"FOMO", Supply Issues, & Stress (Oh and the chalky survey results!)

Hi everyone!

I've had this draft in my queue for over a week now...I originally wanted to write about my thoughts on the chalky survey results, but I haven't had the motivation to finish that. I would like to circle back to the topic of surveys eventually, of course, but for now, I'll start off with part of what I wrote on the 14th...

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I finally did it! The chalky survey is done and results posted! I have definitely never had so many delays getting one finished. It's all behind us now, though! 

Here's a photo of my current Halloween display!

If you're interested in the full survey results, the link is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SLdcBRBCHblza6XmWYOcnGHqnEPCdy8Z-HvU9Pgx66Y/edit?usp=sharing

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Today, I'd like to talk about something that's not quite as lighthearted as a fun survey. We have all felt the effects of the global shipping crisis by now, and Breyer is not immune to these delays. Last year, there was an overarching feeling in the hobby of "gotta get it now", due to the influx of new people into the community (or those who returned from a long hiatus) and the addition of a greater spending capacity. People were spending more on the hobby because they weren't traveling, weren't commuting to work, or they got raises/bonuses at work, as a few examples. So, every time a new release came out, there was a higher demand. To some degree, that settled out in 2021, but the market for certain models has stayed high. 

This fall, we have a different "gotta get it now" feeling. The one we have because we don't know how long it'll take certain releases to arrive, if they even make it. Personally, I've been buying more things that I *think* I like or may grow to like more in the future, even if I'm not instantly in love. I've had the blessing of starting my new job, of course, so for now, I've been able to keep up. But I'm starting to feel the burnout coming along. I'm hoping that most of the winter special releases are on molds or are in colors I know I won't want someday. I just bought Gingerbread and Solar Flare last week, and they are due to arrive today. Bouncer isn't my favorite mold, but it's cute, and it's been a long time since I've liked a chestnut color from Breyer this much. Solar Flare reminds me of the "Horse of a Different Color" Pacer that was a special run from Toys R Us in the early 2000's, plus I do like the mold and aside from the glossy one, I've made a decent effort to conga him. (the new Black Stallion is on my holiday wishlist for family). 

But there are others I have yet to acquire. Equidae. Steele. Cirrus. Wilder. Arctic Grandeur. And now there are new sets of unicorn families showing up at TSC (though I suspect those are previews of next year's releases just due to the weird supply chain issues). It's all starting to feel exhausting- and we don't even have the Sears, JCP, Midstates, or JAH specials anymore! I renewed my Deluxe Collector Club membership with Solar Flare & Gingerbread, but I haven't done the Stablemate Club yet. I'm assuming there will be *something* else I can tack it onto this year. At the very least, I will be buying the final SMC release and the optional Foal Pair. 

Of course, there are the questions that linger about the supply chain issues. I think we are likely to see more bleed over between years than we are used to. I'm also willing to bet that Breyer perhaps re-arranged their production schedules, to bump up the Breyerfest 2022 line sooner than normal- just so they can do everything in their power to get those models to NJ before they have to pack up for BreyerFest in July. Pretty much all of their other product releases don't depend on a specific date- we are used to seeing certain types of runs at certain times, but outside of BreyerFest, there's really nothing that NEEDS to be at exact times. Sure, people will be upset if some things aren't they way they have been, but I'm sure most of us will be able to adjust. 

I'm imagining a pallet of holiday merch arriving at the warehouse in January, for example. I guess in some ways we can count on the fact that some items, while they are late, will eventually arrive. There is some degree of worry that if we don't buy something NOW, we will lose the chance to buy it...and I'm trying to keep in mind the fact that there's a trickle of supply rather than the "all at once" we're used to. It's tough to not fall prey to the "FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out) though! 

The worst for me is definitely the Tractor Supply runs, though. I started "stalking" local stores in August looking for the blind bags. It took until October 6th for me to actually find any (my closest store had JUST gotten them in, I couldn't have timed it more perfectly), and a couple more trips around to find all the different ones I wanted (I kept mistaking the Paso for the Icelandic). As much as I wanted to try and get the metallic blue chase, I was really just interested in her for trading purposes, since there are a couple of Chase pieces I don't have on molds I do collect. For now, I'm happy with my Prince Charming chase. It doesn't make sense to waste a ton more of my time just trying to find a horse I'm not even going to keep. If it happens, it happens. I also picked up a Sayen on my final blind bags adventure. Of course, Sayen was the lowest priority out of the 3 TR special runs for me (I do think she's really pretty!), and she's the one that's been the most widely available so far. 

