2017 Sneak Peeks - Heroes of the West

Now this is a set that I'm super excited about, partly because I love all of these molds and never thought I'd see them together and also because, well, it's just a really darn cool set.

These Classic sets are always awesome.

The three molds we see here are #657 Standing Thoroughbred, Harper, and... (in a rather odd move) #653 Haflinger Foal. Definitely a strange call matching a pony foal with a two sport-type molds, but hey, whatever works. Plus I'm loving the coloring on them all.

Anyone remember the original releases of these molds?

The original release of #657 was as a Gallery piece from 2006 called "Tally Ho," which depicted a fox hunting scene. Breyer actually made replica decals of this scene for a 2012 BreyerFest Special Run, Fox Hunt.

Though we still don't know the actual mold name, Harper's original release is, well... Harper, the 2016 Horse of the Year.

And last, but not least, the original release of the Haflinger foal was actually not a Haflinger. We first saw mold #653 back in 2011 as a BreyerFest Special Run, part of a set with his mother called "Hansel and Gretel."

Here's Hansel...

...and Gretel!

I don't know about you, but I, for one, am super excited for this set. Look for them soon!

2017 Sneak Peek - Forthwind

We had Xavier for 2016, and now here comes Forthwind for 2017! Forthwind is on the Classics Morgan Stallion mold, sporting an icy blue coat, a gold horn, and gold hooves.  Here's what Breyer has to say about their newest Fantasy sculpt:

"Forthwind is a young unicorn with a pale icy blue coat, white mane and a golden horn and hooves. He hails from the frosty northern climates where the Aurora Borealis begins. Forthwind and his herd all share an icy, frosty tinge to their coats, that comes from living in the arctic tundras. But Forthwind is a young prince of his land and is known to all the creatures of the North as a kindly and warm leader with a keen intelligence and a merry sense of fun. Like many of the young unicorns in his herd, the young prince is a trusted member of the Borean Guards whose job it is to keep their lands safe and secret from the humans that visit. But every so often, young visitors report the sound of thundering hooves, great gusts of icy blue wind and white hoofprints in the snow… a sign that Forthwind has galloped by and marked their presence during his patrols!" 

- Breyer's official product description.

Pretty cool, huh? A must-have for any Classics collector and Fantasy lover, Forthwind should be coming to our shelves in January with the rest of these newbies. But hold on- there's one more sneak preview for you all.

Check back soon for more sneak peeks!

2017 Sneak Peek - 2017 Horse of the Year

Breyer has been so kind as to "leak" their 2017 Classics Horse of the Year, and, boy is she a looker!

A new sculpture, too!

Meet "Bella!" Bella is an Appendix Quarter horse, which seems like an odd move for Breyer's Horse of the Year series given that two of the previous HoY's were also Appendix Quarter Horses.

2014 Horse of the Year - Amelia

2015 Horse of the Year - Liam

Loving the new sculpture, and I can't wait to see what other colors come with it! Stay tuned for more sneak peeks as we move ever closer to 2017.

2017 Sneak Peek - Black Beauty

Seeing as we have access to a few special "sneak previews" of 2017 horses, we thought we'd let you guys all in on the secret, too!

To start off, Breyer is releasing a brand new edition of the famous Black Beauty for their 2017 Classics line. This new Black Beauty is on the Sir Buckingham mold, which was originally a porcelain Gallery piece from 2002-2003. (This mold is also called the Classic Stock Horse Gelding.)

This mold sure looks good in black!

Breyer has actually made (as far as I know) a total of six different Black Beauty models. Wow!

The first Black Beauty actually came out in 1979 with a brand new mold specific to him. Given #89, this was actually the first ever model produced in Breyer's New Jersey and was sculpted by Chris Hess.
There were technically three different releases of Black Beauty on this mold (all still with the number #89):

Release #1 - this version had all four stockings. (1979 - 1980)

Release #2 - only one hind stocking. (1981)

Release #3 - the "correct" version with one front stocking. (1982 - 1988)

During the run of this last release, Breyer came out with a Classics set of Black Beauty and all of his friends. This was the first introduction of these four Classics molds (Black Beauty, Duchess, Ginger, and Merrylegs) all of whom were made brand new for the set, numbered #3040.

(L-R) Black Beauty, Ginger, Merrylegs, & Duchess

The original Classics release of Black Beauty.

The next release of Black Beauty was #847 on the Morganglanz mold. This release ran from 1991 to 1995.

Following this release came the QVC Exclusive that made its debut in 2002. #501201 (my personal favorite) is on the Silver mold - a fitting tribute to a horse from classic literature.

A more recent release from the early 2000s (2008-2009) is #1317 on the Foundation Stallion mold.

And the final release (up until the New for 2017 release) is #711988 on the Classics Warmblood Stallion mold. This is the "current" run of Black Beauty, originally making his debut in 2012. 

This version of Black Beauty was also released in gloss as a part of the 2013 Live Show Benefit program. Only 23 were made in this glossy version.

Well, we hope you've enjoyed this little trip back in time. Tune in next week for another 2017 sneak preview, and don't forget to message us if you're interested in ordering any of these newbies for the new year!

Store Spotlight - "Classics"

This week, our blog spotlight is on a few of our Classics horses. Classics are one step above Paddock Pals (a size that Breyer no longer uses) and one below Traditionals, often making them the perfect scale and price range for your collection.

Though our stock of Classics is running low, we still have quite the selection.

This is Amelia, the 2014 Horse of the Year. She is a palomino Appendix Quarter Horse (meaning she is part Quarter Horse and part Thoroughbred). There is a slight metallic sheet to her coat and a lovely sparkle in her eye. She would be the perfect addition to any collection.

This is the 2013 grey Selle Francais. The Selle Francais, or the French Warmblood/Sport Horse, was officially created in 1958 due to several French stud books merging. They range in height from 15 to 17 hands high and come mainly in chestnut or bay, but many other colors are accepted.

And finally for this week, the 2013 bay Arabian. One of the world's most well-known breeds, the Arabian is incredibly versatile, competing in a variety of disciplines such as: liberty, western pleasure, saddle seat, and many others.

Stay tuned for more featured horses coming soon!