Vintage Club ideas

Ideas and thoughs for future Vintage Club models:

• Semi-rearing Mustang in a shaded bay or glossy palomino to match the Fighting Stallion
• Black spatter-blanket Running Mare and Foal to match the Running Stallion (and Laying Foal and Scratching Foal) - yes, I know similar ones exists, but they are scarce, and the foal, at least, has 4 white socks)
• Glossy charcoal Running Mare and Foal, to go with the Running Stallion
• Mustang/Diablo in glossy palomino to match the Fighting Stallion - since they did the FS in Mustang buckskin
• Lady Phase in the glossy palomino or alabaster - but only if they work on her forehead
• Murphy's glossy grey appy on just about anything, because I love that color
• Some color on the App Performance Horse - maybe the QHG bay appy color, or smoke, or glossy palomino
• I would say the old Racehorse in any vintage color, but the mold is such a different style from all the rest that it doesn't really fit in.

Amazing once-a-year luck

Last Friday, I had my big once-a-year estate sale luck.

Seriously - I'm on the mailing lists for both estate sale organizers in town, search Craigslist regularly, and have decided that I live in a No Breyer Or Other Horse-shaped Object Zone.  Sort of the reverse of a black hole.  But, about once a year, the luck changes.

Last week, the estate sale organizer announcement had 2 sales, and one mentioned Breyers.  Actually, I knew before I read the announcement, because one of the pictures on Facebook had the clearly-visible hind leg of a Breyer Racehorse, next to a silverplate wine bucket.  Then there were a couple of other pictures with Breyers and even, shock of shocks, Hartlands.  (Which are also rare around here, even though the company was headquartered about two hours from here for a while.)  There was a Fury, Fighting Stallions, Family Arabians, and woodcut Hartlands, among others.  I was really after the black Fury and Racehorse, and Hartlands.

So, the sale started at 8, on the other side of town, which mean dealing with the lousy morning traffic.  And, I managed to lose the checkbook on Wednesday, leading to panic.  I rounded up all the cash in the house, and kicked the rest of the family off to work/school early on Friday.  Got to the sale around 15 minutes after it opened and was the first Breyer buyer.  There were a few things that weren't in the pictures - like an alabaster Old Timer and a grey appy Diablo.  The Breyers were in great condition, and the newest ones there were a bay Running Mare and Bay Jumper.  The rest were all from the 60s, mostly glossy, and not played with a lot.  There was a woman there shopping for her horse-mad granddaughter, who asked my advice.  I recommended the bay Running Mare, she's sweet and a classic.

I ended up with three woodcut Hartlands, the Diablo, a charcoal Fighting Stallion, and the Racehorse.  Not sure why I passed on the Fury, except that I'd just gotten an email from an auction, and I'd won a lot with a Fury and a palomino FAF.  That used most of my cash.  Then I drove over to the pool where the kid takes lessons, and found the checkbook.  Yay!!  So I drove back to the sale and got Fury, the glossy palomino Fighting Stallion, and a cheap bedsheet to use for sewing projects.

And then I came home and said Wow.

Went back the next day for half-price, but the rest of the Breyers were gone.  I kind of wish I'd gotten the alabaster FAS, he was glossy and had a ribbon sticker.  Oh well.

And then I realized that I'd gotten an appy Diablo on eBay over the summer.  This one is much nicer, though, not as yellowed.  And, of course, the Fighting Stallions are both the 3rd copies of each, and now I've got 2 Furys.  But the Hartlands aren't dupes - there are a cherry and ebony 3-gaiter, and an ebony Tennessee Walker to go with the cherry one I already had, but they're different mane versions.

The Fury even has a price tag on his belly, $1.49. 

The Stablemate Club

Breyer's latest horse for the SMC is up, and I paid for mine today.

I'm really hoping for the bay Appaloosa - he looks a bit like my Rubicano.

Again with the tiny boxes

This box just arrived.  It has a whole Classic Mustang Family inside.  The box measures 9.5 x 10.5 x 4 inches.  This may be a better packing job than the box that came earlier this week, but not by much. 

Okay, yes, better packing job, but only because no heads or tails were sticking out of the bubble wrap. 

So, introducing: the original Classic Mustang Family.  I've got one other family, one of the Christmas SRs, I think with a buckskin stallion.

 

I never realized how little effort Breyer put into the paint job on this girl.  Her whole underside is blank white, no facial shading, just random overspray. 

Stallion had a bad day in the molding room - someone didn't match his face halves up very well, and from a certain angle he looks very odd. 

Overall, for their age, I got a good deal. 

Stablemates

I am a sucker for the Stablemates, especially the G1 molds, and most extra-especially the G1 Morgans, which are copied from Hagen-Renaker molds.  I was browsing on eBay last week and came across a lot of 3 SMs, all old G1 molds.  One was the Morgan stallion, and although the pics weren't great, I could tell that it was an older Morgan, before the mold deteriorated and the foreleg went kind of sausage-y.  Plus, it was a really old Morgan, the alabaster mistake that was only done for a year or so - it was supposed to be the alabaster Arabian.  So, t here was a Buy It Now option that was fairly reasonable, and I was almost late for the afternoon school run because I was buying these. 

The third is the Thoroughbred Mare in the old bay. 

