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.
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