Missing Pieces

While I take a great deal of pleasure locating and reassembling ephemera and other documentation for the hobby in general and Breyers in particular, locating and reassembling my own personal ephemera and documentation isn’t quite as much fun.

Long story, short: everything that needs to be replaced should be replaced - or be in the process of it - by the end of the week, except my scarf. (Seriously, the scarf, too?)

As I’ve had my fill of drama this week, I will simply show you another pleasing addition to the herd, again from that most excellent ca. 1959-1962 collection:

There’s nothing particularly dramatic, distinct or noteworthy about him, other than being a very pretty example of a Gloss Dapple Gray No Muscle Clydesdale. He has the finer dappling characteristic of the earlier Dapple Grays, which morphed into something much wilder a couple of years later. I believe he was the first model to sport the now beloved "Resist" Dapple Gray paint job.

Gray is a relatively uncommon color in the actual breed, but on the Clydesdale Stallion mold it almost borders on common. There have been so many variations, Special Runs, and variations within the Special Runs that it’s hard not to run across a Dapple Gray Clydesdale Stallion or two (or ten!) along the way.

The original #82 release - especially in its No Muscle form - is still a nice prize for any Vintage collector’s collection. Even though he was discontinued in 1966, he was a popular guy, so it's not difficult to find a quality examples at reasonable prices.

Some of the late 1970s Special Run Dapple Gray Clydesdales used to pricey back in the day. Special Runs were a much scarcer commodity back then, though, and not so easy to come by first hand. Either you found out about them via a friend, or a friend of a friend, or from one of the handful of mimeographed model horse newsletters or ‘zines you subscribed to that didn't always come in the most timely fashion. Timely defined here being by the end of the first week of the month.  

This new guy would a significant upgrade to my other #82 Dapple Gray Clydesdale, but that old guy is not going anywhere either. He has a shoe-shaped dent on his barrel and missing ear that give him character; as I have a few missing pieces and dents, myself, I think we make a good match.