It Ain't Easy Being a Fangirl

Whatever had gotten into me has now gotten out of me. I suspect the shrimp I had the night before may have been involved.

Lots of news in the meantime…

The Reissues are starting to ship - and appear on eBay. A buyer is free to do with a model whatever they please, once they buy it, but I’m still going to find it tacky when that something is reselling it at a significant markup when it’s still available from the retailer.

A little bit of a markup, in acknowledgement of your error in thinking it might have been different or more rare than it turned out to be? Or as a fee for the service of dealing with the sometimes quixotic nature of the Breyer web site? Sure. Hoping to profit on your customers not doing their homework? Squicky. 

(PSA: Everybody except Huck is still available on the Breyer web site, folks. In plain sight.)

The RCMP Horse is now available for pre-orders, and is shipping by the beginning of October. He also appears to be more of a Dark Mahogany (a la the Adios release "Mesa") with a glossy ("clipped"?) maple leaf on his behind. For those of you ready to kvetch about the model having too much white for a RCMP Horse, the RCMP Foundation has apparently given its seal of approval to the release.

Also shipping in October - and even more exciting pour moi - is a sweet Appaloosa Performance Horse in Dappled Buckskin Appaloosa, with every sixth one being extra special in some way. (It’s a little unclear if Being Chalky or Having Indian Markings is the special feature. Or both.) This explains the happy reappearance of the mold at the benefit auction in Kentucky this year.

I want them all - whatever they are and in Glossy, if it comes to that. (Those of you attending the NPOD next year better secure your holy relics now, because if I see any extra special ones lurking in the Sample boxes, that’s all that’s going to protect you.)

Judging from the reaction I’ve been seeing on Blab, so do lots of other people. Warms my heart that I’m not the only APH lover out there.

Not so close to my heart: the reaction from The Usual Suspects about the latest Vintage Club release, which is (as I expected) the Jumping Horse "Kiowa" in Indian Pony-style Chestnut Pinto, with Indian markings. If you’ve seen the number of them up for pre-sell, you know what I mean.

I know I sometimes come across as a Breyer Fangirl (not without some justification!) but you know I’m also not above snarking molds and releases either. I have preferences for color, mold and scale, but I consider myself one of those increasingly rare creatures: a Generalist. I like a little bit of everything. I am a Breyer collector, not just a Glossy Breyer Collector or a Stablemates Collector or even an APH Collector.

I have no snark to offer about the Kiowa. I like him a lot. I love the color, especially - a rarely seen and rarely used one that would look good on a lot of molds, I believe. (Want badly, right now: the APH in Indian Pony Chestnut Pinto).

I like the Jumping Horse, even though I don’t have that many: size and shelf space are the biggest issues there. One of these days, when the price and time are right, I am definitely picking up the State Line Tack Special Run "Jumping Jupiter", and that funky Semi-Gloss Dark Dapple Gray 1997 Sears Christmas Special Run.

(Y’all might also remember my heartbreak/meltdown/pity party over not winning the Best of British Contest last year, with the Fleabitten and Dappled "Sterling" as the prize. Not my best moment, but I'll own it.)

Just remember: a few years ago, the notion that a Special Run on the Appaloosa Performance Horse could be as warmly received as it is now was considered risible.

Moody Molds in Basic Black

Vita is basically back to being her usual pain in the butt self. We finally figured out the secret of getting her to stop making her "yucky" face at dinner time: chicken broth. She hasn’t been begging so much at the table, either, which we think is because she now thinks she’s already getting table food. (To be honest, it almost is.)

Looks like it’s my turn to be sick today: my back hurts, I’m nauseous, and I have a migraine. I have tomorrow off, so I can (I hope) sleep most of my aches and pains away. (I’m blaming any typos today, most justifiably, on the migraines.)

Reeves finally got around to mentioning some of the Reissues on their Facebook page - four days after they appeared on the web site, and three days after I mentioned them here. Who needs Facebook when you got me, right?

