Familiar Faces

Just letting you guys know that we’re now entering my full-panic-mode-before-BreyerFest season, and things are going to get a little weird from here on out. I just cranked out about 3000 words for the Sampler over the weekend and I’m feeling no pain.

My left foot is another matter. (Long story, hopefully nothing.)

The new Mid-Year releases are both beautiful and oddly familiar. First there’s the portrait model Full Moon Rising, on the Strapless mold:

Her paint job looks quite similar to the uber-popular Bay Roan Sabino G1 Draft Horse, from the 2004 Parade of Breeds Set. 

Apparently that little guy shows really well; I’m just annoyed by the high price the entire set it comes in goes for. It came out back when I wasn’t being diligent about buying all the Christmas Stablemates sets, and now I will have to pay the price. 

The first realistic, Regular Run release of Fireheart, a Flaxen Chestnut Overo named Mojave, also looks very familiar:

His warm undertones, poofy hair and rugged chonkiness reminds me a great deal of the #3065 Classic Love Mustang Family Stallion, who was originally in production from 1976 through 1990. My example is quite the looker, and always shows really well for me. I think he has NANed at least twice so far, in very competitive Mustang classes:

Oddly, the Classic Mustang Stallion has only come in Pinto once and Appaloosa once in the past 47(!) years; Fireheart’s very brief production history has been much more colorful!

Over and Out

Ugh, I am 100 percent over the weather this week. I am absolutely not leaving the house this weekend if I don’t have to.

(I don’t have to.)

The Volunteer application is up, and there’s only a twenty-day window to apply. So, go forth and apply, if you’re so inclined. Thumbs up, would recommend the experience…

Speaking of new experiences, after surviving my brush with death earlier this week, I decided to do this after all:

I went with a half table because of space issues: I still have a lot of sales stuff to bring with me again this year, so I genuinely don’t have the room for a lot of Traditionals anyway. It will also help keep me from blowing up my showstring beyond a manageable amount: I want this to be a fun experience, not a stressful one. (This is also why I chose not to do a Collector’s Class.)

As long as there are no other weather-related catastrophes, I should be able to go through my Stablemates stash for viable candidates for BVG Live over the weekend – and from there, I can figure out who and what to bring to BF Live. 

(I already have the Collectibility stuff for BVG Live kinda-sorta figured out, except for the paperwork. You know that’s my happy place, yo…)

I need to get to bed early today – the chaotic weather and post-apocalyptic driving conditions ate away at my soul this week – but here’s a little model horse content: I finally opened up my Ponies & Palm Trees Strapless Sarong! 

And as I feared, I got a real pretty one with nice dapples and everything. Nuts! I need less stuff, not more. Maybe I’ll show her at BVG Live and see how she does before I make a decision. I’m thinking Hungarian Warmblood, maybe? 

Greenacres

More strangeness in my life: I think I might have sold a vintage quilt to a kinda famous quilting world person? I was packing up a couple of eBay sales earlier this week and did a double take on one of the labels!

It was a beautiful vintage African-American summer top that needed extensive repairs. I purchased it years ago at the local flea market, hoping to make those repairs myself. But in my efforts to get my sewing projects under control, I made the decision to let it go to someone with more time and/or technical skills.

I’m sure I’ll see it again someday. Probably in a magazine I’ll be skimming while standing in the checkout line at Kroger, or something…

Back to horse stuff. Or more specifically, mule stuff:

Some of my fellow Ponies & Palm Trees attendees were a little dismissive of the Green Group models, presumably because of their similarity to earlier releases: the 2015 Limited Edition Jubilation for the Mule Greenacres, and the 2008 Just About Horses Special Run Party Girl for the Strapless Sarong. 

And also, I suppose, their lower potential resale value. (This notion always blows my mind. Unless you happen to also be a retailer, Breyer is under no obligation to help hobbyists make money.)

I’ve been on a bit of a Brown Sunshine kick recently, so it was pretty clear to me that I’d be coming home with the Mule, regardless of secondary market. With the secondary being so messed up now, who’s to say if I even made a “bad” decision, anyway? It’s not like he’s going anywhere anytime soon.

