Breyerfest 2023

 Breyerfest 2023 is in the books.  

Once again, I didn't go in person - I just can't manage the heat and humidity.  So I asked a friend, Margie, who was going, if she would pick up my SRs and Event Horse for me.  In return, I took her and her husband and daughter out for lunch at G & D Steakhouse on their way back home.  

I submitted my priority list to Breyer, and managed to get my top two picks again this year.  Nemea, because I'm a minor-league Classical Civilizations geek and Nemea is painted to look like a Greek or Roman vase with a chariot team on both sides.  Scurry, the non-variation version, because I thought she was cute. 

Along with the All-Access ticket, I got two of the Single Day SM tickets, so I could have access to the online-only horses and two of the single-day SMs.  I bought the second SM ticket when the set of single-day SMs sold out before I got one.  But, of course, I got two Whips, the mini-me Vanner mold, which is my least favorite.  So, off I'll go to the swap groups and see what I can do.  The first day, I ordered Buggy the SM, the plush, and the 5-piece Best of Breyerfest SM set.  Later, I ordered a Studebaker, and even later, I ordered a second Studebaker, hoping for the blue variation.  

Breyer switched to a more environmentally friendly packing this year - the SRs came in paper envelopes with waffle-paper packing instead of bubble wrap and plastic bags.  So far, it seemed to work okay for my horses.  And I do have a pretty good stash of bubble wrap already.

So, not the last new ponies

 Because I managed to get a Spice Drop on Christmas morning, and it was already delivered. 

I was kind of hoping for purple, but green and gold is fine. 

And then, on the other account, I was (shock!) drawn to buy the black and gold ram, Montana.  

Totally unrealistic color, but I must have been a magpie in a former life, because the glittery flashing things appeal to me.  

And now that Breyer has revealed the horses for the Stablemates Club next year, I'm very tempted to get a second membership again.  The gambler's choice is the Fjord, and mini Fireheart is the bonus model. 

Overall, my luck is running great on the Breyer side of life.  Well, except that I can't find anyone who wants to swap a silver Christmas Clydesdale for my second cranberry one.  

Last horses of 2021 (I think)

 Last new ponies of the year (presumably)

 

Stablemates Club - Twist, and the bonus foals, times two

 

 

 

And, my luck was good - chosen to purchase Zugspitze!!  

 

Along with the accidental collection of blue horses, the silver ones seem to accumulate here too. 

 

 

 

 

 

In an odd twist, I got two boxes from Breyer today.  The first one I opened was a bit of a confusion and seems to be a mistake.  It's got a Balthazar, Arctic Grandeur ornament, Dazzle, and Le Mer.  So, tomorrow I get to call Breyer to fix that (someone's waiting for those) and ask for a replacement for the Twist who arrived with a nasty groove in one side.  

 I was online at 12:50 today, with a computer and a phone logged in to my two Breyer accounts.  I was patient and lucky, and managed to get a pair of the Christmas Clydesdales on each account.  They sold out in under ten minutes for the Collectors Club-only early release.  No idea if Breyer kept some back for a general release later or not. 

Aren't they shiny?!?!  I'm a little surprised that there's blue instead of green - the usual colors would be silver & gold, and red & green.  I guess they're going with blue & silver as one pair, red & gold as the other. 

And yes, I have two Collectors Club accounts.  I pay for them both.  I got four Christmas Clydes, I'll be keeping all four (or swapping to get one of each color), and I'm not going to be sorry or ashamed that I have two accounts.  Breyer knows there are households with more than one account.  As long as each account is paid for, what does it matter? 

The other Atticus, and a Gold Charm

 For once, I managed to find a swap for a gamblers' choice horse fairly quickly.  So now, I have a pair of Attici.  Glossy Atticus is named Percy (or Perseverance), and the matte Atticus is Jezero.  Both named for the Perseverance Mars rover - the matte is named for the landing crater, which is dusty and therefore not glossy.  The other is Percy because Perseverance is the shiny new rover. 

And the gold charm SM that's the bonus Vintage Club model arrived the same day.  Both got delayed a day for whatever reason.  But now I've got to figure out how to get this gold Native Dancer out of the package without destroying it.