BreyerFest 2022 Ticket Models

We've discussed the Special Runs and the Limited Editions for BreyerFest so far, so let's chat about the models you get with your tickets. This year's BreyerFest has two types of tickets - in person and virtual. Each ticket type has tiers of access. In person tickets have VIP tickets (which come with one Celebration Model, a full set of Event Stablemates, the ability to preorder two Special Runs and two Limited Editions, as well as other perks), All Access tickets (which come with one Celebration Model and the ability to buy two Special Run models at the event), and General Admission models (which come with one randomly selected Event Stablemate). The virtual tickets have two options: Online Traditional Access (which comes with one Celebration model and the ability to enter online photo shows and contests) and Online Stablemate Access (which comes with one randomly selected Event Stablemate). Neither virtual ticket offers access to Special Run models, though both allow ticket holders to purchase Limited Edition models. For more information on which model is which, please check out my posts on each, linked above. 

Now, onto the Celebration Horse for this year. Meet Nikolas: 

Nikolas, the 2022 Celebration Horse

NIkolas is a portrait of a German Riding Pony - yes, this means there are two German Riding Ponies for BreyerFest this year, as Chardonnay is a Limited Edition portrait model. I really want to know who at Breyer has a soft spot for the breed. Nikolas is also on a brand new mold sculpted by Brigette Eberl. Nikolas is the fifth Celebration Model to be on a brand new mold - the others being Rejoice (1998), Alborozo (2008), Roxy (2009), and Imperador (2016). 

As for the Event Stablemates, there are four this year. 

Lakritz

First up is Lakritz, on the G4 Warmblood mold in a glossy dark dapple gray. I love that his braids are done in the German flag colors! I think this is the first time the braids have been painted on this mold, but I'd have to dig out my conga to check for sure. 

Spaetzle

Next we have Spaetzle on the mini Alborozo mold. He's done in a lovely buckskin pinto. They've used Alborozo for so many unicorns that I'm stoked to see him in a normal horse color, and this one looks exceptionally well-done. 

Brezel 

The next Event Stablemate is Brezel, on the min Fell Pony mold. This mold hasn't had much use, with four traditional releases and just one stablemate release. I'm glad to see Breyer utilizing her! Breyer describes her as a chocolate flaxen reminiscent of a Black Forest Horse, but she seems to have the same silver used for her main and tail that Breyer uses for their silver bay and silver black horses. However, it is worth noting Breyer used the silver for another Black Forest Horse inspired set - Hansel and Gretel, BreyerFest 2011 Special Runs. 

Doppelbock

The final Event Stablemate is Doppelbock, a dapple bay on the mini Clydesdale Stallion mold. Doppelbock has the altered loose and and tail first seen on the Stablemate Club release Atticus last year. I like how Breyer is using the mini versions of vintage molds to introduce alternate versions of the molds. The loose mane and tail gives so much life to the old Clydesdale Stallion! 

Like with the Special Runs and Limited Editions, I think Breyer knocked the ticket models out of the park. I find it interesting that three of the four Event Stablemates are miniaturized traditional molds too! I hope they offer the Event Stablemates as a four pack to purchase like they did last year - otherwise I'll be paying for four General Admission tickets (or crossing my fingers to be selected for a VIP ticket again). 

Monthly Round Up: February Collection Additions!

 Welcome back to the monthly round up! So my first purchases of February were actually paid for at the end of January 😅 

Glossy and Matte Astrid

First up are my Astrids! I had these two on time payments from my friend Kelly, and she sent so many goodies along with them! (My cats in particular went nuts for the catnip mice!) I was obsessed with Astrid from the moment I saw her, but I'm not financially in a place to join the Premier Club, so I was resigned to having to find her on the secondhand market twice over, and the preorder prices from most people was more than I could swing at the time. Luckily, Kelly had ordered one of each and was looking to sell them for a reasonable price on time payments. The Paso Fino stablemate is one I was missing from my conga who snuck along for the ride. 

My cat photobombing to steal his treats

G1 Thoroughbreds! L-R: Swaps, two Thoroughbred Mares, Citation

Like many in the model horse community, I am obsessed with the G1 Stablemate molds sculpted by Maureen Love. They have the kindest faces. Their popularity makes them a little tough to get a hold of for a reasonable price, so I like to buy small lots of them if possible. The Swaps and the Citation are new additions, while the Thoroughbred mares are variations of ones I already have. 

Jade 

My next arrival was pretty exciting! I had bid on an ebay auction for Jade, and I got outbid just barely over the top amount I was willing to spend on him. I was a little bummed because he's one of the last I need for my G3 Mustang conga. Imagine my surprise when the next day I had a second chance off from the seller, and just the right price! Now I just need to hunt down a Tortuga to complete this set...

