies were rapidly shooting out of my price range. And now The Universe practically delivers one to my front door.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Busy News Day
I spent most of Friday sleeping (deservedly!) And the rest of it catching up on the news. Quite a bit apparently happened this week while I was gallivanting around. (Not just model horse-wise, either: the President was in town, and I had no idea! Oh, so that’s why the freeway was shut down. Duh.)
First off, they apparently did change the rules a bit in the Children/Youth Show at BreyerFest - making some of the awards Regular Run models, and not those coveted-beyond-reason Glossies. This is supposed to minimize the temptation to cheat, but on the flip side, it also makes those particular Glossies that are being awarded more rare, and more coveted.
In other words, I think it’ll be a wash as far as remedying the bad behavior. It appears that this change may have come about as a result of the brouhaha over the BreyerWest prizes last year, though some folks at Reeves may be being a little disingenuous about not knowing about the quality and quantity of less-than-ethical goings on at the BreyerFest shows.
(Per the discussion on Blab, which I won’t link to since it’s in a paid section of the site.)
Second, there’s another Web Special coming up this week, for Mother’s Day, called (presumably, from the original e-mail) A Mother’s Love. From the sneak peek photo on the Breyer web site, it’s quite obviously a Flaxen Chestnut Sucesion and Le Fire set, most recently seen in the screen saver they were giving away on the Breyer web site a week or so back.
I’d love to have it, naturally, since other Sucesion and Le Fire sets are insanely expensive and hard to come by nowadays. Since I only seem to get drawn for things when I don’t have the cash to spare, and I will be somewhat flush by the end of the week, my odds probably aren’t all that good.
And finally, there’s news of not one, but two new molds of the dressage horse Totilas, both by Brigitte Eberl. One’s a Traditional, and the other’s going to be done in that five-inch "Breeds of the World" scale that Reeves seems pretty intent on expanding. (There was a Clydesdale previewed at Equine Affaire that’s also going to be a part of that scale/series.)
No pictures of the little resin were offered up, but the pics of the Traditional on the web site look very promising. Some hobbyists are a little concerned because they see it as a tacit endorsement of rollkur. I have to admit it does trouble me a little bit, but I’ve already zoned out of that discussion, since it now appears to have descended into a game of "I hate this abusive training practice even more than YOU do."
Discussions like that, no matter how well meaning, never end well.
First off, they apparently did change the rules a bit in the Children/Youth Show at BreyerFest - making some of the awards Regular Run models, and not those coveted-beyond-reason Glossies. This is supposed to minimize the temptation to cheat, but on the flip side, it also makes those particular Glossies that are being awarded more rare, and more coveted.
In other words, I think it’ll be a wash as far as remedying the bad behavior. It appears that this change may have come about as a result of the brouhaha over the BreyerWest prizes last year, though some folks at Reeves may be being a little disingenuous about not knowing about the quality and quantity of less-than-ethical goings on at the BreyerFest shows.
(Per the discussion on Blab, which I won’t link to since it’s in a paid section of the site.)
Second, there’s another Web Special coming up this week, for Mother’s Day, called (presumably, from the original e-mail) A Mother’s Love. From the sneak peek photo on the Breyer web site, it’s quite obviously a Flaxen Chestnut Sucesion and Le Fire set, most recently seen in the screen saver they were giving away on the Breyer web site a week or so back.
I’d love to have it, naturally, since other Sucesion and Le Fire sets are insanely expensive and hard to come by nowadays. Since I only seem to get drawn for things when I don’t have the cash to spare, and I will be somewhat flush by the end of the week, my odds probably aren’t all that good.
And finally, there’s news of not one, but two new molds of the dressage horse Totilas, both by Brigitte Eberl. One’s a Traditional, and the other’s going to be done in that five-inch "Breeds of the World" scale that Reeves seems pretty intent on expanding. (There was a Clydesdale previewed at Equine Affaire that’s also going to be a part of that scale/series.)
No pictures of the little resin were offered up, but the pics of the Traditional on the web site look very promising. Some hobbyists are a little concerned because they see it as a tacit endorsement of rollkur. I have to admit it does trouble me a little bit, but I’ve already zoned out of that discussion, since it now appears to have descended into a game of "I hate this abusive training practice even more than YOU do."
Discussions like that, no matter how well meaning, never end well.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
It's Okay To Be A Dork
I felt so bad yesterday morning.