My TSC loot!

Now, I'm checking the TSC website at least daily to see if I can get Wilder and/or Cirrus shipped to my local store (and checking if either are available nearby yet). I might even call my local store and ask for those two on a rain check so if they do come in, I don't miss them being put out. I'm not sure if there are any other collectors that frequent my closest store, but I don't want to take the chance that someone will stop in and buy both copies of them while I'm working during the day. I don't think I've ever been this concerned about the possibility of them selling out. If I like the TSC runs enough to buy them myself (I've often left it up to family as well) I am far more casual about it. This year is so different. 

.....Well, it's a couple of hours later now, as I've been slowly writing this all day, and now there's a new Unicorn set up on Breyer's website, a Susecion and Le Fire pair. Given how popular these molds are, I would never be able to get them for issue price if I don't jump on it. I like the foal alright, the mare not as much, but there's only one picture and we all know Breyer is not always the best at promo photos. Often, models are far better in hand...Didn't I just say that I was smart to wait on renewing my Stablemate Club membership? Of course, I'll also have to toss something small in with them, so they'll get double boxed. Probably some blind bags? 

Blind bags? Check. SMC renewal? Check. New unicorns? Check. Done and done. Funny enough, while I was putting my order together, Gingerbread and Solar Flare arrived. They are cute! I'll have to get better photos later. 

Oh yeah, I also set up a rain check for Cirrus at my closest TSC. Wilder isn't available for rain check, yet. 

To close out my post, before anything else crazy happens today, I really am still happy to be a part of this hobby. Things get crazy sometimes, but the horses still bring me joy. And I want to highlight a particular point of joy who arrived on my birthday, of all days!

VARIATION Gran Cavallo, 200 pieces, completely loved!

If you've been reading from the beginning, you may remember that I started this blog as something to do while I stayed off of social media in anticipation of BreyerFest package arrivals. Back in the summer, I didn't receive any special variations. After all that waiting, it really felt like it wasn't worth the emotional torture I put myself through (I still refuse to do that again). I have my volunteer model of course, and I'm super grateful, he's just not a mold I collect, so I may trade him in the future (waiting for JAH to arrive so I can see how many were made, first of all). 

When I applied for the volunteer position in the spring, I used my hobby email address, not remembering until later on when I'd already been selected that it was NOT the same email associated with my current Breyer clubs. (I used to use my actual hobby address for my CC account, but it was renewed in the summer. I had to make the second account when the SM Club was introduced, and one of the requirements was renewing the CC at the end of the year i.e. my old account wasn't eligible to join. Soo I still do get promo emails from Breyer to the old account.) It ended up not being a huge deal, I just needed to log in to both accounts to buy my special runs. Anyway, when it came time for the All-Access leftovers sale raffle, I entered on both accounts. My "oops" account was the one chosen! I intended from the start to try for another Gran Cavallo, and I knew most people were trying to snag up the last few Surprise horses. I was still really happy when GC made it through my cart though! 

After all of this, he was delivered on my birthday. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen my unboxing of him! I actually thought he was brown when I first took the packing paper out of the box, so the reaction I had of unwrapping the bubble wrap a little and seeing the purple is genuine, total surprise! 

A (very) brief history of my relationship with the Peruvian Paso mold. I actually wanted to conga him at one point, and owned 6. He was my favorite Traditional before the SBW took over. One of my biggest grails is still the silver bay BreyerFest show prize, and I'd love to add Bluebonnet someday too. As cool as this new guy is, my heart Paso will always be my Del Fuego! My number one show horse over the years, the first of only two Connoisseurs I won from Breyer, and he won my first ever first place in a live show (that show was the BreyerFest Youth show, and there were *99* horses in the class to boot). Out of my original group of 6 from high school, I kept DF, and Cobrizo from BreyerFest 04. I had also owned the palomino, Causin a Commotion, RSV Inolvidable, and the original dapple gray and sold them. The only one I added up until my two Gran Cavallos was RCH Verratones. I wanted to like Manco Capac- I love roans, and I love the mold, but he's never done it for me. Magnifico to me is like a very plain version of Del Fuego so I've never felt the need to own both.  

I love them together!

Thank you for making it all the way through my long, unwieldy catch-up! I hope my next post will be more organized! As always, I never tire of chatting about plastic ponies.