Dax and his travel buddy 

I'm in the Stablemate Club, so of course Dax was one of my purchases this month. The chalky Roy was his ride buddy, and he just looks marvelous. 

Sshameless and Heartland High Tech 

I've been wanting a Sshameless for a while (I do love Sham!) but he's been more than I've been willing to pay. I've also had a love for the Hackney Pony develop, so when these two got listed for super cheap I snapped them up. 

Hickstead

Hickstead is another I've been wanting but couldn't find for the right price (particularly with his blanket), but this one popped up, with blanket, for an acceptable price. I'm very much of the mindset that if you wait long enough, you'll find the model you want for the price you're willing to pay. This Hickstead may have a few small rubs, but I didn't want him to show, I wanted him because I liked him. It's perfectly fine if not every model in your collection is LSQ, so long as you collect what you like. 

And the group picture! I'm very happy with my additions this month 😊

Stablemate Sunday: 2016 Stablemate Club

 

In 2015, Breyer announced a brand new club option for Collector's Club members. At this point, Breyer had two other clubs: the Premier Club (which released three brand new molds every year) and the Vintage Club (which used Vintage paint jobs and molds). Both the Premier Club and the Vintage Club focused primarily on Traditional models, with the option of a bonus stablemate at the end of the year. Mini collectors naturally felt a little left out. Enter the Stablemates Club: a brand-new club consisting of six releases: one decorator, one Gambler's Choice, one G1 mold, and one new mold, plus two other models! And to promote the first year of the club, they announced to very exciting things: the new mold would be a Friesian sculpted by Josine Vingerling named Django, and the G1 mold would be the Quarter Horse Mare, unseen in the lineup since 1988. Notably, the only two releases Breyer announced were Primrose and Django. The other four releases were to be a surprise throughout the year.

It's safe to say the hobby went wild. 

On a personal level, I was excited for the club. I was in college at the time, and the only club I could afford on my budget was the base Collector's Club. But the Stablemates were $20 every other month, well within my budget! It worked out well, since I was also mainly collecting Stablemates in college, because they were less expensive and easier to fit in a dorm room. I signed up for the 2016 club without a second thought.

Primrose

The first release of the Club was one of the most anticipated: Primrose, a grullo Appaloosa on the G1 Quarter Horse Mare mold. Primrose had an unintended variation - part of the run was missing the leg barring. The whole run also had a mold flaw on the nose, probably due to its time out of use. 

Sylvester 

Breyer's next release was Sylvester, a glossy dapple gray on the G3 Warmblood Jumper. Sylvester was received well by the hobby, as the Jumper mold is fairly popular. The most criticism came from the execution of his dapples, which is pretty typical for Breyer's dapple gray releases. 

Shiloh

The third release was Shiloh, a chestnut pinto on the G4 Warmblood mold. The mold is notoriously tippy, and so poor Shiloh was one of the least popular models of this lineup. To this day, Shiloh is the only Stablemates Club release that I've needed a replacement for, which is pretty impressive since I've been in the Club for six years now! 

Ricochet

The decorator was a little wild - Ricochet is a pink florentine on the G3 Rearing Andalusian mold. Ricochet, like Shiloh, is one of the less popular releases of the 2016 lineup. I recall his color being described as "Pepto-Bismol pink" when he was announced. 

Diesel

The Gambler's Choice was a hit, on the wildly popular Reiner mold. Named Diesel, he came in four colors: a glossy grullo pinto, a glossy bay blanket Appaloosa, a glossy brindle, and a classic Wedgewood. The color I received was the Wedgewood. These guys can be tough and a little expensive to track down - I didn't finish the set until 2020. 

Django

Breyer held off on the new mold until the final release - Django, a standing Friesian. The mold has been immensely popular since then - I would estimate that out of all the new molds introduced since the club's beginning, Django is by far the most popular, with either Corbin (2019) or Cassidy (2020) coming in second. 

Vintage Feel in a Modern Coat

 On an unassuming Wednesday in January, Breyer slyly dropped a few new releases on their website. The kicker? No one knew they were coming. They hadn't been announced with the spring 2022 dealer releases and they were initially listed for $35. significantly cheaper than the other traditionals listed on the website. The other thing about the new releases? They were all on vintage, less than popular molds. 

The models were up at the $35 price point for a short time before being relisted for their current price of $45, which is still less than other regular run traditionals, which tend to retail for around $50. 

The assortment of six includes a silver bay Roemer, a silver black Black Beauty, a black Man O' War, a glossy palomino Quarter Horse Gelding, a chalky gray Roy, and a chestnut Trakehner. 

Of the six, so far I've purchased just one - the chalky Roy, though I do plan on picking up the chestnut Trakehner at some point. 

