Collection Spotlight: Rainbow Chase Mini Croi

For my collection spotlight this week, I pulled out one of my favorite Stablemate chase models - the rainbow Croi from the Chasing Rainbows unicorn blind bag set. The rainbow Croi is the rare chase to the pink chrome Warmblood Mare ultra rare (who I have yet to track down!)

The Chasing Rainbows unicorn blind bags were in production from 2021-2024. They were a regular run set, with six unicorns in the assortment, plus two chase models for a total of eight unicorns. While the ultra rare chase did not have their mold repeated in the assortment, this girl did. The Croi mold was used for a purple unicorn. We're not going to talk about how many purple unicorns ended up in my house in the search for this girl! 

I was lucky in getting this girl - my one of my local brick and mortar stores opened another location near me, and I attended the grand opening with a couple of hobby folks. I was able to comb through untouched boxes of blind bags and got not only this girl, but the silver chrome Vanner chase from the 70th Anniversary blind bags on the same day! 

My rainbow Croi shows under the name "Smol Gay Bean." At Rainbow Rave this year, my friend who ran my show string on my behalf while I was judging picked her out to enter the Call Me By Your Name fun class. Unfortunately, she did not win, but I still love her name! She is smol, she is gay, and she is shaped like a bean. It fits! 

Like Gold Baby, the rainbow Croi is a chase model that does well for me in collectability classes. Unlike the chase models for the Tractor Supply blind bags, the regular run chase models are often harder to find. Tractor Supply locations are widespread and easily accessible to hobbyists, so hitting up multiple locations to feel up bags is often easy. On the other hand, regular run blind bags end up at Breyer brick and mortar retailers, which are more spread out, or online only where there is no way of determining which ones you get. It's therefore more likely that regular run chase models end up in the hands of casual collectors or children, and scarcer to collectors. 

She also fits nicely in my annual Pride pony display - we love a rainbow pony for that reason! I'd also love to see Breyer use this gradient type rainbow color again, although maybe with a touch of red in there too. 

It's Friday, I'm a Judge! Traditional Collectability

 Welcome back to It's Friday, I'm a Judge! This week, we'll be dipping our toes into the world of OF Breyer Traditional Collectability. 

As a reminder, my credentials for a judge are as follows: I've been collecting since 2008. My collection focuses on OF Breyer. I've been around horses in some capacity since roughly 2001. I was in 4-H for seven years, showed in IHSA in college, and was a working student at an eventing barn. I've photo shown model horses on and off since 2015, and have been live showing since 2022. I have had multiple overall champions in breed and collectability in both OF Breyer and OF Mini divisions. I started judging in a small capacity in 2022, and since fall 2024 I have judged at several shows, including Are You Kitten Me, the Happy Kamper Classic, the Big Orange Bash, and the River City Classic. I have also volunteered for NAN in 2022 and 2024, and did additional volunteer work for NAMHSA for BreyerFest 2025.

Unlike our last collectability judging clinic, where we examined judging collectability in a double judged class, we're judging a specific collectability class today. In this case, we're looking at a class of BreyerFest Special Runs. 

The Entries: 

Horse A: Glossy Benelli - BreyerFest Preordered Special Run - 2020 - 2,675 made

 

Horse B: Gwendolyn - BreyerFest Special Run - 2005 - 550 made

Horse C: Stagecoach Surprise - BreyerFest Special Run - Decorator variation - 2023 - 625 made

Take a minute, evaluate how you'd personally pin this class. Okay, you ready? Scroll down for how I'd pin it ↓

Monthly Round Up: September Additions!

 Another month gone, another round of collection additions!

We started off the month strong with my Halloween blind bag Stablemates - I ended up with two Tabithas and a Thriller. 

It's a rare thing for me to add Stones to my collection - they're not usually what I gravitate toward. However, I decided to attend the Stone Little Horse Show this month. The dinner model was a portrait of Hayden Kristal's horse Squidward. I love their online content, so buying the dinner model was an absolute must. I planned on budgeting $150 to bring home one other Chip scale model. I ended up falling in love with THREE Chips. I fear I may be a Chip collector now. 

On the way back from the Little Horse Show, my carpool friends and I were bad and stopped by Tractor Supply. I've personally been trying to cut back my spending there, but I was tempted by blind bags. I got lucky and found one of the chase models, and picked up a few of the set. I still need to grab the other chase and the rest of the set, but I'm glad I picked up what I did. 

As seen above, I did not receive an Eek in my Halloween blind bag order. I intended to trade my extra Tabitha for one, but then a friend of a friend had extras and I was able to buy one for cost! 

On the 20th, I headed up to the PostFest Model Horse Fest swap meet. This swap is very local to me, and is hosted by one of my close hobby friends. She asked me to work an information table on hobby history, and I paid for a table to sell from. I did make a few sales, and also ended up coming home with a few things! The Stablemate Seabiscuit, pony pouch, and unicorn Alborozo were things I had pre-purchased or arranged to trade beforehand. I'm embracing the lifestyle of a Stone Chip collector, and picked up a lovely set of four old regular runs. I was also pleased to add a gold Secretariat. The rearing Andalusian Stablemate is an upgrade for mine, who took a tumble off my shelf a while back, and I'm pleased to have found another keychain! I also won a custom Stablemate sized pony pouch from the hostess in the raffle. 

