New to Windsong: Blackhome Grandeur Lyn

 Once in a while I check Facebook Marketplace - I'm a little leery of meeting a stranger and exchanging money for a model, so it's not a way I like to buy. But when this big boy popped up in my feed, I made an exception.

#1206, 2003 - 2004, $40, Facebook Marketplace, from a graduating Purdue senior.

Blackhome Grandeur Lyn (I want to add another "n" to that name!) was made 2003 - 2004 on the vintage Belgian mold and the seller was right here in West Lafayette.

We talked a bit about the models she had for sale which gave me time to check her profile out on Facebook. She wasn't on any hobby sites, but she was on a lot of horse sites and seemed legitimate. I made an offer and arranged to meet her in a busy public park just a few miles from my home.

We made the exchange and home with me he came. 

He's been standing on my "where am I going to put these?" shelf ever since. As soon as I get started cleaning and rearranging the drafters in my collection, he will be displayed with the rest of my Belgians.

Just for fun, I did a little research on the real Blackhome Grandeur Lyn(n). With a name like that, I knew it had to be a portrait model, even though I do not remember hearing much about him at the time.

Here he is in the Breyer 2003 catalog.

I did find a pedigree chart on allbreedpedigree.com, but that was it - the rest of the links were the Breyer models of the horse.

I'm making progress on cleaning and reorganizing the collection, but I don't think I will get to the drafters today. My first goal is to get all the longer models (Huckleberry Bey, Dundee, American Saddlebred, etc.) into the library  my sewing room  the second model horse room and settled safely on the shelves in there.

It is a very long process, but it's coming along and I am already pleased with the results.

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.

New to Windsong

 Years ago I had a beautiful glossy alabaster Fighting Stallion. And foolishly, I sold him.

Look what just arrived! Isn't he beautiful!

His shading is gorgeous and he even has felt pad remnants on his hind hooves and tail. I am so happy to add this boy to my collection! (From Robin Kent)

His Stablemate-sized counterpart also arrived. 

This is the piece that those who joined the Deluxe Collectors Club received. (We are still waiting for the 2020 Stablemate as well as to hear what pieces are going to be offered to Vintage Club members.)

I have noticed that with the vintage molds that are shrunk down to Stablemate scale, their hooves are in better proportion to their bodies than many of the new mold Stablemates. I like that - one of the reason I don't collect Stablemates (Truly! I don't!) is the clunky hooves many of them sport.

That doesn't stop me from buying some of them. I just received the two Holiday Filigrees that I did not get when they were offered. Now I have the complete set! (From Liz Cory)

The HO scale horses have also arrived. No photos yet, but I'll get some taken and post them here when I do. Stay 'tooned!

HO 1/87 Scale Mini Horses

 I got these HO 1/87 scale horses from eBay. I plan to use them as props and model horses for Little Lynn and Circus Girl.

Photo from eBay auction. I paid $10 for them.

2020 Christmas Surprise Horse - Jol

 I was able to get a Jol Christmas morning and I got the clear version. 

Jol, #712448, 2020 Christmas Surprise Horse, 500 her color made, $135, Breyer.

Holiday Festive Filigree Blind Bags

  Earlier this month I took a chance on getting the blue decorator Indian Pony in the 70th Anniversary Blind Bags. I bought an entire case of 24 with the odds that I'd heard being that there was 1 Indian Pony in every 12 cases. (Or, 1 in every 288 blind bags.) To my surprise, the first package I opened contained her.

As I so frequently say (and then do the complete opposite), I do not collect Stablemates. But I do like the Lippizaner mold. So when Breyer offered a holiday blind bag that included it, I took a chance again. Called Festive Filigrees, four models were offered in filigree holiday colors.

Photo taken from email sent by Breyer.

I didn't really want any of the others; based on Breyer's photo, the colors looked too bright and almost garish. But sometimes the actual in-hand pieces look better than their photographs, so I crossed my fingers and ordered two.

I pulled the first bag from the box and felt the outlines through the packaging. My excitement started rising - it felt like the Lippizaner.

It was! I'd gotten the model I'd wanted in the first bag I'd opened again!

And his color is much prettier and far more muted than that garish gold in the promo photo.

Setting the Lippizaner aside, I started running my fingers over the outlines of the Stablemate in the other package. I didn't really want any of the other offerings, especially the red Smart Chic Olena, nor did I think I'd get lucky and get a second Lippizaner. 

It felt like the Croi, and when I tore off the top of the bag, I was right. And again, the color was much nicer in person. That eye really isn't wonky. It's a combination of shading and trying to take photos at 5:00 AM in very poor lighting. The eye is fine.

Nor does it have a black flaw in its mane. Not sure where that came from, but it's gone now.

After opening the case of 70th Anniversary Blind Bags earlier this month, I discovered that Croi, a mold I do not care for, is not too bad when Stablemate sized. It's been growing on me ever since, and when I saw that the Holiday Filigree Croi was actually a more muted green instead of in-your-face neon, I was actually quite happy with it.

Now that these are here and nothing else is on order, it might be wise to remind myself by (mis-) quoting the Cowardly Lion, "I do not collect Stablemates, I do not collect Stablemates, I do not..."

New Faces at Windsong

 Despite being a die hard vintage collector, I do think that some of the new Breyer molds are lovely. Enough so that when Breyer had its Collector Club Appreciation sale, everything I bought was a new mold.

Lippizaners are one of my favorite breeds, and Favory Ariella is lovely.

So is her foal.

I owned a Morgan once, and have been eyeing the Classic/Freedom Fairfax, so I tossed him into my virtual cart during the CCA sale.

Sadly, he has a lot of scuffs and rubs on the box side. I was disappointed, but I kept him.

Me with my Morgan, Irish Flame, leading her to the farrier for a trim. He used to set up under the trees along the river where it was cool and shady.

I like blue roans, and love my Nayati in dunalino, so I purchased American Dream.

Another new mold that I like, especially as Carter, and so last but not least, I ordered a Peptoboonsmal.

The CCA event stated that if you ordered $125 worth of models, you would receive a glossy model worth $150 with your order. Breyer teased us by telling us the names of three of those models and others (the teaser part) which they did not identify. 

When my shipping box arrived and I pulled out my new models, I discovered that I had received the Orrin Mixer Quarter Horse. He is really nice. (I was a bit relieved as I don't care for the Emerson or Connemara Mare molds which were two of the possibilities.)  

Like I said, I consider myself a vintage collector, but Breyer keeps introducing beautiful new mold models. That's why this non Stablemate collector is currently waiting on two Stablemate blind bags.