Windsong Stables: Appaloosa Performance Horse

Showing posts with label Appaloosa Performance Horse. Show all posts

Monday, March 8, 2021

Chief of Fourmile

Since last fall, Marilou Mol and Linda Shawhan have been rehoming models and art from the late Linda Myron's collection. There were some lovely pieces, but I didn't bid on any models until this boy popped up the very last weekend of the dispersal.

Chief of Fourmile, a 1999 Commemorative Edition. Isn't he pretty?

Marilou and Linda both show chinas, and they packed him as though he were a china, too. (Thanks, ladies!)

He came with his original hang tag with information about him. (I hadn't realized that late in life he fell into bad hands and was rescued when he was emaciated and starving. Poor boy!)

Already I am fond of the little heart shaped spot on his off backside.

And his color is intriguing. I love the shoulder shading and the black spots underneath it.

His paint job is a little odd in another way.

The bottom of the hooves are black - did Breyer use black plastic or were the undersides of the hooves painted?

There is some detritus sticking to them, too. I did the flashlight test to check the plastic and the light shone right through, so the plastic is white and that is black paint. (In other words, it's not a chalky or partial chalky or chalky plastic.)

Attached to his leg is a tag that I presume was made by Linda to keep track of the models in her collection.

I'll check with Marilou and Linda but will probably keep the tag on him regardless of who wrote it - it's part of his provenance.

Such a pretty color on an underused vintage mold. I am thrilled to be able to add him to my collection.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Chalky Appaloosa Performance Horse

I have been looking for a chalky Appaloosa Performance Horse for years. When he was first released, I did not like the mold (that tail!) and so I chose other Breyers over him when I was buying new pieces for my collection. But, I did love the color - it is probably my favorite of all the colors Breyer has ever produced.

But recently I found a really nice one. It was a smidge over what I wanted to pay, but because it was so nice and my search had been so long, I purchased it. (Photo by seller.)Chalky Appaloosa Performance Horse, #99, 1974 - 1980, $85, Barrie Getz.The color is one of Breyer's most popular and has been used for several Vintage Club offerings.

And they all have the smile-inducing double dots on the back.

The free Vintage Club stablemate in 2012 was Eagle. This was the first year for the club, and we vintage collectors were thrilled to see that APH appaloosa color used again.

The next year, Halo, the Stretch Morgan in the APH appaloosa coloring, was one of the four Vintage Club offerings. I was surprised to see the color used in the Vintage Club so soon again, but I sure wasn't going to complain as I loved it!

We had to wait six more years until 2019 when Leopold was released for Vintage Club members on the Fighting Stallion mold.

Of course, by then I had begun a serious search for the original Appaloosa Performance Horse to add to my collection. I bought this non chalky piece in 2017.

But still I kept looking for the chalky version. I found and rejected many on various sales sites - either the price was more than I was willing to pay, or the model was in poor shape (and even a few that were a combination of the two - high price/beat up horse.)