The only member of the entire lineup that didn’t do anything for me was the Duende Golden Sunset; I have no special attachment to the mold (though I wouldn’t mind getting a Fabio, some day) and I wasn’t overly enamored of the color on him. Although my heart was set on the Cremello Five-Gaiter from the get-go (and I got him!), I would have been happy with the Solid Bay Belgian too, the only mold left in the leftovers from the Blue Group.

I am going to assume that the fact that the two Vintage molds used for this event just happened to be the very same ones I decided to focus on collecting this year was purely coincidence. (And I almost got both. So close!)

The Luxuries of Time

Nothing particularly noteworthy to end the week on, other than (a) my clothes finally arrived in the mail from Florida and (b) it was a good week for Stablemates:

Premier Club Lyric, Deluxe Collector’s Club Ellington and the Exclusive Event Stablemate Del Rey. So hard to pick a favorite, they’re all pretty sweet!

The other items I acquired in Florida are still largely unpacked; I’ve been spending most of my spare time this week catching up on my sleep. This is the first week in ages where I have no immediate commitments or deadlines, and I’m going to take advantage of it while I can. 

And do normal human things. Read a book. Watch some TV. Finish embroidering some quilt blocks. (That particular project is so close to being done!)

While I do have several pictures of the Florida trip (and according to my coworkers, some of them can already be found on the Internet) I’m not sure I’ll be posting a lot of them here. While they’re not embarrassing per se, and I don’t mind pictures of myself being taken, I don’t like looking at pictures of me. It feels unnatural and super weird, like I’m looking at my own ghost. 

As for not telling you guys about the trip ahead of time, that was just a personal decision on my part. For one, I wasn’t 100 percent sure I was going to make it (my family history with the State of Florida, and all that) and well, I like the surprise. Just another footnote in my Year of Adventure.

If it happens again, I’ll be a little more forthcoming with my plans. (If anyone wants to come along for Wyoming, feel free to contact me. The more, the merrier!)

I didn’t get a centerpiece model – as I suspected, another unacquireable Polo Pony version of the Smarty Jones – but I was lucky enough to get one of the leftover models, the Strapless Sarong. I just missed getting the Belgian, dang it....

I didn’t even bother to unwrap her prior to packing her in my carry-on; I don’t dislike the mold by any means (I love my Bluegrass and my Pottery Barn Bay!) but reselling her to recoup the remainder of my trip expenses is a huge temptation. A temptation that would be easier to give into if I don’t spend too much time looking at her in any great detail.

I budgeted the heck out of this trip, so the short-term financial “hit” was not terrible at all. (In fact, I’m on track towards having my best year ever, monetarily.) So I have the luxury of time to make that decision, too.

Epona

The Strapless mold has been a very popular choice as a BreyerFest Special Run: the 2005 Live Show Prize Gray Sabino, one of the 2006 Early Bird Raffle Models, the 2007 Volunteer Model Bluegrass, 2009 Raffle Model Tiramisu, 2012 Ticket Special Bees Knees, 2015 Store Special Oration, 2018 Store Special Old Ironsides, and multiple appearances in the Live Auction.

Oh, and the #1245 Appaloosa Sport Horse was a Glossed Live Show Prize in 2006, too. I always forget about that one!

I don’t know if that makes her one of the most commonly used BreyerFest molds. I’ve never gotten around to doing a chart of that, though I probably should.

Of all those Special Runs, the one I covet the most – and that I have the least hope of ever acquiring, naturally – is the 2005 Gray Sabino. So the very similar Epona definitely caught my attention:

Good job Reeves for cropping the picture tight enough to surprise most of us with this reveal. I was kind of hoping for one of the pony molds, but that’s not because of any clues I saw in the photo, but because I want more ponies.

Currently I only have two Straplesses – the 2007 Volunteer Model Bluegrass, and the 2009 Pottery Barn release in Red Bay. I’ve thought about adding a couple more, but all the ones I prefer are out of my price range, most notably the FEI World Cup Competitor’s Gift in Light Dapple Gray.  Of all the various shades of gray she’s come in over the years, that one (in my opinion) is the prettiest!

So, in short, I’m definitely considering Epona.

Her name is rather obviously based on the Celtic Goddess Epona, and something I figured they’d be using somewhere in the lineup, though not necessarily with one of the first Special Runs out of the gate.

