Number 4, Harlequin, the final one of 2012's inaugural club, arrived last week. He's gorgeous!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Harlequin - Vintage Collectors' Club #4
I sure am loving the new Vintage Collectors' Club Breyer began this year. I'm member #479/500, so I just squeaked in - I wasn't sure I wanted to have to buy four models sight unseen as a member. But, I figured I could always sell those I did not like, and took the plunge. (As a nice plus and surprise, a Stablemate accompanied the second model, King, and the third was a mare and foal set, so I got six models for my membership.)
Number 4, Harlequin, the final one of 2012's inaugural club, arrived last week. He's gorgeous!
No regrets on my part for joining, and I will renew my membership for 2013. Can't wait to see next year's club models!
Number 4, Harlequin, the final one of 2012's inaugural club, arrived last week. He's gorgeous!
Disintegrating Western Horse Oddity
A few weeks ago, Breyer Horse Diva wrote a blog entry about an unusual Western Horse she had found at a flea market. The model whose picture she posted (below) looked familiar - I have a palomino Western Horse that I'd found at Gordyville years ago with the same unusual black hooves.
Mine is definitely an older piece - you can tell by the color and the saddle, plus it has the older style chain reins. You can see its black hooves which are so like her model's.
Sadly, you can also see that my model has begin to deteriorate. Notice how the hind hooves are beginning to curve under? That's happened since I bought the piece - I would not buy a model in such poor condition.
And there are flecks of odd bits and colorings in the white socks. Notice how the black hooves are fading in color, too.
It is well documented within the hobby that sometimes Breyers deteriorate over time. Some bloat ("bloaties") especially if they are exposed to heat. "Shrinkies" begin to shrink with time, and usually are models which were produced during the 1970s oil crisis when Breyer used different formulations for its plastics. (I have a shrinky; my dapple grey 5 Gaiter is significantly smaller than its counterparts.)
"Oozies" actually liquify and leak. At that point, most hobbyists remove the model from display so it won't mar the finish of the shelf or harm the nearby models. I've been told that often oozies are accompanied by a vinegary smell, often the first indicator that the model will begin leaking. And some collectors actually lick their models and say the vinegary smell indicates a vinegary taste on the piece! (Okay, I admit I licked my 5 Gaiter to see if it might be an oozie. But, that piece is not one I got at a flea market - I know its history - and I keep it very clean.)
I wonder if perhaps my Western Horse got too much sun upstairs in the horse room. It's on the bottom shelf, and it does get direct sunlight briefly sometimes. None of the other models are affected, at least not that I can see. I'll make a better effort to keep the blinds closed in the summer, but it is far too late for this piece.
Breyer History Diva's horse above, and mine below.
The hind legs are discoloring as the plastic disintegrates.
It is well documented within the hobby that sometimes Breyers deteriorate over time. Some bloat ("bloaties") especially if they are exposed to heat. "Shrinkies" begin to shrink with time, and usually are models which were produced during the 1970s oil crisis when Breyer used different formulations for its plastics. (I have a shrinky; my dapple grey 5 Gaiter is significantly smaller than its counterparts.)
"Oozies" actually liquify and leak. At that point, most hobbyists remove the model from display so it won't mar the finish of the shelf or harm the nearby models. I've been told that often oozies are accompanied by a vinegary smell, often the first indicator that the model will begin leaking. And some collectors actually lick their models and say the vinegary smell indicates a vinegary taste on the piece! (Okay, I admit I licked my 5 Gaiter to see if it might be an oozie. But, that piece is not one I got at a flea market - I know its history - and I keep it very clean.)
I wonder if perhaps my Western Horse got too much sun upstairs in the horse room. It's on the bottom shelf, and it does get direct sunlight briefly sometimes. None of the other models are affected, at least not that I can see. I'll make a better effort to keep the blinds closed in the summer, but it is far too late for this piece.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Odd Western Horse
I have a Western Horse with the same odd black hooves.
(From Breyer History Diva, October 7, 2012.)
(From Breyer History Diva, October 7, 2012.)