I was home for about an hour and a half, mostly to take a shower, eat something, and make sure the house was still standing before I went back to work.
Before I even managed to get my coat off, Vita ran up and threw her squeaky tennis ball at me, her tail wagging so hard I could literally feel a breeze. She looked at me, then looked at the ball. Then she looked at me again, and then back down at the ball. Then she nudged the ball even closer to me.
Guilt trips, she’s good at ‘em.
Don’t worry, she’s been getting lots of playtime with other members of the household. She’s just annoyed that I haven’t been putting my fair share in this week. Next week doesn’t look a whole lot better; all I can hope is that she doesn’t start leaving "presents" in my bed to emphasize her disapproval.
From the all too brief glimpses I’ve been getting over the past several days, it looks like that little bit of excitement about the BreyerFest Stablemates and Cleveland Bay SRs has retreated back to that "general feeling of disappointment" again. Not really a surprise; as I’ve mentioned before, there seems to be some segment of the hobby that takes pride in disapproving of almost everything.
Look, no matter how long the hobby is around, or how "popular" it will ever become, it’s an inherently dorky activity. Trying to dress it up as something more respectable and educational - and distancing yourselves from the goofier or less realistic aspects - can only go so far. (Ask your friendly neighborhood comic book fan!)
Yeah, it’s aggravating that the public will fixate on the weird stuff, but so what? It’s part of the hobby, too. And really, it’s okay to fly your dork flag, especially if the alternative is coming across like a snob. Or creepy, like some of the people who do Reborns.
Anyway, we still have a few more SRs as-yet-unannounced. It’s not clear if the translucent Ruffian counts as the Decorator special for the event, or if the Store Special Ballyduff "Killarney" will count as the Nonplastics special, either. I also have a suspicion that we might be seeing a new mold in the mix somewhere, either as an SR, or a Raffle.
The fact that both Raffle pieces are still unannounced makes me suspect the latter.
If the Cleveland Bay SR does have the roached/hogged mane in the production pieces, I think my Ticket SR choices are getting harder, not easier. (It’s just the two tickets for me this year. I had some faint hopes of volunteering again this year, but alas, I was not among the chosen.) Roached manes, like ermine spots, are one of those things that gets my attention, for the better.
We just don’t see enough of them in the model horse world, relative to the real horse world. It’s always those romantic "big hair" models that get the production nod. Sure, a long flowing mane is pretty, but boy howdy, when I see them all I can think about is the upkeep.
And Miss Vita, who went digging in the mulch last week in pursuit of a vole - ending up with nothing but a messy snootful of leaves. (Talk about a dork!)
I was home for about an hour and a half, mostly to take a shower, eat something, and make sure the house was still standing before I went back to work.
Before I even managed to get my coat off, Vita ran up and threw her squeaky tennis ball at me, her tail wagging so hard I could literally feel a breeze. She looked at me, then looked at the ball. Then she looked at me again, and then back down at the ball. Then she nudged the ball even closer to me.
Guilt trips, she’s good at ‘em.
Don’t worry, she’s been getting lots of playtime with other members of the household. She’s just annoyed that I haven’t been putting my fair share in this week. Next week doesn’t look a whole lot better; all I can hope is that she doesn’t start leaving "presents" in my bed to emphasize her disapproval.
From the all too brief glimpses I’ve been getting over the past several days, it looks like that little bit of excitement about the BreyerFest Stablemates and Cleveland Bay SRs has retreated back to that "general feeling of disappointment" again. Not really a surprise; as I’ve mentioned before, there seems to be some segment of the hobby that takes pride in disapproving of almost everything.
Look, no matter how long the hobby is around, or how "popular" it will ever become, it’s an inherently dorky activity. Trying to dress it up as something more respectable and educational - and distancing yourselves from the goofier or less realistic aspects - can only go so far. (Ask your friendly neighborhood comic book fan!)
Yeah, it’s aggravating that the public will fixate on the weird stuff, but so what? It’s part of the hobby, too. And really, it’s okay to fly your dork flag, especially if the alternative is coming across like a snob. Or creepy, like some of the people who do Reborns.
Anyway, we still have a few more SRs as-yet-unannounced. It’s not clear if the translucent Ruffian counts as the Decorator special for the event, or if the Store Special Ballyduff "Killarney" will count as the Nonplastics special, either. I also have a suspicion that we might be seeing a new mold in the mix somewhere, either as an SR, or a Raffle.
The fact that both Raffle pieces are still unannounced makes me suspect the latter.