(A big portion of the hobby, still, and a couple of friends who have completely abandoned me. Didn’t they all get the memo that Facebook is like totally uncool now? I heard it on the radio, so it must be true.)

There are also a couple of (apparently) unauthorized photos of some 2014 releases floating about the Internet, including one of a Black Big Ben as an Royal Canadian Mounted Police Horse. He looks great in "basic black", but then again, most Moody molds do: whatever their anatomical or stylistic issues, you can’t deny they all have beautiful silhouettes - and black paint jobs do a good job of accentuating them.

I don’t have a lot of Big Bens in my collection - not for a lack of trying, but most of the ones I really love I can’t afford. Like the 2005 FEI Gift Model in Dark Bay, the 2006 Volunteer model in Gloss Dark Bay/Brown Sabino, Nautical, 1998 BreyerFest Copenhagen Serengeti…

I didn’t have an original Big Ben until recently, and I’m not so sure he’s an "original" either:

He’s another one of those things I found in the Sample boxes at BreyerFest. At first I thought he was a Sample for the WEG Reissue of the Big Ben, but now I’m not so sure. He could have been an ordinary, later run Big Ben that someone bought or brought into the offices, for whatever reason. Other vintage (sometimes, pre-Reeves!) models have made their way into the Sample boxes before, so it's not as far-fetched an idea as it seems.

I don’t have either the WEG Reissue or an off-the-shelf original, so I can’t verify his status one way or another.

Regardless of what he is, I like him and he’s staying.

Reissues Reissued

Another head’s up for those out of the loop: the much-talked-about BreyerFest Store Reissues have just made their reappearance - for sale, on the Breyer web site. They’re under the Traditional link, at a price slightly lower than they were in the store: $29.99, instead of $35.00.

The Huck’s already sold out, but the other four are still available, including the accessory-free Palomino Old Timer everyone was swooning over. (And yes, my chorus line of blinkerless Old Timers is now up to three! Huzzah!)

I kind of figured this would happen, though I thought it would happen a little closer to the holidays, maybe as a Black Friday Special.

More surprising still is that there were so few of the Huck Beys available; I don’t know if it’s because they produced fewer of them, if there was greater demand, or if they sold the bulk of them at BreyerFest.

Since they were still selling the Hucks on Sunday at BreyerFest, I’m sure it’s part of the equation somehow. On the other hand, they had - and still have - tons of Clydesdale Mares, too. More confirmation for my theory that there are/were several skids of Clyde Mare bodies loitering in the warehouse, mayhaps?

(Now imagining a huge army of Clydesdale Mare variations. Oddly, mostly in shades of Black. Ooh, now there's an idea: Black Horses for Black Friday! An entire family of Clydesdale in Solid Black with tan/brown hooves, like the original Special Run Family Arabians!)

(Wow, I'm way more tired than I thought. Rough day at work, but still...)

As far as the exact quantities, and purpose, that’s still a mystery. The next few days are going to be fairly hectic in my neck of the woods, so I’ll have to leave it to others to suss out that information.

Love my Lucys

I don’t get quite as excited about variations on more modern releases as I do about older releases. Part of it is my bias towards older models, but some of this variation-parsing also strikes me as an effort by some to either justify collecting multiples of certain releases, or to make their models even more special than someone else’s.

Which I am okay and (sometimes) totally on board with this impulse as a collector. As a historian, though, I see it as another shortcut to madness.

By necessity, I have to stick to more notable (or noticeable) variations, rather than document the entire spectrum. If something appears to be especially attractive or unusual compared to the norm, I'll make note of it, but generally those kinds of variations are of such specialized interest that the likelihood of an average enthusiast noticing it is very low.

(I tend to exit out of most conversations, for instance, that involve the phrase "semi-gloss variation". Mostly because everyone’s definition is so different, and so nebulous, that it’s as meaningless as the word "RARE" in an eBay listing. But I digress.)

The modern impulse to seek even the subtlest variations also stems from the fact that there’s a lot less variation than there used to be in Breyer models, too. Newer releases are more consistent - to the point that I’ve had a few hobbyists tell me with an absolutely straight face that all Breyers are painted completely by machines now - but it's more a matter of bland sameness thumbing a ride with consistency.

