Show Stoppers: BFL 2026 Mini Winners, Part 1

This month’s Show Stoppers series will be split into two posts as I cover the nine other minis that got ribbons at my first ever BreyerFest Live show. My most successful model that day, Clarissa, a bay G1 Morgan Mare, already got her own post last month, so you can head over there if you haven’t already read about her.

My regular runs did much better than my Special Runs, but that’s not altogether a surprise to me. The SR classes were significantly bigger. I knew they would be, so I focused my show string on the RR classes. That turned out to be a great strategy.

 

 

This G4 Loping QH is #6040 Appaloosa, a Breyer regular run from 2018-2021. I bought her in late 2018, along with the rest of the Stablemates Assortment she was part of, as part of the Collector Club Appreciation Sale. I showed her a couple times prior to BreyerFest, but this is her first ribbon. Her show name is Aurora.

 

 

The G2 Appaloosa is one of my favorite SM molds. My conga is 32 members strong at the moment. This one is #5410 from the Tractor Play Set, a regular run from 2009-2013. I bought him way back in 2012 from a seller on MH$P. There are better stock molds out there (IMO) but he actually does okay for himself in the show ring. His show name is Can’t Catch Me.

 

 

This G4 Hanoverian is from the #5908 Stablemates Assortment, produced from 2011-2015. I bought him from my friend Bonnie’s dealership in November 2011. I showed him 8 times prior to BreyerFest Live; this was his first ribbon. His show name is Unprecedented.

 

 

This is #6037 Icelandic Pony from the same Stablemates Assortment as Aurora above, and was purchased in December 2018 during the CCA sale. This is his third ribbon out of five times on the table so far. His show name is Honnef.

On Wednesday, I’ll finish up the RRs with my two foals who ribboned, and then share my three SRs who held their own against some really tough competition.

Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth: Heather B Strikes Again

I feel like every post in this series has Heather B in it somewhere. Today’s is no exception.

The Breyer Classic Arabian Stallion was my first model horse love - even before Sham. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw the black one in the 1990 JCPenney Christmas Catalog. Even before I knew what a conga was, I wanted him in every color. I do have a complete conga at the moment; I’ve even got one that’s factory unpainted. (You’ll see him, my Lady Phase, my Trakehner, and my *cough cough* four naked Shams in a future post.)

At this point, I’m only after culls or variations, and I’m always on the hunt for them. Heather knows this.

 

So in October 2019, at a show we were attending together, she hands me this CAS and says, "He's a variation, so you have to have him."

 

He’s from the Sears #21058 Classic Arabian Family, produced in 1984 and 1985. Most have a star and snip, but this guy has a completely solid face. Nancy Young’s book mentioned that there seemed to be a lot of variation in this run - small vs. large stars, some with a dark nose instead of a snip, some with four stockings instead of three. She didn’t mention any with a solid face, but since his face markings seemed to vary the most, it’s not a stretch to think some might have missed their masking. This guy been on a few adventures and has some scuffs, but he’s still super cool.

Heather, being Heather, wouldn’t take payment for him. 

Full Spectrum: Woodgrains

I’d like to preface this entire post by saying, unequivocally, that I have no super cool rare woodgrains in my collection, so don’t get too excited. They’re really not my thing, and the few I might be interested in are always well outside of my budget.

That being said, I was happy to find this guy on eBay in 2017. He’s #951 Commander, produced in the woodgrain colorway from 1961-1965. For being as old as he is, he’s in great shape. He has some minor edge rubs (hooves, ears) and a little bit of paint loss on his upper left neck, but he still has his tassel tip intact, which is pretty cool. His show name is Royal Oak, a reference to his woodgrain color and a street I lived on when I bought him.

I love the Quarter Horse Gelding, and when my friend Kelly W asked me in November 2023 if I wanted this poor dude on the cheap, of course I said yes. He’s #999 Two Bits, produced from 1960-1964, and he’s a bit of a disaster - both ears are chipped, he’s got bubbling in his paint which means someone carelessly washed him under running water at some point in his life, and has miscellaneous rubs. Still, he’s a neat old guy. Maybe someday I’ll cough up the dough to get him restored to his former glory.

This little M1 Stablemate (I’m assuming the “M” stands for “mini” since all M1 molds are shrunken down counterparts of their traditional-sized brethren) is from the #6051 70th Anniversary Mystery Horse Surprise series, produced in 2020 only.

Edited to add - I totally forgot to talk about how I got the little woodgrain Clyde, which is literally the entire point of this blog. 😑 I acquired him in 2020 from a friend who'd bought a bunch of the blind bags and had duplicates. He was part of my virtual BreyerFest 2020 haul.

I don’t have any woodgrains, vintage or otherwise, on my wish list at the moment, but I wouldn’t turn one of the vintage rarities down if it came to me at the right price.