Monday, June 21, 2021

All About Compensation

Thank you for the kind words and encouragement, but y’all aren’t likely to see the latest diorama fail until after BreyerFest; I have projects with hard deadlines coming up, so it’ll have to wait. I may even lump it in to a “Parade of Fail” post I’ve been thinking about doing here for a while, to purge myself of this particular daemon. 

A lot of this stems from art school trauma. My instructors would single me out for praise, my work would almost always be put in the student showcases, and one of my pieces was even given the honor of being hung in the dean’s office for a year. But when it came to the student competitions where actual cash money was involved? 

Second place. Always. 

The people who write articles online telling you that “second place is the best place” and that it’s indicative of you actually being more awesome than the people who win have obviously not spent their lives in this awkward position.

In the meantime, I’ve pulled out a couple of old customizing projects to fuss over as distractions to the deadlines. If there’s one positive outcome to all this, it’s the fact that it’s shown me that my customizing skills are better than I thought they were, and that I shouldn’t be afraid to hack things to pieces and reassemble them. 

Whether I enter them in any competitions or not is secondary to the act of creation. It has to be: doing it for the money will drive me mad. 

Anyway, as compensation for my whining, here’s a picture of one of my more obscure Test Colors:

Obviously it’s a Test for the Sham in the Classic #3345 King of the Wind Set. I bought it a few years after the set itself was discontinued, and from a well-known hobbyist to boot, so I know it’s authentic. 

They obviously decided to go with a redder shade to match the Traditional Sham, and distinguish it more from the Golden Bay Lath in the set. I just thought it was a neat thing to own; while everyone else was chasing those elusive Golden Bay Traditional Shams, I had the Classic version!

(I also have a Golden Bay Sham. Kinda. It’s a story.)

Because he was a Classic, he was relatively cheap, and even today I doubt I can sell him for much more over the price I paid 25 years ago. The indifference and sometimes outright antagonism some Breyer enthusiasts have over the Classic scale horses (even the Loves!) surprises and confuses me, especially in light of the prices some comparably rare Stablemates bring. 

I think it says (a lot of) something that random topic/challenge class for the Customs Contest this year was simply Classics. I mean, I am all for encouraging people to use different and less popular molds, but ouch...

Oh well, back to work. 

6 comments:

Holly Harris said...

I collect Classics and I don't understand the snobbery I hear so much of from collectors. They don't collect Classics, which is fine with me, because it helps keep them affordable.

Salem said...

The Classic scale amazed me when they were newly-released, because they seemed so detailed. In addition to the lovely Love molds, I was fascinated with the models on stands, which were impossible to find where I lived. For years the Polo Pony was a grail, and I ended up paying a premium on the secondary market for an unseen model. I am still excited for new releases on these molds, which are all too rare. I would love to collect the newer, less expensive and easier-to-obtain molds, but most of them are really disappointing to me. I don't buy the excuse that these are only "gateway" models and so their quality doesn't matter, because young collectors can be just as discriminating as the veterans who would also purchase these molds. I'm curious as to whether or not they will come out with a Classic Collectors Club. Could that be what they are flirting with by offering the Web Specials and the Classics offerings in the VC?

Corky said...

I love Classic-scale models! The Maureen Love molds are iconic and beautiful, and while some of the later releases are sort of awkward (Shetan? the Mesteno molds? I'm looking at you), I adore the Haflinger Mare and the new Rearing Mustang! I'd flip out if Breyer offered a Classics Collectors Club! (Plus, they don't take up quite as much room on the shelf, right?)

Anonymous said...

For the most part I don't collect classics. I love the CAF, and WB foal. But it got to the point I had to draw the line someplace. I just have no room.

EllOnWheels said...

I try to conserve my limited space, and only buy Classics I really love. I certainly have a few never sell Classics on my shelf. Classics were all I could afford when I was younger, and they hold a special place in my heart. My black Andalusian Stallion and buckskin Andalusian Mare have been with me since they were knew. That mare in particular, just... guh, she's so PRETTY. I even ended up with a bit of an oddball in Hotshot. I don't see him around very often, at least not with his peg intact, so I am glad to have him too... And the decos of late have really stepped up their game. Starry Night, High Tide, and Hope were must haves. Some of the newer molds lack some definition I feel, with the exception of that rearing Mustang. I finally laid my hands on the mold recently and was just amazed by him. Malik is fantastic too. While I like the affordability of Classics, you are right. They deserve more love.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the size is part of the equation. Traditionals are nice and hefty, while Stablemates cross into the extra-tiny, "adorable miniatures" category. Classics are kind of awkwardly in the middle. Or, many hobbyists may have grown up only being able to afford Classics on a child's allowance, but longing for out-of-reach Traditionals?

Just my two cents.