I'm glad to see the vintage molds getting more use! They aren't always everyone's cup of tea, but they do have fans and deserve to have the nice paint jobs other molds get. It's also nice to remember that not every regular run Breyer makes needs to be a portrait model. The slightly lower price point of these guys also makes them (slightly) more accessible, which is never a bad thing. Personally, I hope they continue doing this. I'd love to see a Phar Lap or a Quarter Horse Yearling! 

Collection Spotlight: Jazz Fusion

I asked a hobby friend who my first collection spotlight should be, since they're familiar with my collection. They said Jazz Fusion. It ended up being perfect, since I had planned on the first conga time to be my Cleveland Bay conga. He was already off the shelf, so it made getting pictures easy. 

I was searching for a Jazz Fusion for a while, since I knew I would need time payments for one. I paid him off throughout the first half of 2016 on my college job's meager paycheck. I finished paying him off at the end of the spring semester, and had him shipped to my mom's house.   

Unfortunately, he arrived with a broken ear from shipping, and I have yet to start the process of getting him repaired. It means he doesn't get the attention some of my other Cleveland Bays do, because they can show and he can't. 

A fun fact about Jazz Fusion is he was my first Connoisseur model! I've only bought Reverse Polarity since, but I'd love to find a Tempest or a Pandora. All of the Connoisseurs are so well done in my opinion. 

Jazz Fusion was offered in the July/August 2006 issue of JAH. He's a glossy dark bay tobiano with plenty of mapping. Like all Connoisseur models, there are 350 made of him. 

When I said he had extensive mapping, I wasn't kidding. Look at his face! I wish more of the web specials had this level of detail. 

 

BreyerFest 2022 Limited Edition Overview

 

Welcome to Part Two of my BreyerFest overview! This week, we're taking a look at the Limited Editions that will be available to buy. These models are available to all ticket holders, including those with online tickets. 

Montanara; 3,000 made

First up is Montanara on the old mold Friesian! Montanara is a Black Forest Horse, and his real-life counterpart will be one of the guest horses at BreyerFest this year. I actually very much like the old Friesian mold, even if I haven't managed to pick one up yet - looks like Montanara might be my first! I'm also hoping Breyer offers preordered glossy guest horses again this year because he would look super fabulous in gloss! 

Chardonnay; 3,000 made

The next Limited Edition is Chardonnay on the Flash mold. Like Montanara, Chardonnay is one of this year's guest horses and is a German Riding Pony. I think someone at Breyer must really love German Riding Ponies, because the Celebration Horse this year is also a German Riding Pony, and is on a new mold. I'm not complaining though 😂 Chardonnay is a must need for me - Flash is one of my favorite congas! 

Chablis; 3,000 made

The final guest horse Limited Edition this year is Chablis on the Idocus mold. The real Chablis is a Württemberger, which is a warmblood breed I actually hadn't heard of! At any rate, he's gorgeous. The color looks great on Idocus, and I'm so glad to see the braided version make a reappearance. I think this is the first year I like all three traditional limited editions (also, he'll also look great in gloss, I'm just saying 👀) 

Black Forest; 3,000 made

The Limited Edition Classic decorator is...interesting, to the say the least. I feel like compared to previous year's Classics he's a little lackluster, though it is nice to see the Shire used again. There's a lot of potential for a German decorator (musicians? art? something flashy?). Even when compared to Cupcake and Red Velvet, the cake-themed regular run Classics Black Forest looks plain. I feel like there was more they could have done, even for the Black Forest cake theme. He just looks like a black horse rather than a decorator. 

Strudel; 2,500 made

Every year, the plushie is one of the cutest items Breyer puts in the lineup, and Strudel is no exception. There had to be lederhosen somewhere in this event, and it makes perfect sense to put it on the plushie! This guy will have to come home with me to join Mackenzie and Pal's Palette!  

Rhenish Draft; 5,000 made

Breyer surprised us this year with a fourth Traditional limited edition - a flaxen chestnut Rhenish Draft on the Georg mold, available exclusively online. Unlike the other three in the lineup, the Rhenish Draft is not a portrait model of a guest horse. I think he's stunning, and a draft horse was much needed in this lineup! 

Wittelsbach; 5,000 made

And on to my favorite part - the Stablemates! First up is Wittelsbach, a decorator on the new Eberl Arabian stablemate mold. Breyer based his design on the Bavarian flag, but the first thing that came to my mind (and I expect other people's!) was Newmarket, the BreyerFest 2018 decorator on the Flash mold. Now, you might remember from a few models above that I LOVE the Flash mold, and I think this little guy is going to look super cute in front of Newmarket on the shelf. 