There’s still some minor variation built into the more modern masking techniques. When you think about it, there has to be: it’s a relatively thin and fragile adhesive masking material that’s being placed on an irregular and three-dimensional surface.

Most of these variations are minor - a slightly different cut edge, or a spot or marking placed a little higher or lower than it’s supposed to be. But sometimes…well, take a look a the speckled behinds of my two Lucys and see why even I took notice of this:

I was going to keep both of them because Gloss and Matte, duh, but that their butt spots are so different is a nice plus. Their stickers are on opposite shoulders too, but that's just a post-production thing. I don't usually note sticker placement at all, unless it's in some really weird spot like the middle of a forehead or stuck to a model's private parts.

(Regarding the latter: I see it all the time, and it never fails to be amuse me.)

Better, Better, Every Day Better

Blood tests confirmed that it was pancreatitis. Vita came home Sunday night, and is doing better.

The first night was a bit rough - she was still kinda grumpy, and a bit off her feed. Today she has her appetite and most of her attitude back, but the new diet is not particularly to her liking, except for the chopped bits of cooked chicken breast.

It’s a lighter work schedule for most of us this week, so we should be able to monitor the little invalid’s needs as necessary.

The garage sale went okay. We sold a lot of the bigger stuff, and made enough to justify the effort. The handful of Breyer bodies that I put out, of course, sold first. I didn’t go to the flea market on Sunday partly because I didn’t want to see them again so soon. It’s not that I overly care about the markup, but the events of the past week have definitely put me in a less charitable state of mind than I usually am about such things.

When I went up to the local grocery store to get some last minute ingredients for dinner, for instance, I found myself yelling unprintable things at the participants of one of the floats getting ready for the Peach Festival parade. (The float was sponsored by a local organization I have had issues with in the past - both its mission, and its members.)

But, on to more positive thoughts.

My Glossy Lucy should be arriving tomorrow. Yay!

I made some neat new additions to the research library recently - including an original 1972 Dealer Catalog. The price was right, it filled a big hole in the archive, and I had just enough money in the Paypal account to take care of it.

(Crummy picture = scanner kaput. Yes, I checked to see if my hand-airbrushed Misty was a match for the one on the cover. It is not.)

Once I wrap up some other business (all that’s been left hanging due to the events of the previous month) my next big project will be to whip my files and archives back into shape and get back to doing some serious research, because dorky me really does miss it.

There’s the collection culling, too, though all the stories I’ve been reading about the rash of nonpaying bidders and buyers is making it less and less of a priority at the moment. I don’t foresee myself making a huge number of new additions in the next few months, anyway, other than (possibly) more ephemera. The garage sale has given me enough room to handle the overflow for the time being, too.

That’s it for today. As I mentioned above, my real-world work week is light, so I’m hoping for a more productive online week ahead of me.

Pearl of Great Price

Well, that could have gone better.

Vita had been feeling unwell for most of the week - feeling restless, throwing up after almost every meal, eating grass, etc. By Thursday night, she was refusing even her most favorite treats, and had us so worried that we ended up in the emergency room of the vet hospital.

(Vita refusing a marshmallow? Unthinkable!)

X-rays ruled out a blockage or tumor; the initial bloodwork suggested pancreatitis, so she’s been at the hospital since then, for fluids, monitoring, more tests.

We visited her earlier tonight and she seems to be doing a lot better. In fact, she wanted to play with the other dogs there more than us. And the vet techs think she is just the sweetest dog ever.

Brat. It’s good to know if we ever need to board her that she’s totally okay with that, which I suspected would be the case. (We don’t call her "Miss Congeniality" for nothing!)

Anyway, it was kind of hard to focus on the garage sale and a medical emergency. I had to rely on another family member to do signage, and that didn’t work out so well. But Saturday is the "big" day at the Peach Festival, so new signs plus and improving Vita equals a better day, right?

