The Special Effects series this month is a two-parter, covering the event models in my collection. I covered the run-of-200 attendee models in my last post. Today’s post is about my boutique models - and the first genuine rarity I ever won directly from Breyer.
My friend Beth is responsible for this guy, too - #712082 El Capitan, a run of 100 models from the 2012 Passage to the Pacific event. His acquisition was part of the whole, “Wait, how much money did I spend on my collection during the pandemic?!” debacle. Beth friend-priced him and took time pays on him, too, because she’s awesome; otherwise I definitely wouldn't have one in my collection. He's been shown under a name associated with El Capitan (the mountain) that I definitely should have researched more because it's pretty terrible from a historical perspective. He'll get a new moniker for his next show.
At the 2014 Big Easy Bash, I got a decent draw in my group (the green group) and was probably fifteen people from the front. That ruled me out for Beignet and Zydeco, as there were only two of the former and three of the latter per time slot. I was surprised to see Dixie still available when I got into the room - there were only six of her per time slot - but I had my heart set on Crescent City and this guy, #712125 Nola, a run of 60 pieces. I’m not typically a fan of dark red chestnuts like this, but his shading is outstanding (and totally washed out by my terrible lighting setup). He has quite a few NAN cards to his name in both breed and collectibility. His show name is Metairie after the same-named suburb in New Orleans.
Breyer has a knack for using some wonky, unpopular molds for some of their event models. I honestly don’t mind it - I’m one of those collectors who prefer most vintage molds to the newer ones, and I love it that these older, less-well-liked molds have a chance to get all fancied up with new, detailed, modern paint jobs.
Each event attendee only gets to pick two boutique models, similar to the way the special run models work at BreyerFest. However, there are usually at least a few models left over, as some people only choose to buy one or don’t buy any because they weren’t far ahead enough in the line to get what they wanted. Such was the case at the 2014 Big Easy Bash with Chickory and this guy, #712126 Gris Gris, a run of 80 pieces. Anyone interested in buying from the leftover line drew a number, similar to the way it was done for each color group, and then we went in order until the models ran out. I got a good draw and purchased Gris Gris. I think this is the prettiest color they’ve ever put on Morganglanz and I’m so happy people passed him up so I had the chance to get him. He doesn’t get into the show ring often - really only at all-collectibility shows where the classes are more spread out by quantity or color or both - but when he does, his show name is Ponchartrain, after the lake adjacent to New Orleans.
Each event attendee only gets to pick two boutique models, similar to the way the special run models work at BreyerFest. However, there are usually at least a few models left over, as some people only choose to buy one or don’t buy any because they weren’t far ahead enough in the line to get what they wanted. Such was the case at the 2014 Big Easy Bash with Chickory and this guy, #712126 Gris Gris, a run of 80 pieces. Anyone interested in buying from the leftover line drew a number, similar to the way it was done for each color group, and then we went in order until the models ran out. I got a good draw and purchased Gris Gris. I think this is the prettiest color they’ve ever put on Morganglanz and I’m so happy people passed him up so I had the chance to get him. He doesn’t get into the show ring often - really only at all-collectibility shows where the classes are more spread out by quantity or color or both - but when he does, his show name is Ponchartrain, after the lake adjacent to New Orleans.
I freaking love this little (little?) mare. This is #712195 Testudo, a run of 50 from the 2016 Chasing the Chesapeake event. My friend Heather B pulled her out of her show tote at the SE Ohio Model Horse Show on 11/5/16 and I immediately started drooling. I mentioned to Heather that I’d love to have one someday, and Heather said she was selling her, and quoted me a price that I still can’t believe (and still feel a little bad about to this day). I show this mare all the time and she has lots of collectibility NAN cards. Her show name is Jillian.
I wish they would put that color on more things.
The only two boutique models I wanted from the 2020 Seattle Soiree both happened to be the highest quantity in their respective sections, so I knew that whether I was picked first or last in my “group,” I would probably get the ones I wanted. And I did.
Up above is #712359 Bellevue, a run of 104. He’s a basecoat chalky on older, USA-made bodies that were produced in varying shades of gray plastic instead of the normal white plastic Breyer typically uses. The entire run had unpainted hooves to showcase the gray plastic. The collectibility nerd in me immediately went bonkers at this nifty piece of hobby history and he went straight to the top of my list.
My other boutique choice from the 2020 Seattle Soiree was also easy - I have a soft spot for the Legionario mold and this color is outstanding. This is #712361 Pinchot, a run of 60. I also wish they would put this color on more things.