Naturally this is already a point of contention with some hobbyists: some of whom are disappointed that she doesn’t look exactly like the horse in Legends of Zelda(!); others who are upset that she not gray or white, since the Celtic Epona is usually depicted on (or as) a White or Gray mare; and finally, the usual contingent who complain (every year!) that such-and-such model doesn’t have anything to do with the theme and is therefore a dumb and/or illogical choice.

Fortunately the complainers seem to be in the minority this year. But the year is still young.

The "It" Color

Things have been so crazy here for so long that a lot of recent – and not so recent – purchases have come (and sometimes, gone!) without comment. Since my horse purchases have been, and will continue to be more or less on hiatus for the next couple of months, let’s begin to rectify that with this beauty, a Mint in Box Pottery Barn Strapless I bought over a year ago (ulp!):

I ended up paying about market value for her, which is something I do on rare occasions – mostly when I feel that the “good deal” I was hoping for is not likely coming. I justify it by rationalizing that I get enough good deals throughout the year so I can afford an occasional full-retail splurge.

She’ll be released from her box soon; I didn’t have the time or space to do so previously. The box in rough shape, anyway, and unlike the other two Pottery Barn releases – the Classic Johar in Chestnut Appaloosa, and the Best in Show Thoroughbred in Black – she won’t lose her identity or much value once she is set free.

Not that resale value is very high on my list of concerns. It’s not. In fact, focusing on potential resale value is one of the few ways I think collectors and hobbyists can go seriously astray. But now is not the time to revisit that topic…

It’s interesting to me that this purchase – like so many that I’ve made in the past – was unintentionally prescient. As both I and others have pointed out, 2018 has definitely been the “Year of the Bay” as far as Breyers are concerned.

For me, too. The majority of my non-retail purchases at BreyerFest were Bay, and the only current release I am (somewhat) actively looking for is the Walmart 4-piece set, primarily for that beautiful Bay Django.

I’d like to buy an LV Integrity on the Yasmin mold, too, but I’m trying to save that one for any potential gift-with-purchase offers they may spring on us near the end of the year.

It’ll be interesting to see what becomes the next “It” color. I’m secretly hoping for something old-fashioned or Decoratory. Honey Palomino? Gloss Pink-eyed Albino? Resist Dapple Gray?

More Hard BreyerFest Decisions

I really like the latest two Specials announced for this year’s BreyerFest. First there is Old Ironsides, on Strapless:

There have been three other Gray releases on the Strapless mold, including the 2005 Live Show Prize Dapple Gray Overo Pinto, the 2007 FEI World Cup Special, and the 2009 Valvella.

I loved the first two, but they are essentially Micro Runs, and unattainable. The Valvella is more plentiful (700 pieces) but I’ve had a hard time warming up to that release. I love fleabites and the loose mane/tail version of Strapless, so this one might be a no-brainer for me.

The Chestnut Snowcap Ruffian Dead Heat is the second (though she looks more Red Dun to me):

There’s our designated “Racing Appaloosa” release! The Traditional Ruffian mold has also come in Appaloosa a couple times before, both as BreyerFest releases: the 2006 Silver Bay Blanket Appaloosa Raffle Model Windswept, and 2007’s Glossy Bay Semi-Leopard Heartland.

Current speculation is that Dead Heat is the item most likely to be the 50/50 Gloss/Matte Split model, though I am more intrigued by the fact that they “accidentally” released a second photo (now deleted/replaced) of this SR with the mold’s original longer tail.

Allegedly this was a mistake and the short-tail version is the official version, but the fact that the second photo existed at all is interesting.

This means that they might have only very recently made the decision on the tail but had photos of both versions made ready, just in case. Or we’ll be seeing the long-tail version in some other capacity such as a Raffle, Auction, or Online piece.

I prefer the short-tail version, regardless: I am more of an “old school” Appaloosa fan. (One of my “dream” Special Runs is a Few Spot Leopard on the Appaloosa Performance Horse mold.)

Breyer’s first Racing Appaloosa was, of course, the Stud Spider back in 1978. While I wouldn’t mind seeing something to commemorate that mold’s 40th anniversary – a Glossy Re-release, or the original Stud Spider pattern on a newer mold – I’m kind of doubting it.

BreyerFest Portrait Special tend to be of the “Store Special” variety, and they’ve already announced three: the Gloss Foiled Again, Icabad Crane, and now the Old Ironsides.

