An Old Lady Who Stares at Goats

Another short and sweet post today, as I’m in the middle updating my files. I’m being hampered by the fact that every time I try to "Google" for a minor detail or two, the first twenty or thirty sources that pop up are those danged obnoxious Breyer tweener fangirl videos.

None of which are any helpful in the least. I hate to sound like an old lady in a muu-muu yelling at the clouds (not far from the truth, some days), but dang it kids, stop messing with my data!

(I appreciate your enthusiasm, I really do, but I wouldn’t hold it against you if you spent a little less time making shaky cam vids of your collection and a little more time obsessing over boy bands or nail polish.)

There. Got that out of my system.

Here, for your consideration, is another Friday Morning Sample I picked up, this of one of last year’s Special Runs, Gruff the Goat:

Other than the usual subtleties - the slightly finer paint job, and the absence of a VIN number - there’s not much difference between the Sample and the Production piece. Except for the blister packaging I don’t remember seeing with the original Goats. It even has the item number - 711128 - impressed into it.

Some of you might have seen this type of packaging before with another very recent Special Run: the Equine Affaire Steppin’ Out:

(It also has the item number impressed into it.)

I’m guessing that they were briefly experimenting with these partial blister packs in 2011, as a way to minimize damage in transit. They’ve been using smaller and less complicated blisters for some of their more awkward to package items for a while now, like the Nokota Horses, and those pocket-sized MiniWhinnies sets with all the teeny-tiny pieces:

It’s a relatively inexpensive molding process, which is what made a 200-piece run for the Steppin’ Out even feasible. Don’t know why they didn’t bother following through with the Goat’s packaging, if they already had the mold form made.

Money is usually the answer. Just because it doesn’t cost much doesn’t mean it doesn’t cost anything.

Flying Green Unicorns!

Will I be getting the latest Web Special, Alpine? Maybe. You know how I am when it comes to Silver Filigrees. It’s the fact that it’s a telephone-only sale that’s making me hesitate: I’m somewhat telephone-phobic. The sale isn’t until Tuesday, but the thought of spending a couple of hours hitting redial is already giving me the heebie-jeebies. (Yeah, I’m not a very happy camper on HIN Reservation Day, either.)

I’m also a little annoyed by it - not that it’s another super-limited Silver Filigree, but that it’s another super-limited Esprit. Another one, really? Great. That means is that we’re in for several days of hobbyists dismissing him as an "easy pass," and then attempting to buy one anyway to resell to the people who really do want one.

Personally, I was hoping for a Decorator Mountain Goat. Now there’s a mold we haven’t seen in a while - since 2005, to be precise. But could they sell 250 Decorator Mountain Goats? Alas, probably not.

I don’t think they could sell 250 White Moose, either, but that was the speculation du jour on Blab today. Seriously - a White Moose? I love the Moose mold myself, but I can’t imagine them making a white one. Yeah, they exist, but what would be the rationale for making one - aside from a slight association with Christmas, or cuteness?

If you’re looking for an idea that might have some genuine selling power to it, a White Stag would be a better choice. Google "White Stag" or "White Deer" or even "White Hart," and you’ll see what I’m talking about. A "White Stag" would be a natural for next year’s "Fairytails" BreyerFest theme, especially as the non-horse item for the Line Specials.

I doubt they’d do it. One, they already sorta did one for the BreyerFest auction back in 2007: hobbyists kind of get annoyed when a "test color" becomes an actual production run. (Even though that used to be the whole point of test colors.) Two, breakage issues with the tines would be a nightmare, especially if they’re bubble-wrapped and bagged like most Line Specials. I imagine the inevitable Unicorn SR is going to be trouble enough.

Oh, and if you’re going to do a little more research on mythical or legendary horse-type things, do yourselves a favor and check out the awesome Táltos Horse. Here is how he’s described on the Wikipedia (via the page on Táltos, or Hungarian shamans):

The táltos always had a horse, frequently appearing in Hungarian folk tales as a white stallion with wings. However, the Táltos Horse always had jade colored skin, causing them to be mocked by everybody. It is said in myths, that only the táltos could see the real powers hidden in the horse.

When they met, only the táltos could ride the horse, and it was always "flying like thought". This way the táltos is able to meditate (révül).

The horse can have a unicorn horn and wings, visible to the táltos during meditation (révül). The unicorn horn signifies the horse's special spiritual power, as it is a single horn that grows straight out of the brain. The wings define the ability to fly between the three worlds of Hungarian mythology. The táltos horse could have "gold hair", and also eat hot cinders.

Doesn’t he sound like something straight off of a Dethklok album cover?

I know it’s Wikipedia, and therefore of dubious veracity, but dang it - a jade green flying unicorn that eats fire? Now that would be one badass BreyerFest SR.