Something simple, of course. Another nice Ninja Pit find - not as rare or exclusive as some, but still pretty good:

The Pearly Gray Classic Warmblood, part of the #712070 "Welcome to the World of Breyer Kit" with blanket, backpack, and booklet. A perk of Deluxe Kid’s Club membership that was also distributed at tour and PR events, they only made about 600 of these sets, making it scarcer than both the Tennessee Titan and the Lady C Store Specials.

Alas, for some strange reason a lot hobbyists aren’t all that into the more modern Classics. There’s a perception that they’re more toy-like, and specifically geared towards the younger set: thicker legs, more simplified features, brighter colors.

There are a few more modern molds I’m not all that crazy about: the Morgan Foal is just a little too smooth and angular, and the Morgan Stallion has an almost tubular head and boxy muzzle that bother me.

The Warmblood Stallion, however, is one that I happen to like, a lot. I think he strikes a nice balance: not too artsy-fartsy, but not too toy-ish, either.

The paint job, too: I know some of the newer releases are pearly or metallic to the point of being quasi-Decorators, but this fellow is just pearly enough to pass for freshly washed and groomed - just the effect that I believe Reeves was going for.

Another Hunch Horse

This garage sale is making me fantasize about bonfires. (Apparently me taking charge of the operation = DO ALL THE WORK.)

So FYI: I may be somewhat scarce this week.

As much as I love my Samples, they are problematic for me as a historian. This next model - a Sample for the 2012 BreyerFest Special Run Tunbridge Wells - illustrates these problems perfectly:

I’m not sure why I decided to buy this guy; I wasn’t all that impressed with the release last year, but when I spotted him in the boxes, he was another one of those "hunch" horses: I got a feeling. Having a feeling = having to buy him.

The thing is, I’m still not sure if my hunch has paid off, or not.

He’s definitely a Sample - no VIN number, no BreyerFest stamp. But beyond that, I really don’t know what to think. I haven’t spent that much time acquainting myself with standard, Production Run Tunbridge Wellses to know if I have something beyond that.

I do know that I like the release better, now, but I don’t know if it’s because the Sample in my possession might have a few extra details otherwise missing from the Production pieces, or if it’s a result of me getting to know him better.

But back to the main issue. While it is interesting to examine Sample pieces to understand the design and production process, ultimately that information is tertiary to the average hobbyist’s informational needs.

The first is, of course, what it is: name, number, quantity, type of run (Regular, or Special, and if a Special, for what?) Second is: is it special or valuable in some way? In other words, how does it differ from the norm?

Answering the first kind of question is rarely any trouble at all, and doesn't even require ownership. The second question, on the other hand, often does - or at least more than a passing acquaintance with it. I cannot answer questions of the second type if all I know of a model comes directly - or indirectly - from something that is by definition Not Normal.

That’s one of my pet peeves with Price and Information Guides, model horse or otherwise. The person or persons compiling the guide often/usually have access to items that the general buying public does not, and sometimes these pieces get utilized in these guides as representative examples.

Even if the guide makers take pains to point out the example’s different-ness, a combination of a lack of reading comprehension and wishful thinking often end up defeating the best efforts of the guide makers. Or even anyone posting anything vaguely authoritative online. Look at what happens every single time Reeves posts a Test Color or Auction Piece on Facebook.

This particular model also came with some condition issues: you probably can’t see them in the photo, but he’s in somewhat rough shape, even for a Sample. One hoof has a large rub, one eartip has been bumped/deformed, and he has a few light scratches. Unless he gets a little work done (not likely, on my schedule) he'll be staying off the show circuit.

I generally consider condition issues to be a good thing with regard to questionable models: what that tells me is that it might have been an actual "working/work in progress" Sample  - something earlier in the design process, rather than later or near-finalized. Something that got passed around and critiqued, and suffered a few indignities along the way.

I have no idea if that's actually the case. I don't know all that much about him at all.

It might just be the mystery of him that's making him so intriguing to me. What this all means is that I now probably have to buy or trade for a Production Run Tunbridge Wells. For research!