The day after the swap meet, I headed to my recently-opened Rural King to check out the Breyer selection. I found an untouched box of the new Fire and Ice Unicorn Surprise blind bags, and I was fortunate to find one of the chase models! The green G2 Warmblood is definitely the easier to find chase, but a friend recently found the Ultra Rare Scorch, so I know he's out there.  

My Deluxe Collector Club Darius models also arrived this month! With the Gamblers' Choice, I sprung for two accounts this year. The Wedgewood arrived on my account, and the gold charm was on my cat Earl's account. I have one more of these coming that I purchased secondhand, although he hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully I get a copenhagen or a florentine! 

Stablemate Sunday: 2020 Stablemates Club

 

It's the September issue of Stablemate Sunday! Technically you got two September Stablemate Sunday posts, but only because I was a week late publishing August's! I'm trying not to beat myself up about not make the deadline - it was self-imposed, and I did get it done. You have to take the wins where you can. 

This month, we're examining the 2020 Stablemates Club lineup. It's hard to believe they're five years old! I finally tracked down the last Gambler's Choice model this year - they were a very popular set! 

Klaus was the first release of the 2020 - a black leopard on the popular Darwin mold. This run unfortunately tends to suffer from the pinched effect of the old plastic used in the Stablemates Club. That being said, he's still such a fantastic release - look at the masked spots! To have that level of detail on a Stablemates scale model is just incredible. 

The second release of the 2020 Club was Florian, a glossy chestnut tobiano on the G2 Warmblood mold. It's such a lovely color on him, and the gloss makes the chestnut pop. The G2 Warmblood mold itself is one I could take or leave - he's not one of my least favorite Stablemate molds, but he's also not one I go out of my way to collect. That being said, this release is one of my favorites on the mold. 

Chroma was the third release of the year - a rainbow clearware on the Cob mold. Chroma has a lovely gold sprayed on top of his pink and blue color scheme. I absolutely love a rainbow pony, and this guy gets to be put in my Pride pony display every year because of that. 

The G1 release for the Club was Sultan, a gorgeous glossy bay on the Arabian Stallion mold. Without a doubt, Sultan is my favorite release from this year of the Club. He's a staple in my show string, and he's earned himself quite a few NAN cards. Fun fact: at my first live show, this guy earned my first ever NAN card. 

These guys will look familiar to anyone who read my Alborozo conga post - it's the Gambler's Choice model Valerio on the Alborozo mold. Valerio came in four colorways - glossy palomino overo, matte rose gray, glossy bay blanket, and a matte purple and blue pinto unicorn. In my usual luck for the Stablemates Club Gambler's Choice I received the least popular color with my account - the matte rose gray. The standout colors from this set are the two glossies by far, particularly the bay blanket. Like Klaus, these guys suffered a little from the old plastic, and have a tendency to look pinched and thin in the neck area compared to releases on the mold in new plastic. 

The new mold for the Club this year was Cassidy, a stock horse mare sculpted by Maggie Bennett. She is such a thick example of a stock horse! Cassidy was done in a silver bay blanket pattern. That being said, I do like her better in her solid colors - personally I like more of an old style Appaloosa than the more Quarter Horse influenced ones we tend to see today. One of the more interesting facts about Cassidy is the intense speculation surrounding her mold. After this initial release, the hobby didn't see her mold used again until the blue roan Tractor Supply release in 2023. Usually, the new mold released in the Stablemates Club sees use immediately the following year. In the three years between her releases, rumors were flying that the mold had been damaged. I'm pleased to see that it either wasn't the case, or if it was, that the issue is resolved! 

2020 introduced a new concept to the Stablemates Club - a bonus model! The Premier and Vintage Clubs had already been doing free bonus Stablemates for years, but the Stablemates Club only had the basic six models for purchase. Duke is a glossy resist dapple grey on the miniature version of the Clydesdale Stallion mold. Unlike the bonus models for the other Clubs, the bonus Stablemate Club models are a purchase, but they are not required like the other Stablemates Club models. 

Collection Spotlight: Shannondell

 It's another Collection Spotlight day! Today we'll be looking at Shannondell - both the loose mane and the braided mane versions!

Shannondell was the second release in the 2016 Breyer Premier Club. Members could choose between the braided mane and tail or the loose mane and tail. He was done in a lovely dappled bay colorway with a blaze, high stockings, and a belly spot. 

Shannondell was sculpted by Karen Gerhardt as a trotting Shire gelding. As you may know, I'm a huge fan of Karen's work. Of the four collection spotlights I've done including this one, three of them have been on Gerhardt sculpts. 

The braided mane variation features gold and green bobs. The braided mane was the first one I picked up, way back in 2021. At the time, he was the most I'd ever paid for a model horse, but to me he was worth the cost. 