They aren't pristine - Morgan is yellowed, the others have rubs, and the Arabian has a weird ear, and the back of his near hind didn't get painted at all somehow.  But the Morgan will probably look better with some sun time, and the price was reasonable enough. 

I also got the next SM Club horse, Sylvester. 

This one came out much better  than some others.  None of the mold flaws that Primrose had, and this gloss doesn't have the bubbles that my alabaster rearing SM had on his face, poor guy. 

New Horses!!

I'm apparently on a vintage kick lately.  "New-new" horses are hard to find in person locally, so I seem to be getting more "new-old" horses on eBay.

The first three came from a semi-annual kids' consignment sale that sets up  in one of the convention centers twice a year.  The two Appys together were $5, and I paid $6 for the bay WB with his yellow barn (but no accessories).  I'm a sucker for that bay, I think I've got three of them now.  So pretty.  The two WBs have rubs on the near shoulder, but nothing else.

This guy is pretty yellowed, but my only glossy grey splatter appy so far (not counting the Running Mare and Foal in a totally different Glossy Grey Appy).  I was watching him on eBay, when I got an email saying the price was discounted 50%.  There was a Buy It Now option, so I did.  $40 plus postage.  Now to sun him outside without risking squirrel nibblings.

This is the QVC SR Jade that I've been wanting forever.  Kept finding them on eBay for $100 or up.  I was just about to bid on one of those when I thought to check the past sales on eBay.  Which is when I remembered bidding on one a few days earlier, and I'd won.  !!  And at about 2/3rds of the price. 

This one had me worried for a bit.  Felt a bit off somehow when I unpacked him, and the hangtag - still on his neck - was blistered and discolored.  I was worried that he might be an odd shrinkie, even though he's about 10 years too late for that.  But a quick wash with Dawn fixed it and didn't take off any of the decorations, so we're good.

And this one, another oldie.  Glossy palomino, in a lovely shade.  Still has the cork/foam pads on his tail and hind feet.  He came in a very under-padded box, I was a little worried opening it, but he made it fine.  It's the gloss, I think.  Nice thick gloss that cushions some of the travel bumps.

My Girl is here

UPS brought the Breyer box yesterday - My Girl is here.  

I was hoping for alabaster, but bay was my second choice, and she's pretty.  No glaring flaws or oopsies (unlike my Storm with the blurry spots).  Her legs look a bit chalky, too.  There's one paint or plastic lump behind her ears, and the paint fades off at her poll more than I'd like, but overall, she's very, very nice.

I also ordered a Glitterati.  I've been looking for one, but he was a 2015 exclusive so Amazon and Breyer were my main options, other than eBay.  Breyer had marked Glitterati down to $39.99, and the Collectors Club discount code actually worked on him as well, so I paid $35, and shipping stayed the same on the order.

Glitterati is amazing.  The buckles on the bridle are painted, and the detail work is really  nice.  The color is great, and the gloss makes it pop.  I just wish the spots on my Storm had been this nice. 

Anticipation!

According to UPS, my Vintage Club "My Girl" should be here tomorrow, along with the Glitterati that I ordered with her.  I'm hoping for alabaster, or bay - the palomino at least in the pictures didn't do anything for me.  Looked more like a chestnut gone wrong.

Moose!

Finally, last month, after lots of eBay searching - I found a Moose at last.  Yay!!

Hobby goals 2016

Goals for 2016

- To at least dip back into photo showing, either online or mail-in.  That requires getting a site for photo work, getting the old PC running so I can have Paint Shop Pro again, and unpacking at least a few horses.

- Dig through the collection and see if there's anything to re-home.

- Work on display options.  I would like/love to have a china cabinet or curio cabinet of some kind, so that the breakable stuff can finally stop living in boxes where I can't see them.


The wish list

• a HR Kelso
• Breyer Elk, Antelope, and Bears.  I managed last year to find the Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Dall Sheep, Elephant, and both Jolly Cholly and the brown Bloodhound.
• Too many more to name
• The full set of original Love Racehorses.  I have Kelso and Swaps, I think.  Need Terrang, Silky Sullivan, and Man O'War.

Score!! SR Kelso

I lucked into this beauty on eBay this month.  Breyer Classic Kelso, a SR from 1987 for a toy store.  He was part of a set of Triple Crown winners - Kelso being Citation, with Terrang as Count Fleet and Silky Sullivan as Whirlaway.

  He's very dusty, or was until I cleaned him up, but overall is in good shape.  A few little dings here and there, but for his age and rarity, I got a good deal.

Bought on eBay.  Name may refer to "Fortunate Son" (the episode of Enter prise I was watching when he arrived) or to the fact that I' lucky he got here without extra charges (for using a Priority Express box) or damage (he's tippy and fell off the PC while I took this picture).

Storm is here

UPS delivered my Storm last week.  Overall, not bad, but the spots are a conundrum.  Part of them match the Stud Spider blanket, but are intentionally fuzzy, almost like they were glossed before the paint dried.  But then there are smaller spots, done apparently by hand, that are perfectly crisp.  Neither of which match the promo picture, but if they'd gone with either fuzzy or crisp, it would've been an improvement over the mishmash they used.

On the up side, no more ghost eyes.  Just bendy legs.