Gloss Namib

My draws for the ticket line at BreyerFest the past few years have been bad – I can’t recall the last time I was even in the front half of the line – so I did not expect to get, and did not get, the Funky Brown Pegasus.

That did sell out easily because it was – as I said – a low piece run and a Pegasus.

I haven’t been having much luck in the Gloss department, either, but I did manage to at least get a Gloss Namib, who was the designated 50/50 Gloss-Matte Split model this year:

She looked beautiful both ways, and I would have been content with the Matte, but it was nice to get one “surprise” Gloss this year, even if I had a 50-50 chance all along, technically.

It’s interesting that this marks the third year in a row at BreyerFest that we’ve had a Gloss Dark Bay Special Run: in 2014 it was one of the Glossy Surprise SR Nokota Horses, and in 2015 it was the Ashquar Ganache.

Is it a coincidence, or a consequence of the feedback from buyers? I’m definitely not complaining – third time was the charm for me, yay! – but I think it’s worth noting.

While she didn’t sell out while the ticket time were running, she did sell out when the leftovers went on sale Sunday afternoon. So while she might not have been everyone’s first choice, she was apparently a lot of people’s second.

Reeves did a fairly good job this year managing the inventory this year; after everyone with tickets had their share, and then the leftovers, only three items had any significant leftovers to spare: the bull Zebu, Furano, and the Mamacita y Chico set.

The Nonhorse molds have been hit or miss the past few years, so leftovers on Zebu weren’t too shocking. But the Make a Wish mold (Furano) is really hot right now, and Mare and Foal sets have tended to sell well at BreyerFest in general. I thought for sure those two would be the sellouts, with the Namib and Bozeman being the ones with leftovers.

Again, worth noting: if history is any guide, it’s the items that don’t immediately sell out that become hot ticket items down the road (see also: most of the stuff that ends up at Tuesday Morning).

It’s unlikely I’ll bite if and when the leftovers go on sale online. I’m trying to lay off the retail purchases for the time being. I tend to remain stuck in “shopping mode” for a couple of months after BreyerFest, and that sometimes gets me in trouble.

(Though if the past few days are any indication, going the “nonretail” route isn’t going to be much more help!)

It helps that I’m currently a bit cool on those molds right now, too, though it might just be a matter of the right color and finish at the right time that correct that.