Instead, here’s a picture of some oddity I picked up at Model Horse Congress back in 1985 or 1986:
I think he’s a cull, but I’m not entirely sure. (His condition is a little rougher than the photo lets on.) Breyer had stopped using the pinto mask on the Western Horse about 10 years earlier, and it would be a few more before they’d pull it out again for the Chestnut Pinto Just About HorsesSpecial in 1990. So he might actually have been a test for … something else? I knew he wasn’t that old, because his color was not dissimilar to the acidic yellow palominos Breyer was cranking out at the time.
The reins are obviously not original, but I can’t recall if the saddle was. I honestly can’t remember. That was when I was just starting to hit the flea markets pretty seriously, and Western Horses and Ponies were still fairly plentiful, if not in the best condition. Sometimes I’d buy something just to salvage the reins or saddle from it.
(People were a little less particular about the bodies they were willing to customize back then, too. Partly out of necessity, partly out of youthful exuberance.)
I’m also almost certain that the eyes and hooves were touched up later, too, but I never bothered to "fix" them because I couldn’t be 100 percent sure that they weren’t. Plus, I just couldn’t bear the thought of having anunfinished model standing on my shelves.
I’ve since gotten over that sentiment. This weird old boy's been grandfathered in, though. Sometimes it's best to leave some mysteries to be.
I think he’s a cull, but I’m not entirely sure. (His condition is a little rougher than the photo lets on.) Breyer had stopped using the pinto mask on the Western Horse about 10 years earlier, and it would be a few more before they’d pull it out again for the Chestnut Pinto Just About HorsesSpecial in 1990. So he might actually have been a test for … something else? I knew he wasn’t that old, because his color was not dissimilar to the acidic yellow palominos Breyer was cranking out at the time.
The reins are obviously not original, but I can’t recall if the saddle was. I honestly can’t remember. That was when I was just starting to hit the flea markets pretty seriously, and Western Horses and Ponies were still fairly plentiful, if not in the best condition. Sometimes I’d buy something just to salvage the reins or saddle from it.
(People were a little less particular about the bodies they were willing to customize back then, too. Partly out of necessity, partly out of youthful exuberance.)
I’m also almost certain that the eyes and hooves were touched up later, too, but I never bothered to "fix" them because I couldn’t be 100 percent sure that they weren’t. Plus, I just couldn’t bear the thought of having anunfinished model standing on my shelves.
I’ve since gotten over that sentiment. This weird old boy's been grandfathered in, though. Sometimes it's best to leave some mysteries to be.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Nancy Falzone
This is what a good friend does for you when she has a piece you've asked about purchasing:
Hi Lynn
Good to hear from you again on this windy cool day here. I dread the thought of winter, but that gets us closer to Breyerfest, right?
I would be happy to take time payments for my Zara, you can go longer if you like. I will say there is a beautiful Zara on eBay for much less money (& one for more money) if that is an option. It does have a break & chipped ear though. You are a friend & I just wanted to let you know that. I would be very pleased if mine went into your collection however.
I have had the best collecting week that I have had in a long time. I got a very nice palomino Peggy Lou. It has wonderful coloring & chiseling & a nice eye on the near side. I was very pleased. I was also surprised that Peggy is a "boy". The second horse is a buckskin Monrovia Daisy with original sticker. She is beautiful too! She completed my set, now I have all three. Took me all these years to find these two horses.
Scarlett arrives next week. I will send you a picture of her in a separate email so you can see what the finished product looks like. I simply cannot believe my good luck in these three great horses, I won't need another horse for quite awhile. :-)
Have a nice weekend.
Nancy
Thanks, Nancy. I'll still buy yours. I know it is of the highest quality; better yet, it is a piece from a dear friend's collection.
Friday, September 21, 2012
New Clearware
I am getting hooked on Breyer's clearware! I have not yet splurged on pieces listed for sale on MH$P (Model Horse Sales Pages) but I have done some searches and looked to see what is out there that I don't yet have!
This week I ordered the 2012 Breast Cancer Awareness model ($38, the traditional sized one.)
I am not overly fond of the pink color or the pink breast cancer awareness ribbon symbols, but the model is beautiful nonetheless. (This photo does not do it justice.)