My only hesitation about the Dead Heat is the size of her. I own only two Traditional Ruffians currently (the original release, and the Goddess Series Athena) because she’s a shelf hog and hard to display properly.

I wish I could more ruthless with my affections as some are – we are not even half way through February, and Reeves is already making things hard for me!

Pottery Barn Specials

As you may know, the only Pottery Barn item I have is the Sample of the Gray Kennebec Count that appeared on eBay during that brief window of time when rumors were swirling about that Special Run’s potential cancellation:

Fortunately I didn’t pay too much for him; most either decided to wait out the rumors, or just give it a complete pass altogether because it was Kennebec Count. (Which I have no problem with: more for me!)

There were (or are, so far) only four horses in the Pottery Barn lineup: the 2007 Kennebec, a lovely Dappled Bay loose-tail Strapless released in 2009, the Classic Best in Show Thoroughbred in Black, and the Classic Johar in Chestnut Appaloosa. The Classics are still up on the Pottery Barn web site, though they were released in 2012, and are no longer available from them:

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/breyer-horses/

They also sold the Classics Scale Horse Trailer:

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/doll-horse-trailer/

None of the models had “official” names, and the two Classics are indistinguishable (as far as I know) from the Regular Run releases, aside from the special packaging.

The Kennebecs are relatively easy to find, though I don’t know if that’s because they made more, or he’s liked less than the Strapless. (A dislike that has struck me as much personal in nature, as conformational.)

On the other hand, the Strapless mold is currently quite the fashionable little darling now, no doubt aided in part by the well-received BreyerFest Store Special Oration last year. (Good luck finding one those pretties for less than $100!)

The two bay Straplesses are relatively easy to distinguish from each other: the PB Strapless is a little darker, dappled and more shaded, with a loose tail and three stockings; Oration is a lighter and redder bay with a braided tail and four stockings.

Of the two, I prefer the Pottery Barn Bay, partly because I still don’t have a loose tail variation yet. I have a funny feeling she’ll be on my newly-revamped want list for a while, however. (Eh, no money to spare at the moment anyway!)

So Far, C'est Bon

I am absolutely exhausted today; this week had way too much drama in it, even for me. Most of my day off tomorrow will be spent "quilting it out", both literally and figuratively.

As for the blow up occurring on Blab right now, I’ll leave my thoughts and comments on that on Blab itself, once I’ve collected them. (More sleep is required.) All I’ll say on the matter here is that I don't give up hope easily.

As for more positive news and thoughts, the initial BreyerFest 2015 information dump has been made, more or less on time and with pictures that are halfway decent. A few of them, ici:

http://www.breyerhorses.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=6975

My only disappointment with the Sunday Raffle Horse - a Buckskin Blanket Appaloosa Wyatt - is that it means we won’t be getting a more attainable Special Run of the Wyatt for BreyerFest. It doesn’t rule out a more-affordable-anyway Mid-Year or other SR release during the year, but whenever you get your hopes up even a little, there's a bit of a sting.

The Bay Strapless Store Special Oration is lovely, and a good match for both the actual horse, and for the mold. He is similar to the Pottery Barn SR of the Strapless, but the Oration has the braided mane and tail, while the PB Strapless has the loose versions of both. Although I prefer the loose mane and tail versions, I might be willing to concede on that point. I never seem to be in the right place at the right time for the Pottery Barn one, anyway …

The Early Bird Raffle Horse is also nice, a Palomino Sabino Idocus named C’est Bon:

If I do win one (ha!) I am so naming him Simon Le Bon, just because. He reminds me a little of the Store Special Palomino Halla from a few years back, but I like C'est Bon better.

There’s no mention of the prizes for the Diorama and Costume contests, yet. (I didn't see it when last I looked, at least.) For a costume I’m thinking something involving swords, since I don’t often get to use my mad college fencing skills in real life. (I attended Wayne State University: it was almost a requirement!) Or maybe not; whatever I choose to be will depend on whatever the flea markets and thrift shops offer me.

As far as the Diorama Contest goes, I got nothing so far. It’s become such a frustration for me that I’m thinking of just letting go of the notion altogether. Intellectually, I know it’s nothing personal; they don’t like my style, and I am not my style. If I’m a German Expressionist artistically, I’m never going to win at a French Impressionist show.