Torlinie; 4,000 made

My first words upon seeing the next Stablemate release were "he's weird. I like him." Torlinie, on the Clydesdale mold, is patterned after a soccer ball, with one of his black spots colored after the German flag. Like the Rhenish Draft, he is only available to purchase online. I can't imagine he'll be very popular - the poor Clydesdale has had a bit of a backlash due to being in nearly every unicorn blind bag, and the color is unorthodox. But that's okay, it just means that I don't have to fret about him running out of stock! 

Best of BreyerFest Series 3; 3,500 sets

Breyer has brought back their popular Best of BreyerFest stablemate set for a third year in a row, and I must say I think this is my favorite set they've done. I adore all of the molds used, and the colors are fantastic. I think my favorite has to be mini Caipirinha (a rose gray Walking Thoroughbred? Be still my beating heart), but the mini Pele on the Croi mold is a close second (the glossy bright bay is just perfection). 

Lorelei; 2,200 made

The final Limited Edition is the crystal. This year we have Lorelei, on the Proud Arabian Mare mold. I think the crystals are neat every year, but I have cats, so they aren't ever something I'll pick up. She sure does look pretty though 🤤

Like with the Special Run lineup, I think Breyer did a great job with the Limited Editions this year. My wallet is definitely crying in anticipation. 😅

BreyerFest 2022 Surprise Horse Speculation

The question that haunts BreyerFest every year - what mold will the Surprise Horse be on? The hobby scours for clues - references to a gender hidden in the copy, speculation based on the theme and the name of the surprise. Sometimes the hobby gets it right - like Smarty Jones as the Dark Horse Surprise during Off to the Races in 2018. Other years, things get weird - see Latigo for Gateway to India in 2017. This year, the theme is "Rotating Draft Surprise." Now, the consensus online seems to be that the mold this year will be a draft mold due to that. However, the name of the surprise isn't necessarily a clue either - last year's 7 Arts Surprise didn't have seven options. Breyer also has not used a draft horse mold for the Gambler's Choice ever. That isn't to say they won't - both a vintage mold (the Quarter Horse Gelding) and a pony mold (Flash) have been used once each, and Breyer has never used either a gaited mold or a light breed. 

By far, the most common mold seen has been a stock mold, constituting five of the surprise molds. Next, sport and Spanish are tied with three uses each, with pony being a distant last with just one use. The mold breakdown is as follows: 

So the most recent mold used was Dundee, a stock horse. It is safe to assume that since Breyer isn't prone to using the same type of mold twice in a row that the mold will not be a stock mold. Likewise, the only vintage mold used was the Quarter Horse Gelding in 2009, the first surprise horse. All molds used since then are relatively popular, modern molds. We can also rule out the molds that have been used as Special Runs from 2020, 2021 and this year, as well as foal molds. 

These eliminations leave us with the following molds: 

* - Multiple mold options

I'll also list the draft mold options not covered in the previous list:

• Belgian 
• Clydesdale Mare
• Clydesdale Stallion 
• Georg (used as a Special Run in 2020, and is a limited edition for BreyerFest 2022)
• Othello (used as a Special Run in 2020) 
• Roy the Belgian
• Shire

Of these options, I think the strongest contenders are: 

• Cleveland Bay: He has multiple manes, he's a popular mold, and he's just drafty enough to fit the theme
• Racking Saddlebred Stallion/Hamilton: He's a popular mold, he's currently in production as Marc of Charm, and he's one of two Premier Club molds that hasn't been used for an obtainable BreyerFest release
• Salinero: He's popular, he's been in production recently, and he's a warmblood sculpted by a German artist, putting him very on theme

Of course, this is all my speculation and I could be very off base. I have a sinking feeling it's going to be Hamilton, which my conga and wallet will not like, but maybe I'll get lucky and it will be something like the Icelandic. 

Conga Time! Cleveland Bay

You might recognize these guys from the photo at the top of this blog - it's my Cleveland Bay conga!

The Cleveland Bay is one of my all-time favorite molds. My conga is currently complete with the exception of raffles, prize models and OOAKs (who are all financially unobtainable for me) 

He has such a sweet face. 

I love how versatile the mold is. 

Limerick was my first horse on the mold. My first BreyerFest was in 2008, and he was my top SR pick! I didn't get to go to BreyerFest again until 2020, when it was online. 

The WEG 2010 signing horse was the last obtainable I needed for my conga. I finally picked him up last year. That's 13 years of collecting this mold! 

It might be cliché, but Chickory is my favorite on this mold. 

The regular runs
L-R: Irish Draught, Tregoyd Journeyman, Trooper, O'Leary's Irish Diamond

The BreyerFest models
L-R: Limerick, Oliver, Tunbridge Wells 

The web specials 
L-R: Astru, Murphy, Griffin, Paddy

The other special runs
L-R: Jazz Fusion, JCP Palomino, Chickory, WEG Signing Horse