If the Cleveland Bay SR does have the roached/hogged mane in the production pieces, I think my Ticket SR choices are getting harder, not easier. (It’s just the two tickets for me this year. I had some faint hopes of volunteering again this year, but alas, I was not among the chosen.) Roached manes, like ermine spots, are one of those things that gets my attention, for the better.
We just don’t see enough of them in the model horse world, relative to the real horse world. It’s always those romantic "big hair" models that get the production nod. Sure, a long flowing mane is pretty, but boy howdy, when I see them all I can think about is the upkeep.
And Miss Vita, who went digging in the mulch last week in pursuit of a vole - ending up with nothing but a messy snootful of leaves. (Talk about a dork!)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
In the Know
Thank goodness, the Reeves spam about BreyerFest Early Bird tickets is just about over. I know they’re just doing their job, I signed up for it, blah-dee-blah-blah… still doesn’t mean I have to like it.
And yet, in spite of the bajillion e-mails, there’ll still be a substantial number of hobbyists who’ll be totally clueless about the Early Bird Specials, discount pricing, all that. And will be mad about it when they do find out - too late, of course.
It’s not a phenomenon unique to the model horse world, of course - I worked at a place once where I literally could not discuss any current events with anyone:
I wouldn’t consider myself a current events junkie, by any means, but for heaven’s sake, how does anyone function without even a rudimentary knowledge of …anything?
(Sorry, I had a run-in with a bad chicken sandwich yesterday, and we’ve only just recently - to put it politely - parted ways.)
The only other significant Breyer news to come out of Equine Affaire is that the "Welcome to the World of Breyer Kit" - the one featuring the Pearlescent Gray Classic Warmblood Stallion, that will also be given out to participants of the Kids Only Event in a couple of weeks - will be limited to about 600 pieces.
Thus helping explain the weird "model is not exclusive" wording they’ve been using every time they mention it. They didn’t say anything about it not being limited - just not exclusive. That means we should be seeing the remainders of these sets at other Breyer events throughout the year. Good!
Even so, 600 pieces is not so few that we need to start panicking about it. It’s not that out of line with some of the more recent "scarce" Classics releases, and outside of the "B" versions of the Classic Draft Horse, none of them are outrageously hard-to-get or overpriced.
Though among those scarcities, I am surprised that the Mid-Year 1998 Classics Jump Set Horses - available for less than six months - aren’t a little more in demand, especially since (I think) they’re all quite attractive, especially the Keen:
It’s another one of those "lack of knowledge" things. If nobody "knows" something is rare, the market price is not going to reflect that.
In fact, I think the Breyer Kit Warmblood Stallion will be a relatively easy and inexpensive "get" for hobbyists, since most of them are going to get mainlined into the hobby, via Breyer events.
He’s a nice enough little fella, but I’m in no rush to get him.
And yet, in spite of the bajillion e-mails, there’ll still be a substantial number of hobbyists who’ll be totally clueless about the Early Bird Specials, discount pricing, all that. And will be mad about it when they do find out - too late, of course.
It’s not a phenomenon unique to the model horse world, of course - I worked at a place once where I literally could not discuss any current events with anyone:
"How about them Tigers?"(I didn’t last there long, as you might have guessed. I "didn’t fit in"!)
"Sorry, I don’t follow sports."
"Did you hear so-and-so died (very famous actor)"?
"Never heard of him."
"What about that dumb thing that politician said the other day?"
"I don't watch the news."
I wouldn’t consider myself a current events junkie, by any means, but for heaven’s sake, how does anyone function without even a rudimentary knowledge of …anything?
(Sorry, I had a run-in with a bad chicken sandwich yesterday, and we’ve only just recently - to put it politely - parted ways.)
The only other significant Breyer news to come out of Equine Affaire is that the "Welcome to the World of Breyer Kit" - the one featuring the Pearlescent Gray Classic Warmblood Stallion, that will also be given out to participants of the Kids Only Event in a couple of weeks - will be limited to about 600 pieces.
Thus helping explain the weird "model is not exclusive" wording they’ve been using every time they mention it. They didn’t say anything about it not being limited - just not exclusive. That means we should be seeing the remainders of these sets at other Breyer events throughout the year. Good!
Even so, 600 pieces is not so few that we need to start panicking about it. It’s not that out of line with some of the more recent "scarce" Classics releases, and outside of the "B" versions of the Classic Draft Horse, none of them are outrageously hard-to-get or overpriced.
