April 2024 Odds n’ Ends

 

Originally, this post was to be published as Part 2 of the March Odds n’ Ends feature, but surprise, it didn’t make it. So now it is the April 2024 Odds n’ Ends feature, lol. First up, a gofundme initiated by Bernadette Phillips to purchase a memorial plaque for Andrea Gurdon, the Breyer History Diva, has reached its goal. This plaque was be placed in the Kentucky Horse Park, the home of Breyerfest to honor Andrea’s memory and her contribution to the model horse hobby. Instead of a plaque, a memorial bench is to be placed by the BF entrance gate at the KHP. The inscription is to read:

Andrea M. Gurdon
Breyer History Diva
Forever First in Line

 Thank you to all who helped make this possible!

Photo from tripadvisor.com

The March 2024 Collector Club newsletter hit inboxes in the last days of March and it is not terribly exciting. I miss the “My Collector Story” feature, which allowed hobbyists to share things about their collections and how collecting intertwined with their life. That segment was then to be expanded to what was called  “The Collector Club Showcase.” This was to give collectors a broader stage to share things about their models and the hobby, such as “Breyer fanart, photography, short stories, model horse show wins, collection photos, and whatever else your creative mind can come up with!” Since at least December 2021, the Collectors Club newsletter has only provided a feature story, a giveaway, and a sneak peek. Not to say those items are bad, I just wish there was more content in the newsletters. I for one truly miss Breyer’s “Just About Horses,” a former quarterly publication. Now we get *one* issue at the end of each year. I look forward to that yearly issue very much, but I am greedy for more! Moving on to the contents of this month’s newsletter, the feature story is a fully digitized issue of JAH from 1980:

The March giveaway model is RD Marciea Bey:

And last of all we have a Sneak Peek square, featuring a metallic-y gold and blue pattern:

I suppose this decorator is the next installment of the Exotic Destinations, and the shimmery gold and lapis bring the obvious guess to mind - ancient Egypt. Probably a wrong guess, but due to brain drain I’m not feeling particularly inquisitive. So we have to wait for the upcoming reveal.

BreyerWest took place during the weekend of March 15-17, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. It had model horse shows, meet and greets, Stablemate painting, raffles, workshops, etc. BreyerWest also had an exclusive Event Model limited to one per BreyerWest attendee. The model, HD Harkness, was a Breyerfest 2023 Store Special, and glossed specifically for BreyerWest. Glossy HD Harkness is a run of 250 pieces and is numbered the same as the Breyerfest release, with the addition of a capital G for glossy (# 711263G). The cost of the event model was $175 and includes a certificate of authenticity:

BreyerWest featured a display of the upcoming Breyerfest models, along with the latest Exotic Destinations model, Mumbai. In addition to all of those models, the Ambassador (aka Volunteer) model was revealed. The Ambassador/Volunteer model will have three different colors, two of which were revealed at BreyerWest and the third to be seen at Breyerfest. It is the Bluegrass Bandit mold, and she is named Worth It. This sabino mare has been shown in the medium and liver chestnut colors, and in July we shall see the third one. Here are the two revealed colors:

 

Hmmmmmm…oh yes. Since we were just talking about Event Models, let’s take a gander at the Event Models for Breyer’s 2024 Collector Club Event. This year’s event, dubbed Spokes and Spurs, is being held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 3-5, 2024. Tickets were available via lottery purchase, and the event, limited to 200 people, is sold out.

There are models exclusive to each event, and while we don’t know what those are yet, we do know what the Event Model and Stablemate are. The Event Model, a run of 200, is on the Bobby Jo/Working Cow Horse mold and depicts Wimpys Little Step, a stunning palomino:

The Event Stablemate is on the mini Clydesdale Stallion and is named Ned. Ned is a black sabino with white and blue bobs, and is a run of 200 as well:

I have to say that I really like these event models - I conga both of them! Arrrrrrggghhhh!!! I will simply have to admire them from afar, or wait it out until an opportunity arises for their potential purchase. Lol, yeah right, but who knows, this is one of those be-patient-and-wait scenarios. That is it for now, and hopefully I can get the next Odds n’ Ends installment up in a timely manner. 

*Photos of Breyer models and Spurs and Spokes logo are from Breyer’s website and social media.