Notably absent from this post is my Crescent City from the 2014 Big Easy Bash. He has a sad tale that I’m still too upset to tell at the moment. Let’s leave it at this: I’ve contacted a repair artist who is willing to take him on, and I’m hoping for a miracle.
Notably absent from this post is my Crescent City from the 2014 Big Easy Bash. He has a sad tale that I’m still too upset to tell at the moment. Let’s leave it at this: I’ve contacted a repair artist who is willing to take him on, and I’m hoping for a miracle.
Saving the best for last - here is #712121 Excalibur, the dinner Centerpiece model and run of 21 pieces from the 2014 Big Easy Bash!
The Centerpiece model typically isn't revealed til dinner on the second day, but we ended up finding out about Excalibur a bit early.
The night before the official Breyer dinner, everyone ate at Medieval Times. One of the riders brought out this beautiful dapple rose gray Andalusian named Excalibur for our group to see. While talking to us, he accidentally let it slip that the Excalibur would be represented amongst the event models. We didn’t know the mold or whether he'd be the Centerpiece or one of the boutique models, so there was lots of speculation.
When we got into the dinner and saw Excalibur on the tables, I was instantly in love. It was a Legionario! And the depth to the paint job was absolutely phenomenal. I snapped this photo of him on the table, not thinking for even one second that I would be walking out of the room owning him.
I had trailed a little behind my group as we made our way to our assigned table. Each seat was numbered and had a clearware regular run Stablemates model from the Horse Crazy series in front of it. Had I been one of the first to the table, I’d have taken a seat containing one of the molds I conga, the pink G3 Cantering Warmblood or the green G2 American Saddlebred. As it was, I ended up at a seat with the blue G3 Belgian.
We ate dinner, and then they announced prize winners from the Stablemates painting contest. I won a free RCH Ventarrones for the Stablemate I'd painted, which was neat. Then it came time to draw for the lucky winners of Excalibur. Whoever was sitting in that numbered seat at the table would get him.
They had a kid reach into the bowl to draw the number; I have no idea whose kid it was. I was sitting close enough that I could see the number 7 in his hand before Jaime announced it, and I started internally freaking out - because I was in seat 7.
Thank God I lagged behind my friends and ended up in that seat!
His show name is Serendipity, because I really couldn't name him anything else. I've had a lot of people express interest in buying him over the years, but he's one of those "from my cold dead hands" models.
What’s even cooler is that my friend Penny, who had bought the tickets for us (this was when they were FCFS), ended up winning the mini Bourbon Street Stablemate from her seat! Neither of us had ever been to a Breyer event before and to have both of us win a rarity at our first one was pretty awesome.
We ate dinner, and then they announced prize winners from the Stablemates painting contest. I won a free RCH Ventarrones for the Stablemate I'd painted, which was neat. Then it came time to draw for the lucky winners of Excalibur. Whoever was sitting in that numbered seat at the table would get him.
They had a kid reach into the bowl to draw the number; I have no idea whose kid it was. I was sitting close enough that I could see the number 7 in his hand before Jaime announced it, and I started internally freaking out - because I was in seat 7.
Thank God I lagged behind my friends and ended up in that seat!
His show name is Serendipity, because I really couldn't name him anything else. I've had a lot of people express interest in buying him over the years, but he's one of those "from my cold dead hands" models.
What’s even cooler is that my friend Penny, who had bought the tickets for us (this was when they were FCFS), ended up winning the mini Bourbon Street Stablemate from her seat! Neither of us had ever been to a Breyer event before and to have both of us win a rarity at our first one was pretty awesome.
There are *cough cough SEVERAL cough cough* event models I'd like to have in my collection someday (okay, that number is 24), though whether or not I'll ever be (a) able to find them or (b) willing to pay what they're worth is another story. Top of the list right now is Niagara, the Sham from this year's Hoofbeats and Maple Treats event, for obvious reasons. He's a run of 96, which isn't terrible, and his prices are coming down somewhat, so I'm hopeful to acquire one in the next year or two.
If I ever won the lottery and decided to throw around Big Bucks, it would be for a Celebrity from the 2008 Velvet Rope Event, a Dixon from the 2016 Sweet Home Chicago event, or a Quarantini from the 2020 Seattle Soiree event. At piece counts of 12, 20, and 20, respectively, winning the lottery is really the only way I'd ever see any of them.
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