Braided Shannondell is known for developing seam splits, unfortunately. For a while mine was safe, but when I took him off the shelf to take photos for this post, I noticed him developing one on his belly. I may reach out to the restoration artist who repaired my Jazz Fusion to see if a repair is even feasible. I hope so, as he was not only one of my best show models, but he's also a favorite piece in my collection. 

The loose mane Shannondell took me a while to track down. For a while he was at a price that wasn't too out of hand, and then like most rarities in the hobby, his price started shooting up in the COVID years and after. I had resigned myself to having to wait to find one until the market cooled off. 

And then my close friend listed her silver NAN cookie copy for sale. He was way more than I had ever paid for a model, and though I was interested in him, at the time she listed him she was only looking for paid in full offers. I made the decision that if she ended up accepting time pays, I'd take him. Well, it took probably six months of time pays, but I brought him home in April at the River City Classic, where he immediately won his first NAN cards for me. The nicest part about owning him is I can still let his former owner know how he's doing. 

I think Shannondell may be my favorite Premier Collection release. He's proof that Breyer can pull off a "simple" color for the Club. I'm so glad to have finally tracked down both of them. 

It's Friday, I'm a Judge! Breed: Quarter Horse

 Happy Friday, and welcome back to another Friday judging clinic! This week, we'll be looking at Traditional sized, OF Breyer Quarter Horses. 

As a reminder, my credentials for a judge are as follows: I've been collecting since 2008. My collection focuses on OF Breyer. I've been around horses in some capacity since roughly 2001. I was in 4-H for seven years, showed in IHSA in college, and was a working student at an eventing barn. I've photo shown model horses on and off since 2015, and have been live showing since 2022. I have had multiple overall champions in breed and collectability in both OF Breyer and OF Mini divisions. I started judging in a small capacity in 2022, and since fall 2024 I have judged at several shows, including Are You Kitten Me, the Happy Kamper Classic, the Big Orange Bash, and the River City Classic. I have also volunteered for NAN in 2022 and 2024, and did additional volunteer work for NAMHSA for BreyerFest 2025.

The first thing to be aware of when judging for breed are the standards the model is being judged against. In classes such as this, all models will be judged to the same breed standard. It can get a little more complicated when judging different breeds against each other, but for today, we're looking at just one breed. 

For the Quarter Horse, let's look at the breed standard set by the American Quarter Horse Association:

For Quarter Horses, it's also important to note there are various types depending on the discipline. Hunter and racing bred Quarter Horses are leaner and leggier than those used for reining or cutting. It's important to take this into account while judging. 

The Entries: 

Quarter Horse Mare

Horse A: Working Cow Horse (Bobby Jo) mold

Quarter Horse Gelding

Horse B: Loping Quarter Horse (Latigo) mold

Quarter Horse Mare

Horse C: Lady Phase mold

Take a minute, evaluate how you'd personally pin this class. Okay, you ready? Scroll down for how I'd pin it ↓

Collectability Corner: Modern Chalkies

 Welcome to a new segment on the blog - Collectability Corner! Here, I'll attempt to demystify aspects of collectability that appear in the hobby. Today, we'll be looking at what makes a modern model chalky. 

First, what is a chalky? 

Chalkies date back to the oil crisis of the 1970s. There was a plastic shortage, and models were molded in plastic that wasn't necessarily white. As the OF painting style leaves whites unpainted, this obviously would be a problem. To mitigate this, Breyer gave models a thick white basecoat before painting the model. 

Chalky Clydesdale Foal (foreground) compared to a non-chalky. Note the thick white paint on his socks!

Modern chalkies are somewhat along the same lines. Essentially, the models are base coated before painted, although unlike vintage chalkies, often white markings are still masked off as usual. The basecoat adds depth and dimension to shading in my opinion, and I seek out modern chalkies at every opportunity. Modern chalkies can be found on any run, and any size - Regular Runs, Special Runs, Traditionals and Stablemates. Here are a few examples from my collection: 

Jesse was a 2015 Tractor Supply run - some of the run was base coated, making them modern chalkies! In this photo, the modern chalky is in the foreground - see how his color pops and has more depth compared to his non chalky brother. 

The regular run Hwin on the Mustang Mare mold also had a chalky variation - while I don't have the non-chalky version, you can see how crisp her mold details are compared to the similarly-colored Forever Saige. You can see it in her mane and in the vein on her face. 

The Premier Club release Adonis is also an example of a modern chalky - his whites are all painted, not bare plastic. Compare his blanket to Forever Saige - note how stark white it is compared to Saige's bare plastic. 

A recent example of a modern chalky - the braided mare variation of the Premier Club Rowan is base coated, while the stallion version is not. It's tough to tell in this photo, but you can see the crispness in her details compared to his. 

So, the best ways to identify modern chalkies: 

• Additional depth of color in shading (particularly compared to a non chalky version if one exists)
• Crispness in mold details such as manes and tails, wrinkles, and veins 
• Whites are painted instead of bare plastic (less common, often markings will still be masked off and bare plastic)