Though among those scarcities, I am surprised that the Mid-Year 1998 Classics Jump Set Horses - available for less than six months - aren’t a little more in demand, especially since (I think) they’re all quite attractive, especially the Keen:
It’s another one of those "lack of knowledge" things. If nobody "knows" something is rare, the market price is not going to reflect that.
In fact, I think the Breyer Kit Warmblood Stallion will be a relatively easy and inexpensive "get" for hobbyists, since most of them are going to get mainlined into the hobby, via Breyer events.
He’s a nice enough little fella, but I’m in no rush to get him.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Head's Up
My schedule for the next two weeks is totally crazy - I think I’ll end up with more hours next week than in the past two weeks combined. This is more of a head’s up than a complaint, though: it’s just that posts over the next two weeks might be somewhat irregular either in timing, or quality.
(In case you find yourself wondering "What on Earth is she posting about at 3 a.m. - on a Wednesday?")
We’re now starting to see more upcoming goodies from BreyerFest, via the Breyer booth at Equine Affaire. Newly revealed items include the One-Day Stablemates, and another of the Line Ticket SRs, a Bay Roan Sabino Cleveland Bay named Tunbridge Wells:
http://www.modelhorseblab.com/forums/showthread.php?131882-Equine-Affaire/page8
(The good stuff starts on Page 8, with more pictures on following pages.)
Technically, the Cleveland Bay isn’t really "new": he’s another one of those SRs that was leaked early. He’s nice, though awfully reminiscent of last year’s Raffle Horse King Arthur. Theoretically he should be pushing all my buttons - a Cleveland Bay, in a Roan Sabino! - but I’m just not feeling the love for him that everyone else does. (Though it is nice to see that some of the Negative Nellies are showing some interest in him, for a change.)
The One-Day Stablemates are all Gloss Drafts, named after different beers ("drafts" - get it?) The G2 Draft, the G3 Belgian and Friesian, and the G4 Vaulting Horse, all in various shades of gloss pintos. (The G4 "Carling" is my favorite!) They seem to be going over pretty well, too - hard to go wrong with glossy pinto draft horses.
(It’s the same reasoning I’m using to justify my opinion of the SR Pinto Shire "Cheerio".)
There’s also going to be another Gambler’s Choice model, but Reeves is being coy about it, as usual. We’ll get a better idea of the potential candidates once we learn the "name" of this special, but I’m hoping for something ponyish, like a Shetland, a Bouncer or a Newsworthy (especially if it’s the loose-maned version.)
There were also previews of two items that will be exclusive to the "British-themed Souvenir Shop" they’ve been hinting at in the promotional literature: a "Black Beauty" on the small resin Lexington mold, and "Union Jack", a Translucent Classic Ruffian painted with …a Union Jack. Weird, but kinda cool - and very reminiscent of the WEG Commemorative Horse.
When I first heard mention of this Souvenir Shop, I was a little concerned that they’d be pulling that kind of stunt on us - more super-limited items being sold at a second location, simultaneous (?) to the NPOD? Scary!
I’m not all that worried about the Black Beauty - I got issues with both resins, and Black Beauty - but I’m thinking I might need that Ruffian. (How limited is "limited"? 50? 100? 500?) There’s also the possibility that they might pull a "WEG" on us and dump some super-limited SRs in that location as well.
There’s absolutely no indication of that yet, but I got a funny feeling we shouldn’t rule anything out this year.
(In case you find yourself wondering "What on Earth is she posting about at 3 a.m. - on a Wednesday?")
We’re now starting to see more upcoming goodies from BreyerFest, via the Breyer booth at Equine Affaire. Newly revealed items include the One-Day Stablemates, and another of the Line Ticket SRs, a Bay Roan Sabino Cleveland Bay named Tunbridge Wells:
http://www.modelhorseblab.com/forums/showthread.php?131882-Equine-Affaire/page8
(The good stuff starts on Page 8, with more pictures on following pages.)
Technically, the Cleveland Bay isn’t really "new": he’s another one of those SRs that was leaked early. He’s nice, though awfully reminiscent of last year’s Raffle Horse King Arthur. Theoretically he should be pushing all my buttons - a Cleveland Bay, in a Roan Sabino! - but I’m just not feeling the love for him that everyone else does. (Though it is nice to see that some of the Negative Nellies are showing some interest in him, for a change.)