Sunny Spot

Here’s my pretty little girl:

Makes up for a week full of minor aggravations (Dental Appointments! Missed Deadlines! Traffic Lights Conspiring Against Me! Embarrassing Typos!) There’s some variation in the run, and if you can’t tell from the photo, she’s one of the pearlier ones.

She’s only the second Strapless I have in the collection - the other being the 2007 Volunteer Model Bluegrass, who also has the full braids. So my only quibble is strictly a personal and also minor one: I would have preferred that she had the loose mane and/or tail, because Mold Variations.

There’s always hoping that one like that shows up in the Sample boxes, right? (If not, I'll just have to intensify my search for the 2009 Pottery Barn Special in Bay, without seam issues. A tough girl to locate!)

Along with the Matte Sample Gooitzen, whose picture has been taken down from the Breyer web site and replaced with the Gloss one. Who is so Gloss that it’s hard to tell if there are any undertones, shading, dappling or detailing on him beyond the eyes and hooves. Or if he has the gloss "Tinkerbell" sparkling that some of the newer Gloss Special have had lately.

http://www.breyerhorses.com/bf2014-exclusive-models

On my computer he looks a little bit blue-grayish, but I haven’t adjusted my monitor in years, so I could be imagining things.

A Super-Glossy Dappled Black Friesian with sparkles would make me a very happy camper. Though I’ll be happy if he’s merely Glossy Enough To Squeak when touched, like the Shire Cheerio.

The only other news of note is that the latest Vintage Club release e-mail has been sent out, for the Red Roan Mustang Diablo. As I’ve seen others mention, he’s one of those releases that you think would have been made already, and years ago.

Then again, the old Freckle Red Roan color has always been rather sparingly used.

A combination of factors have contributed to that. The two biggest ones are (a) the technique has been superseded by more realistic ones, and (b) full body freckles = much messiness and room for error.

I don’t mind that the color is one of the lesser-used ones in Reeves’ painting repertoire; it makes the releases that do come out in this color a bit more special. However, I certainly wouldn't complain about more Stablemates in this color.

Looking for Sunshine

My Paddy arrived yesterday. He’s no Pot O’ Gold, but he’s fine. Leans a little more than he should, but not enough to send him back. I probably should have waited a few days to open him, since I was not in the right frame of mind to receive him properly.

The weather’s been beautiful, but I’ve had to deal with a lot of grimness in the past few days, the kind no amount of sunshine can fix. One coworker’s ex-husband (her younger son’s father) died suddenly, and another’s father had a heart attack, and the prognosis is not good. And a third coworker lost her mother two weeks ago after a brief and frightening illness.

That much death - on the cusp of Spring, no less - is not conducive to a happy frame of mind.

Even if the sunshine didn’t help, walking the dog did, a little; there’s something to the act of walking, for walking’s sake, that always clears my head.

I even came up with a clever bit I wanted to do for the blog today, but when I came home I realized that was a no-go because, yet again, access to that part of my collection has been blocked off for another neverending remodeling project.

Dang it, man! Foiled again!

(Which is also one of the primary reasons why there’s been a shortage of pictures here lately. Anyone familiar with my home situation also knows it’s something I can do absolutely nothing about. Sigh.)

Let’s look for sunnier things to talk about …

Reeves "officially" announced the Esprit Brick and Mortar Special on both Facebook and on the web site, and confirmed that his name is indeed Lionheart. He has stripes like a tiger, spots like a cheetah, but they name him Lionheart because of … his color? The mane? Just because it sounds kind of cool? I’m sure we’ll find out the real reason why before they officially announce it anyway. Because that’s how this community rolls.

(Always cracks me up when The Powers That Be act all surprised that we know stuff.)

They also released a picture of another BreyerFest Line/Ticket SR, a Palomino Strapless named Bees Knees, that’s refreshingly free of frivolities like dappling, sootiness, pinto-ness, or wildly complex hoof detailing. Just a straight up, light and clear Palomino paint job.

She was another one of those models that was "leaked" early; that first picture didn’t impress me that much initially; I am much more enamored of her now. I think the Strapless mold looks smashing in palomino, and she’s definitely a contender for my pocketbook - depending on what she looks like in person, and the size of my pocketbook. (The latter, not so good right now.)