January 2022 Miscellaneous Odds n’ Ends

 

I have decided to try something new with the blog. The Miscellaneous Odds n’ Ends will be listed by month, with whatever number update it is. Hopefully that will help keep the news tidbits a little more manageable over the year. We don’t want to have “Miscellaneous Odds n’ Ends Part 9,741,623” or something of that sort. On to the odds n’ ends!

The BreyerWest special run model has officially been revealed by Breyer, though it wasn’t much of a surprise. Hobbyists figured it out rather quickly before Breyer’s reveal from the Sneak Peak Square:

Lionel was the Flagship store model for 2020, and he’s back for BreyerWest with a snazzy glossy coat. This extended blanket palomino is on the True North/Cantering Warmblood mold and the glossy special is a run of 250 pieces. He is priced at $150 and limited to one model per attendee, and the ticket holder who purchased him must pick him up (Breyer says they will be checking IDs). His model number remains the same as the matte Lionel, but has a capital G after the number to indicate he is a glossy (#760247G). I am assuming he will have a BreyerWest tummy stamp under the gloss. We’ll have to wait and see when these guys are in-hand, which will be in late February.

On the subject of glossies, the 2021 Breyerfest Horse of a Different Color glossies are starting to show up. I had ordered a glossy Josie, then at the last minute ordered a glossy Apollo de Solis. I think both of them are slated to show up on Thursday. Also landing are the Montana weirdo popcorn sheep, and he looks better in person than in Breyer’s promo pictures (surprise!). The photos I’ve seen show more of the splatter dapple pattern than the polka-dotting. The label has been created for mine, so hopefully the tracking information will be sent to me shortly.

Also appearing are the Firefly and Hawkeye sets, and they are looking nice! Mama (Firefly) looks oh-so-pink in all of the pictures I’ve seen, and as a bonus she doesn’t look to be squished. I ordered my set on December 31, so naturally they haven’t been fulfilled yet. I’m excited to see how pink my Firefly is going to be. 

Annnnnnd one last thing…Breyer still has their Warehouse Sale going on, and they still have all six releases from the 2019 Fairytale Friends Club. Maybe we’ll talk about those sometime in the future. I think that’s it for now.

*Photo of glossy Lionel is from Breyer’s website.*

Breyer Bootcamp-Best Bet for BreyerWest!

 Hahaha, I couldn’t resist using alliteration in a title.  Yeah it’s lame, but it’s the best I can think of at the moment.  Maybe I’ll do a future post about alliterations, using model horse names.  Wait, those alliterations will probably end up worse than this blog post title, with things such as  ”Proud Puffin put poisoned purple peaches in the pony pond” or “Lucky Legionario let little lemurs leave leftover limp lettuce for lunch.”  Ummm yeeeaaahhh time to stop it now...

Since the pandemic is raging on, Captain Obvious would like you to know that BreyerWest is virtual this year, and will be taking place February 26-28, 2021.  BreyerWest is a much smaller event than BreyerFest, and it gives those model horse enthusiasts on the west side of the country a chance to have something closer to home.  Not sure why Breyer changed the name for the virtual event, but whatever.  Quoted from their website:

 “we’ve moved this energizing, community-building event ONLINE as Breyer Boot Camp”

Okay then.  Get your Zoom on as Breyer Boot Camp will be featuring meet the artist sessions, workshops, and model horse photo shows.  The workshops have two options available: live interactive Zoom meetings or live (non interactive) streams.  I’ve signed up for the three workshops, but chose the webinar (live stream) options for all of them.  I think it’d be neat to do the interactive option, but I may not be available during the live sessions.  The workshops are to be recorded and made available after that weekend to the registered participants (currently no information on how long the recorded workshops will be available).

Meet the Artists will feature (in order of their scheduled Zoom appearances):

Maggie Jenner-Bennett

Melanie Miller

Rayvin Maddock

Kylee Parks

Vincent Lange

Franceyn Dare

The workshops offered are:

Repositioning Your Stablemate’s Head, led by Maggie Jenner-Bennett

Put Wings and a Horn on It, led by Shauna McDaniel

Paint That Pinto, led by Melanie Miller

Model Horse Shows:

Open Photo Show

Youth and Novice Photo Show

Hopefully I will be able to attend some of it...

*Photo taken from Breyer’s website*

*Quote taken from Breyer’s website*