The One-Day Stablemates are all Gloss Drafts, named after different beers ("drafts" - get it?) The G2 Draft, the G3 Belgian and Friesian, and the G4 Vaulting Horse, all in various shades of gloss pintos. (The G4 "Carling" is my favorite!) They seem to be going over pretty well, too - hard to go wrong with glossy pinto draft horses.
(It’s the same reasoning I’m using to justify my opinion of the SR Pinto Shire "Cheerio".)
There’s also going to be another Gambler’s Choice model, but Reeves is being coy about it, as usual. We’ll get a better idea of the potential candidates once we learn the "name" of this special, but I’m hoping for something ponyish, like a Shetland, a Bouncer or a Newsworthy (especially if it’s the loose-maned version.)
There were also previews of two items that will be exclusive to the "British-themed Souvenir Shop" they’ve been hinting at in the promotional literature: a "Black Beauty" on the small resin Lexington mold, and "Union Jack", a Translucent Classic Ruffian painted with …a Union Jack. Weird, but kinda cool - and very reminiscent of the WEG Commemorative Horse.
When I first heard mention of this Souvenir Shop, I was a little concerned that they’d be pulling that kind of stunt on us - more super-limited items being sold at a second location, simultaneous (?) to the NPOD? Scary!
I’m not all that worried about the Black Beauty - I got issues with both resins, and Black Beauty - but I’m thinking I might need that Ruffian. (How limited is "limited"? 50? 100? 500?) There’s also the possibility that they might pull a "WEG" on us and dump some super-limited SRs in that location as well.
There’s absolutely no indication of that yet, but I got a funny feeling we shouldn’t rule anything out this year.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Messing With Our Heads: The Early Years
I’m feeling ridiculously tired today. I suspect it’s the massive amounts of Easter candy I’ve been consuming the past three days: if I get too much processed sugar in my system, it totally wipes me out.
Having eaten little to no processed sugar for the six weeks prior probably lowered my tolerance level, too. Which is a good thing, I think. The stuff the Easter Bunny brought this year was primo - mostly from Belgian chocolatiers - so I want to make it last. Gotta stretch that budget, too: I’ve got some big, nonhorsey purchases I need to make in the next month or so.
I haven’t done much model horsey stuff in the past few days, other than to start giving a little more serious thought to some of my plans for BreyerFest this year.
Every year I tell myself I’m going to get things done early and relax, but I think y’all know how well that works out: several weeks of waking up from panicky dreams about not getting everything done in time. (Where are my clothes? Where are my horses? Did I pack spoons? Gah!!!)
Continuing on our adventures in ClassicsLand, here are a couple more semi-obscurities worth exploring further - the Classic Arabian Foal in Alabaster, and Slate Gray:
They were a part of the #4000 Classic Arabian Foal Blister Pack Assortment that was available from 1973 through about 1982 or ‘83. The Gray and the Alabaster are much, much less common than the other colors available in the assortment, which also included Chestnut, Palomino and Black. So much so that they are frequently mistaken as variations of later releases.
So, what’s up with them? Why are those two so much harder to find than the other colors?
Would you believe that it was an early case of Breyer messing with our heads?
That’s what Marney said, or at least that’s what I heard through the grapevine back in the 1980s. As the story goes, Breyer made limited quantities of the Grays and the Alabasters early on - probably in the first couple of batches, if that - as sort of an early version of a Treasure Hunt. They even went so far as using the Gray version of the foal in the 1974 and 1975 Collector’s Manual:
As I wasn’t formally in the hobby at the time of this daring experiment, I couldn’t tell you how well it went over then. But they didn’t repeat it with the #4001 Quarter Horse Foal Assortment a year later. The Chestnut one in that assortment is a little bit scarcer than the Palomino, Black and Bay, but not outrageously so. I occasionally hear rumors about Gray and Alabaster Quarter Horse Foals, but I think they're mostly wishful thinking.
Having eaten little to no processed sugar for the six weeks prior probably lowered my tolerance level, too. Which is a good thing, I think. The stuff the Easter Bunny brought this year was primo - mostly from Belgian chocolatiers - so I want to make it last. Gotta stretch that budget, too: I’ve got some big, nonhorsey purchases I need to make in the next month or so.
I haven’t done much model horsey stuff in the past few days, other than to start giving a little more serious thought to some of my plans for BreyerFest this year.
Every year I tell myself I’m going to get things done early and relax, but I think y’all know how well that works out: several weeks of waking up from panicky dreams about not getting everything done in time. (Where are my clothes? Where are my horses? Did I pack spoons? Gah!!!)