I have the other traditional sized Breast Cancer one from 2011, the Breast Cancer stablemate from this year, Under the Sea (BreyerFest), and Carnivale (BreyerFest.) I also have the clear sparkly Stablemate pony keychain from BreyerFest and maybe some other keychains in clearware - will have to check as they're boxed up and in the horse room closet.
I hope Breyer makes some more clearware, especially in a color other than pink.
This week I ordered the 2012 Breast Cancer Awareness model ($38, the traditional sized one.)
I have the other traditional sized Breast Cancer one from 2011, the Breast Cancer stablemate from this year, Under the Sea (BreyerFest), and Carnivale (BreyerFest.) I also have the clear sparkly Stablemate pony keychain from BreyerFest and maybe some other keychains in clearware - will have to check as they're boxed up and in the horse room closet.
I hope Breyer makes some more clearware, especially in a color other than pink.
Harlequin - #4 Vintage Collectors Club
Breyer has announced the fourth (and last of the 2012) Vintage Collectors Club piece:
She talks about the piece having darker, not black legs, and she is referring to this same color across molds. So, I got mine out to examine them, and I have a different take on the leg color.
My fighting stallion (it used to belong to my sister, Leslie, but she gave it to me in the late 1980s/early1990s) has mixed-sized spots and definitely black legs.
So does my Family Arab Stallion (Sue Seese's venerable Apache Dancer! She sent him to me in the 1990s as a gift.) Clearly, those lower legs are black, not grey as Breyer History Diva calls them.
Harlequin!
He's the old Proud Arab Stallion in glossy Appaloosa. Gosh, is it beautiful. (I almost didn't join this club. It is limited to 500 members, and I am member 479. Sure am glad I changed my mind!)
Breyer History Diva had some comments to make about him. But I disagree with her on one point. Here's what she says:
(from Breyer History Diva, September 20, 2012)
Well, at least I was somewhere in the ballpark: the fourth Vintage Club release is a Proud Arabian Stallion in Gloss Gray Appaloosa, named Harlequin.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but still cool. And it does look like they absolutely nailed the color this time, with darker gray (not black) legs, and black hooves. The smaller, finer spotting the earliest Gray Appaloosas were known for is also present, a nicely observed point. I don’t have either of the Old Molds (ha!) but I do have a Fighting Stallion of the same vintage with those same sort of spots:
Isn’t he neat? Most Gray Appaloosa Fighters have bigger, sparser and more random spotting patterns, so when of my roommates at an earlier BreyerFest pulled him out of her sales stash, I just had to snag him. He was a little bit pricey (back when) but I thought then - and still do - that he was worth the splurge.
You see a lot of variation on that release’s paint job, but the fine speckling is definitely on the scarcer side. It’s not something you even see in any of the earliest Breyer ephemera, either, including the 1961 insert pages.
They did get one little detail on Harlequin wrong, though: he has eyewhites, and most Gray Appaloosas back then didn’t. They do show up from time to time - I’ve seen a couple of the Appaloosa Mustangs sporting ‘em - but it’s very unusual, and the prices I’ve seen on those pieces tend to reflect that.
Not exactly what I was expecting, but still cool. And it does look like they absolutely nailed the color this time, with darker gray (not black) legs, and black hooves. The smaller, finer spotting the earliest Gray Appaloosas were known for is also present, a nicely observed point. I don’t have either of the Old Molds (ha!) but I do have a Fighting Stallion of the same vintage with those same sort of spots:
Isn’t he neat? Most Gray Appaloosa Fighters have bigger, sparser and more random spotting patterns, so when of my roommates at an earlier BreyerFest pulled him out of her sales stash, I just had to snag him. He was a little bit pricey (back when) but I thought then - and still do - that he was worth the splurge.
You see a lot of variation on that release’s paint job, but the fine speckling is definitely on the scarcer side. It’s not something you even see in any of the earliest Breyer ephemera, either, including the 1961 insert pages.
They did get one little detail on Harlequin wrong, though: he has eyewhites, and most Gray Appaloosas back then didn’t. They do show up from time to time - I’ve seen a couple of the Appaloosa Mustangs sporting ‘em - but it’s very unusual, and the prices I’ve seen on those pieces tend to reflect that.
She talks about the piece having darker, not black legs, and she is referring to this same color across molds. So, I got mine out to examine them, and I have a different take on the leg color.