Palomino is a color that renders really well in Gloss, so if they do decide to repeat the half Gloss/half Matte experiment that they did with last year’s Bay Appaloosa Show Jumping Warmblood, I’d consider her a prime candidate.

It wouldn’t matter to me either way, since I’m already falling in love with her in Matte.

In Plain Sight

I’m finally getting around to cleaning up my financial paperwork from BreyerFest. Not that I didn’t want to deal with it before, I really had other and better things to do before now. Plus, I had already done a rough estimate of the numbers, and they weren’t all that bad. The only real "overage" in the budget came from a handful of select pieces I found in the Pit - items that I couldn’t pass up, because I definitely could not have afforded them elsewhere.

(Not trying to be deliberately dodgy, but a girl’s gotta keep some secrets, y’know?)

I had already "budgeted" a bit for the Samples in the Pit, so this piece - the subject of a recent discussion on Blab - wasn’t part of that overage:


At first glance, it looks like the Zippo from the 2004 J.C. Penney SR Set, the one with the Strapless and the Amber. Notice anything different about him?

Here’s a hint: http://identifyyourbreyer.com/images/410154.jpg

My guy has the Strapless blanket! Or more precisely, the blanket from the 2002 QVC "Artist’s Proof" SR of the Zippo, in chestnut. Neat, eh?

Don’t panic, I didn’t see it at first, either. A little bird told me to be on the lookout for Zippos in the Sample boxes of the Pit this year, and when I saw one, I grabbed it and immediately stashed it in the buy pile. Even if he wasn’t anything special, I figured hey, it’s still a Zippo. I love Zippo! And he comes with a Sample Room/Pit provenance, which is a step up from your garden-variety Special Run.

I was distracted by the glare of flashier things, I guess, so I didn’t pay too much attention to him until last week. As I was poking around the Internet, catching up on a little random research, I thought I’d pull up a picture of the Black App Zippo just for kicks - and holy moley! You could have hit me with a plank.

(Note: I have been hit with planks before. So I know of what I speak here. No, you don’t need to know that story, either.)

My first inclination was to label it another one of those "Mystery/Early Bird Pit Specials" that have turned up in the past few years, like the Gloss Summer Solstices and the Fun Foal Appaloosa PAFs. There’s definitely more than one of him out there, and they are all identically painted. Seems like a logical conclusion, right?

I’m not so sure. From what I’ve been able to gather, these guys were not a deliberate attempt to drive us early risers crazy. (Actually, I’m fairly certain of it.) If they were, they would have been grouped together somewhere else, and not mixed in the Sample boxes willy-nilly. They really were just a part of the Sample Room cleanout.

Admittedly, it is a little odd that there would be a small group of identical, but different from the norm Zippos roaming around the Sample Room; I don’t know what the full story is, there. Still, regardless of what they are - Tests, Prepros, mistakes, whatever - because of the circumstances of their sale, they’ve become another "Early Bird Special" by default.

Dwelling on the Pit, Pt. II

Spent the day yesterday trying to plow through the last crunchy bits of the paperwork; alas, I was hampered by a broken printer and a shortage of binders. (I should just start buying binders by the box, I swear.) I can’t believe some of the stuff I found this year - reference material for Melbaware? The show program for the Second Eastern Regional Congress? Bumper stickers from IMHCC? Wow. I can only imagine how much more I could have found if I really had the time to shop.

Let’s go back to the Pit!

I didn’t hear about THAT video - the narrated one of the shenanigans going on before, during and after the Pit - until late Friday night, and I wasn’t in any mood to watch it. I’m still not, especially if the allegations about the video makers being line cutters themselves are true. (I wouldn’t know: I have a dreadful memory for faces.) I was there, and I know what happened. And my reality is probably significantly different than the snarky, blasé one portrayed in the video.

I didn’t hear about THAT foal - the Palomino Appaloosa Proud Arabian Foal - until Friday night, either. By the time I had fought my way to the Fun Foal section of the Pit, all that was left was the Pintaloosa Standing Stock Horse Foal, and I was happy to get even him.

I have heard different reports about just how many of these Proud Arabian Foals there were - anywhere from 8 to 25. I didn’t see them in the first place, so I can’t confirm either the higher or lower end of the estimate. A couple people have brought up the notion that this might have been a "surprise" designed for the early risers; if so, that might explain what last year’s Gloss Summer Solstices were about - right down to the small, undefinable quantity.