Continuing on our adventures in ClassicsLand, here are a couple more semi-obscurities worth exploring further - the Classic Arabian Foal in Alabaster, and Slate Gray:
They were a part of the #4000 Classic Arabian Foal Blister Pack Assortment that was available from 1973 through about 1982 or ‘83. The Gray and the Alabaster are much, much less common than the other colors available in the assortment, which also included Chestnut, Palomino and Black. So much so that they are frequently mistaken as variations of later releases.
So, what’s up with them? Why are those two so much harder to find than the other colors?
Would you believe that it was an early case of Breyer messing with our heads?
That’s what Marney said, or at least that’s what I heard through the grapevine back in the 1980s. As the story goes, Breyer made limited quantities of the Grays and the Alabasters early on - probably in the first couple of batches, if that - as sort of an early version of a Treasure Hunt. They even went so far as using the Gray version of the foal in the 1974 and 1975 Collector’s Manual:
As I wasn’t formally in the hobby at the time of this daring experiment, I couldn’t tell you how well it went over then. But they didn’t repeat it with the #4001 Quarter Horse Foal Assortment a year later. The Chestnut one in that assortment is a little bit scarcer than the Palomino, Black and Bay, but not outrageously so. I occasionally hear rumors about Gray and Alabaster Quarter Horse Foals, but I think they're mostly wishful thinking.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
In My Easter Bonnet
Another disquieting thought: Reeves may have more pictures of me than my friends and family do. The most recent example:
http://www.breyerhorses.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=1859
Gah! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing pictures of myself, even in costume. That’s what I get for nosing around the Breyer web site looking for fresh material to complain about.
If nothing else, it should make for some interesting news stories, lest I ever fall into sudden fame, or disrepute.
It does illustrate the conundrum I face regarding this year’s costume contests: I didn’t win last year. But they’re using me for promotional purposes. (Actually, most the photos they’ve been from promotional purposes are nonwinners - I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence, or intentional.)
I’m flattered and all, but what do I do now - do I break out Princess Beezus again, or go with a completely different idea? Because you know me, I have ideas.
Man, my life is way more complicated than it needs to be!
Due to family commitments, I am unable to provide y’all with something substantial today, so I shall present to you another photograph of another Test Color type thing from my herd:
A Bay Pinto Roemer! Yes, it’s the same pattern as the Black Pinto "Domino" from the Domino Gift Set issued in 1994. Couldn’t tell you anything more about him or where he came from; when I bought him, I forgot to ask the seller for any more details about his origins.
I don’t care what anybody says, I kinda like the Roemer mold. Like the Misty’s Twilight and the Touch of Class molds, I consider him more of a three-dimensional representation of an antiquated style of equine illustration than a faithful reproduction of an actual horse.
Showring-worthy? Probably not. I still think he’s pretty fabulous.
http://www.breyerhorses.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=1859
Gah! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing pictures of myself, even in costume. That’s what I get for nosing around the Breyer web site looking for fresh material to complain about.
If nothing else, it should make for some interesting news stories, lest I ever fall into sudden fame, or disrepute.
It does illustrate the conundrum I face regarding this year’s costume contests: I didn’t win last year. But they’re using me for promotional purposes. (Actually, most the photos they’ve been from promotional purposes are nonwinners - I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence, or intentional.)
I’m flattered and all, but what do I do now - do I break out Princess Beezus again, or go with a completely different idea? Because you know me, I have ideas.
Man, my life is way more complicated than it needs to be!
Due to family commitments, I am unable to provide y’all with something substantial today, so I shall present to you another photograph of another Test Color type thing from my herd:
A Bay Pinto Roemer! Yes, it’s the same pattern as the Black Pinto "Domino" from the Domino Gift Set issued in 1994. Couldn’t tell you anything more about him or where he came from; when I bought him, I forgot to ask the seller for any more details about his origins.
I don’t care what anybody says, I kinda like the Roemer mold. Like the Misty’s Twilight and the Touch of Class molds, I consider him more of a three-dimensional representation of an antiquated style of equine illustration than a faithful reproduction of an actual horse.
Showring-worthy? Probably not. I still think he’s pretty fabulous.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Being Good
I was so good the other day.
I had a couple of hours to kill between assignments, and it wasn’t worth the effort (or the gas) to go home in between, so I stopped at a hobby shop nearby to peruse the latest Breyer selections.