The Semi-Rearing Mustang came with white points, not black (or grey) ones. I love this piece.
Usually Breyer History Diva knows her stuff, and although she writes in a very self-absorbed manner, it is worth reading through that to get the salient, reliable hobby information. So, based on that, I am wondering if my pieces might be variations.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Cantering Welsh Pony
Breyer's Cantering Welsh Pony was hugely popular when introduced in the 1970s, but I didn't get one until the later 1980s. The CWP sold well and showed well, too.
I only have four now, and one of my "model regrets" is selling my most valuable CWP, the Small World special run with gold braids. I got it through my friend, Beth Dickinson, and sold it years later as I needed the shelf space and my family needed the cash. Since I'd said I would sell models if need be, I needed to put my money where my mouth was, and so I did. (I got over $100 for her if I remember right.)
Breyer History Diva wrote about this mold on her blog this week, and I am cutting and pasting part of that post to document the information.
From Breyer History Diva, September 14, 2012
One of my newer additions here - part of my latest box lot purchase - is this pretty solid-faced variation of the #105 Chestnut Cantering Welsh Pony:
Even though I seem to have an insanely large number of Cantering Welshies, this is the first solid-faced Chestnut I’ve had the pleasure of owning.
I don’t know why I didn’t see the need for having one before; I remember being very, very obsessed with getting the original bald-faced version of the Chestnut when it was discontinued in 1976. That was a couple of years before I became involved in the hobby, and the only way I could obtain such a rare and valuable creature was to harass my parents into dragging me to every toy store within a reasonable driving distance to our house.
(FYI: Mission accomplished.)
In 1979 Breyer brought her back, "by popular demand". It wasn’t all that unusual a maneuver in the 1970s; the scuttlebutt I heard was that it was done, primarily, to get rid of warehouse backstock. If the initial sales were good enough, they would put the item back into full production.
Such was the case with the Cantering Welsh: not only are most of the later pieces painted differently than the earlier ones - with solid faces and no ribbons - they also sport the "B" mold mark, common on molds from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The solid-faced Cantering Welsh Ponies are somewhat less common than the bald-faced ones: the bald-faced pieces were available from 1971 through 1976, while the solid-faced ones were available from 1979 through 1981. There’s not a huge difference in the price between the two of them, though, since the demand for the mold isn’t what it used to be.
I only have four now, and one of my "model regrets" is selling my most valuable CWP, the Small World special run with gold braids. I got it through my friend, Beth Dickinson, and sold it years later as I needed the shelf space and my family needed the cash. Since I'd said I would sell models if need be, I needed to put my money where my mouth was, and so I did. (I got over $100 for her if I remember right.)
Breyer History Diva wrote about this mold on her blog this week, and I am cutting and pasting part of that post to document the information.
From Breyer History Diva, September 14, 2012
One of my newer additions here - part of my latest box lot purchase - is this pretty solid-faced variation of the #105 Chestnut Cantering Welsh Pony:
Even though I seem to have an insanely large number of Cantering Welshies, this is the first solid-faced Chestnut I’ve had the pleasure of owning.
I don’t know why I didn’t see the need for having one before; I remember being very, very obsessed with getting the original bald-faced version of the Chestnut when it was discontinued in 1976. That was a couple of years before I became involved in the hobby, and the only way I could obtain such a rare and valuable creature was to harass my parents into dragging me to every toy store within a reasonable driving distance to our house.
(FYI: Mission accomplished.)
In 1979 Breyer brought her back, "by popular demand". It wasn’t all that unusual a maneuver in the 1970s; the scuttlebutt I heard was that it was done, primarily, to get rid of warehouse backstock. If the initial sales were good enough, they would put the item back into full production.
Such was the case with the Cantering Welsh: not only are most of the later pieces painted differently than the earlier ones - with solid faces and no ribbons - they also sport the "B" mold mark, common on molds from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The solid-faced Cantering Welsh Ponies are somewhat less common than the bald-faced ones: the bald-faced pieces were available from 1971 through 1976, while the solid-faced ones were available from 1979 through 1981. There’s not a huge difference in the price between the two of them, though, since the demand for the mold isn’t what it used to be.
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