(Isn’t it interesting that the Gloss Summer Solstices that were so casually dismissed as "not all that cool" last year are now a hot item? Such fickle creatures, hobbyists.)

If this is true, it’s very nice of them, but also potentially quite dangerous; one friend of mine who showed up at 4 a.m. panicked a bit over missing the PAF, and is contemplating getting up even earlier next year. Reeves, if you really are going to do this "Early Riser Special" thing, you better darn well institute the Estate Sale numbering system next year, because someone will get hurt. I saw a fight break out this year, over what I think was the last Escondido (I didn’t want to get too close to find out what it was, exactly.) I hate to imagine what would happen if they dumped something like a couple dozen Gloss Honey Bay Alborozos in the mix.

I certainly don’t think that he’s worth the high three-figure or low four-figure price tag hobbyists are asking (and apparently getting!) for him right now. I sold a test color PAF last year in the $400-500 range, which would seem a little more sensible price range for him.

But ZOMG! It’s a PAF! One of the few molds beneath the hobby’s collective contempt! Whatever. It’s getting filed in the same never-gonna-have-it list as all those other uber-rare Glosses and SRs I can’t possibly afford. (Or would even be willing to pay for, if I could.)

Like the FEI World Cup Strapless.

I didn’t find out about the Straplesses until much later, either. I think of all the models I missed out on, this one annoyed me the most - not because I didn’t see it (a situation I would have been more acceptable to me, if so) but because of the way they were distributed in the Pit.

They were simply handed out, by Breyer employees. It was either randomly, or to people they thought deserved one, without the fuss or having to find or fight over it. I guess I was neither random nor deserving enough.

I had heard of this happening in a previous year: a random shopper just being handed this random treasure. I thought maybe that was an Urban Legend, but nope, it really did happen this year: I got to talk to one of those gifted persons. (An interesting story I could tell you more about - in private. Yeah, one of those kind of stories.)

It wasn’t really a gift - the giftee still had to pay $300 for it, but still a bargain. I would have paid it.

And now the story about my hat.

Well, either sometime during my first or second trip in the Pit on Friday, I lost my hat. I didn’t notice that my infamous chapeau - the one illustrated in my avatar - was missing until much later in the day. I was oddly unconcerned about its disappearance: I figured I’d find it on Saturday, either in the Lost and Found, or via a friend or acquaintance. It’s gone missing before, and always makes it back to me.

So I’m in the Pit again on Saturday, picking up a second Radar for a friend of mine, and there’s my hat, casually perched on top of the stacks of Dealer Catalogs, near the checkout. I put it back on my head, and continued shopping. A short time later, a Strapless-free Breyer employee roaming the Pit stops me and mentions the hat. "We were going to take it to lost and found, but we figured you’d be coming back here anyway."

Gee, umm, thanks? Glad y’all know me so well, I think. (Now, wouldn’t happen to have a stray Chestnut Trakehner lying around you could gift me for a Benjamin or two, would ya? Didn’t think so.)

Dwelling on the Pit, Pt. I

Things are almost back to normal; pretty much everything except the paperwork is done. The paperwork will take a while, but I don’t mind, considering the quality of the stuff (the paper, and the horses) that I brought home. I’m going to have to have a sale on all the leftovers and upgraded stuff pretty soon. Maybe I’ll just sell it all as a lot, save some time…

Here’s a scan of the Armstrong Supply Company logo from the brochure I mentioned last week, just to prove I wasn’t talking out of my butt:


I did some cursory research, but wasn’t able to find anything more about the company - what happened to it, how long it was in business, or whether it’s now operating under a different name or something. At least I have a name and address to work with now.

My horse pickings were pretty modest this year: almost entirely stuff from the NPOD:

• Escondido
• Silver Charm Newsworthy
• Pink Poodle
• Lady Liberty
• Pintaloosa Standing Stock Horse Fun Foal
• Pippen (blue roan POA - in a Racehorse box? Odd.)
• Buttermilk (older Adios release in a JCP XMAS box, with video)
• 2009 and 2010 Dealer Catalogs
• Two Radars (one for me, one for a friend)
• LSE G2 "Denim" Arabian

I passed on the Alborozos, the Connoisseurs (The Widowmaker, Giselle, Gilen, Oasis), didn’t need a Frappe or Summer Solstice, missed all of the other Fun Foals, and I wasn’t "offered" any of the FEI Straplesses or LSE Sassies. (Apparently I wasn’t deemed worthy enough by the Breyer staffers - more on that later.) I thought about getting the other two Medalist Ponies, but interest seemed surprisingly low on them, so I figured I could wait another year on them and hope the price gets docked even more. The Silver is the one I really, really wanted anyway, and the $75 price tag was exactly what I was willing to pay for it.