The prices were excellent, as was the selection (over a half dozen of the Man o’ War version of the War Horse Gift Sets on the shelf, alone) but I didn’t walk out with a single one. The Brookside Pink Magnums were especially tempting, but then I remembered I still had King in the box at home waiting for me. And a flea market opening up in a couple of weeks.
(My King is lovely, by the by. He may not have a dorsal stripe or scrotum dots, but his color is spot on.)
I suppose I am contractually obligated to mention the controversy that’s sweeping the model horse world this moment: a 2005 Early Bird Raffle Model - the fleabitten gray Lonesome Glory - that ended up in a picker’s lot on eBay.
I have nothing against picking; it’s essentially what I do to support my hobby "habit." I have an aunt who does it, and a great many items I buy at the flea market - judging from the contents of the booths I shop at - are from storage auctions. Heck, if I had the time and money, I’d be buying storage lots myself.
What’s at issue here is the quality of the picker, and the nature of the pick itself.
The picker, judging from his feedback and his merchandise, doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of respect for said merchandise. It’s one thing to not be knowledgeable about everything you end up with in a storage unit: that’s essentially impossible, unless you’re a professional auction house with in-house researchers and stuff.
But what distinguishes a good picker from a questionable one is respect for the merchandise. Stuff that’s been put into a storage unit was put there because it had some value by the owner. True, that value may be subjective, or highly personal, but it was there, presumably. You don't pay good money to store things you don't value.
Taking the extra effort - such as doing a bit of research, or putting a little more care into the selling or packaging - may not pay off with every transaction, but it will in those odd cases where a truly rare or valuable item shows up.
Take care of the small things, and the big things will end up taking care of themselves. Or something like that.
Even if I had the money to invest in that auction, I wouldn’t do it, because it feels like I’m rewarding unethical behavior. I have a hard enough time with a few of the vendors I deal with at my local fleas, and the sums I’m dealing with there are sometimes (literally!) pocket change in comparison.
The nature of the pick itself troubles me even more. How did this model this rare, and this coveted end up in these dire circumstances in the first place? All of the scenarios I can imagine are sad ones: job loss, foreclosure, illness, or death.
Many of the things I buy at the flea market are a result of some sort of loss, too. What is so striking about the Lonesome Glory was the rapidity of its decline in fortune - less than seven years, from raffle model to a picker's inventory.
He’s a disquieting reminder of how quickly things can go bad for any of us.
I had a couple of hours to kill between assignments, and it wasn’t worth the effort (or the gas) to go home in between, so I stopped at a hobby shop nearby to peruse the latest Breyer selections.
The prices were excellent, as was the selection (over a half dozen of the Man o’ War version of the War Horse Gift Sets on the shelf, alone) but I didn’t walk out with a single one. The Brookside Pink Magnums were especially tempting, but then I remembered I still had King in the box at home waiting for me. And a flea market opening up in a couple of weeks.
(My King is lovely, by the by. He may not have a dorsal stripe or scrotum dots, but his color is spot on.)
I suppose I am contractually obligated to mention the controversy that’s sweeping the model horse world this moment: a 2005 Early Bird Raffle Model - the fleabitten gray Lonesome Glory - that ended up in a picker’s lot on eBay.
I have nothing against picking; it’s essentially what I do to support my hobby "habit." I have an aunt who does it, and a great many items I buy at the flea market - judging from the contents of the booths I shop at - are from storage auctions. Heck, if I had the time and money, I’d be buying storage lots myself.
What’s at issue here is the quality of the picker, and the nature of the pick itself.
The picker, judging from his feedback and his merchandise, doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of respect for said merchandise. It’s one thing to not be knowledgeable about everything you end up with in a storage unit: that’s essentially impossible, unless you’re a professional auction house with in-house researchers and stuff.
But what distinguishes a good picker from a questionable one is respect for the merchandise. Stuff that’s been put into a storage unit was put there because it had some value by the owner. True, that value may be subjective, or highly personal, but it was there, presumably. You don't pay good money to store things you don't value.
Taking the extra effort - such as doing a bit of research, or putting a little more care into the selling or packaging - may not pay off with every transaction, but it will in those odd cases where a truly rare or valuable item shows up.
Take care of the small things, and the big things will end up taking care of themselves. Or something like that.
Even if I had the money to invest in that auction, I wouldn’t do it, because it feels like I’m rewarding unethical behavior. I have a hard enough time with a few of the vendors I deal with at my local fleas, and the sums I’m dealing with there are sometimes (literally!) pocket change in comparison.
