Behind Door Number Three

Half of me is saying “You already have enough Brishens!” and the other half is yelling “But it’s a Silver Cremello Tobiano Pinto!”

The Brishen mold has been a BreyerFest Special Run many times, in numerous mold variations: in 2013 the Bay Pinto Gypsy Vanner was a Gloss Open Show Prize, he was also used for the Sunday Raffle Model Boot Scootin’ Boogie, and the clean-legged mold variation debuted as a Ticket Special by the name of Laredo.

He’s also been a Store Special twice before: 2014’s immensely popular Novelisto D, and his mirror opposite/evil twin Dag Dia in 2016.

I do have a couple of minor disappointments here. One, he’s not going to be a Surprise this year: with all of the mane, tail and leg variations, they really could have gone crazy with this one. And second – somewhat related to the first! – they went with the standard upswept mane and tail.

I know that Faugh-A-Ballagh’s people probably had the final say on this, and it does seem to be the most popular choice even among collectors, but I like variety, dangnabit!

So for this guy, mark me as undecided.

By the way, good job Reeves for faking us out with the sneak peeks – I know I wasn’t the only one who assumed that three consecutive images without a reveal would lead up to a Mare and Foal Set or even a Classic Family.

But alas, no.

We’ve had Mare and Foal sets for a while, and one of the earliest was the Classic Haflinger Mare and Foal set Hansel and Gretel in 2011. But the closest we’ve gotten to a full three-member Classic Family was the #701601 Classic Racing Thoroughbreds featuring a Man o’ War, Kelso and a Silky Sullivan came out in 2001.

If I recall correctly, that set didn’t sell particularly well, and ended up getting remaindered to both Tuesday Morning and to the KHP Gift Shop. Thus possibly answering the question why we haven’t gotten one since then…

I always wondered if hobbyists would have been more receptive to the set if it had been issued in more Thoroughbred-like colors, but I consider the Shaded Buckskin Man o’ War to be flat-out gorgeous, and is probably my favorite release on that mold, even moreso than the recent Lancelots.