I didn’t see any Autumns, no TSC or Mid-States pre-releases, no Christmas Catalog stuff except for the actual Christmas-themed pieces (Jewel, the ornaments, etc.) I just missed getting the last Music City (as did one of my roommates) and at one point I thought I was being offered a test/station sample of a Silver/Hobo, but I don’t know if that was just a case of bragging or affirmation, instead. (Annoying, but water over the bridge at this point.)

Lots of other stuff, too - the usual BreyerFest leftovers, recently discontinued items, new releases, clothing, odds and ends. They had Cream and Cocoa, but at the regular retail price - too rich for my blood. Not a bad assortment of pickings this year, overall.

Things did seem to go a little bit smoother this time around, but I don’t think much of what Reeves did had anything to do with it. It’s pretty much the same group of people who punish themselves every year with this nonsense, and we know how to police ourselves by now. There were the usual bad actors and cutters, but nothing is going to stop them short of serious professional intervention.

Reeves did enforce the one item per person rule on the Radars, more or less (allegedly they were confiscating multiple Radars from people in the checkout line, but I didn’t witness that personally.) I got one on the first day, and a second on Saturday for my friend, when I realized just how nice he really was in person. There are two versions - one with subtle dapples, and the other with more dramatic ones - though I couldn’t tell you which one is the more rare of the two. I got one of each, and I’m having a hard time deciding which one to keep. I might let my friend make the decision for me.

I was a little alarmed by the feeding frenzy associated with the Radar. He’s nice, but not elbow-to-eyeball nice. Things were nowhere near as crazy for Toby last year; it makes me wonder if the news about the nature of the "Store Special" has finally sunk in with the greater collecting public (i.e. lower piece run, no ticket required.) If that’s the case, Reeves really does need to step up their game in regards to the Pit, especially if next year’s Store Special is really something.

And regarding the Strapless and LSE leftovers, That Foal, That YouTube video, and the misadventures of my Hat - well, we’ll discuss that tomorrow.

Pottery Barn Strapless

Something real short today - still recovering from an especially rough work week. Next week should be better.

I was really surprised at how much I really like the new Pottery Barn Strapless. Isn’t it nice that a simple bay paint job on an unfussy, undramatic mold can be so pleasing?

When she first came out, I wasn’t super-impressed with the mold. I thought she clean and elegant, but a little on the dry side, like an anatomical model in a biology textbook. I guess the folks at Reeves got that impression, too, releasing her as an actual anatomical model - the 1228 Anatomy in Motion - a couple years later.

I’ve warmed up to the mold considerably. I like the mane and tail options that they’ve given her, and the colors she’s come out in have been pretty awesome. And best of all, simple: if you've got a good base to work with, any color - even the plainest ones - will shine. The liver chestnut on the Sidesaddle Set? Mmm, yummy!

I love an eyecatching paint job as much as the next hobbyist, but sometimes simplicity is better. I guess it’s just years of observation that have made me skeptical of overly complex colors or patterns: it always makes me think that the artist or manufacturer has something to hide. Neck too long, shoulder too stiff, or the legs are bending in positions not seen in nature? Eh, distract the judges with a dappled sooty buckskin frame overo paint job. And don’t forget the tri-colored eyes and mapping!

She’s another one I’ll be putting on my wait list: I discovered earlier this week that I really have reached the limit of my storage capacity: I spent a half an hour wandering around the house trying to find a spot for my Pony Gals Stablemates. (My set is at last complete! Yes!)

I spent a large portion of yesterday (the part when I was awake) cleaning, reorganizing and making tough decisions on who and what will be going into storage. I’d love to sell some stuff, but the market for anything but test colors, sub-50 piece SRs and Glossies is dead, dead, dead.

Maybe I’ll have better luck selling some of my quilts, instead; I’ll have to look into that.