The nature of the pick itself troubles me even more. How did this model this rare, and this coveted end up in these dire circumstances in the first place? All of the scenarios I can imagine are sad ones: job loss, foreclosure, illness, or death.
Many of the things I buy at the flea market are a result of some sort of loss, too. What is so striking about the Lonesome Glory was the rapidity of its decline in fortune - less than seven years, from raffle model to a picker's inventory.
He’s a disquieting reminder of how quickly things can go bad for any of us.
Monday, April 2, 2012
A Queen, instead of a King
His Highness arrived today, but he shall be residing in his uncomfortably small box until Wednesday - his opening, my reward for what is looking to be a very long day at work on Tuesday.
I’m a little short on time again today; the weather’s been rather pleasant, so I’ve spent most of my free time over the weekend trying to get the garden back in shape. In spite of the relatively mild winter, many of the perennials were decimated - new and old plantings, alike. (All my lovely Sweet Williams, gone! Sniff.)
After the clean up, I might just take the lazy way out this year and (gasp!) buy a couple annual flats to fill in the empty spaces, and give myself time to peruse the nursery catalogs for replacements.
Following up on the well-received post about the Classic Quarter Horse Family, here’s a picture of another interesting variation on the old Love Classics - this time, the Arabian Family Mare, with two stockings instead of the standard four:
This was another one of those "early in the run" variations that disappeared within months of the original release, ca. 1973. It’s the way she appeared in the 1973 and 1974 Collector’s Manuals. Here she is on the cover the of the 1974 catalog, with the rest of her family:
She’s shown with four stockings in the 1975 catalog onward.
This was not the only notable variation within the Classic Arabian Family. After the Mare gained a couple extra stockings, the Stallion lost his star a few years later, and then the both of them had their tan hooves replaced with gray ones some time after that. (The Foal, oddly, didn’t change that much over the years.)
The Two-stocking Arabian Mare is about as uncommon as the Star-faced Classic Quarter Horses, but probably slightly more sought after. Although the Stallion himself is looking a wee bit "dated" to pass as a pure Arabian these days, the Classic Arabians overall seem to have retained their showability better than the Quarter Horses have.
(Not passing judgment here - just noting the change in tastes. Personally, I prefer my Quarter Horses on the beefy and compact side - and my Arabians more in the mold of Ferseyn, too.)
Plus, there’s the fact that she looks so different - showing yet again, just how much a difference a bit of paint can make. Even though I’ve long since upgraded mine, I still pause every time I see one for sale.
I’m a little short on time again today; the weather’s been rather pleasant, so I’ve spent most of my free time over the weekend trying to get the garden back in shape. In spite of the relatively mild winter, many of the perennials were decimated - new and old plantings, alike. (All my lovely Sweet Williams, gone! Sniff.)
After the clean up, I might just take the lazy way out this year and (gasp!) buy a couple annual flats to fill in the empty spaces, and give myself time to peruse the nursery catalogs for replacements.
Following up on the well-received post about the Classic Quarter Horse Family, here’s a picture of another interesting variation on the old Love Classics - this time, the Arabian Family Mare, with two stockings instead of the standard four:
This was another one of those "early in the run" variations that disappeared within months of the original release, ca. 1973. It’s the way she appeared in the 1973 and 1974 Collector’s Manuals. Here she is on the cover the of the 1974 catalog, with the rest of her family:
She’s shown with four stockings in the 1975 catalog onward.
This was not the only notable variation within the Classic Arabian Family. After the Mare gained a couple extra stockings, the Stallion lost his star a few years later, and then the both of them had their tan hooves replaced with gray ones some time after that. (The Foal, oddly, didn’t change that much over the years.)
The Two-stocking Arabian Mare is about as uncommon as the Star-faced Classic Quarter Horses, but probably slightly more sought after. Although the Stallion himself is looking a wee bit "dated" to pass as a pure Arabian these days, the Classic Arabians overall seem to have retained their showability better than the Quarter Horses have.
(Not passing judgment here - just noting the change in tastes. Personally, I prefer my Quarter Horses on the beefy and compact side - and my Arabians more in the mold of Ferseyn, too.)
Plus, there’s the fact that she looks so different - showing yet again, just how much a difference a bit of paint can make. Even though I’ve long since upgraded mine, I still pause every time I see one for sale.
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