Hi everyone! Happy almost May!
I've been working on a couple different longer blog posts this month - hopefully I'll be able to finish at least one next month, but things are kind of a whirlwind here at the moment! Unfortunately real life stuff is getting in the way of some of my more involved hobby projects - including this blog. I am still plugging away at the Breyer Favorites Survey responses as I have time.
Today, Breyer posted a look-back at the history of the Premier Club to their Collector's Club blog! If you're a member and signed in, you'll be able to access it here: https://www.breyerhorses.com/blogs/breyer-collector-club-news/10-years-of-the-breyer-premier-club
In 2012, Breyer introduced the PC along with the Vintage Club as add-on clubs to their Collector Club. The initial year was reported to have around 740 memberships, but the amounts have not been disclosed since. We can assume however, that memberships did increase. Unlike the Vintage Club, which has a limited amount of memberships, there is no limit for the PC up until the deadline date (around New Years). While many folks maintain more than one membership in the VC or Stablemate Club to get more than one Gambler's Choice, multi-memberships in the PC is likely less common except in years where there is a choice (finish/variation). Artists are the most likely to have multiple PC memberships, especially if they also collect OF- that way they can keep the best copy and have a swift turnover on the others to take advantage of the new molds being hot in the custom market.
Breyer provided a bunch of fun statistics throughout and at the end of their article, so I will instead focus on my take on these models. I have personally never been a member of the club, so far.
2012-
Desatado: I'm ambivalent about the color, but I really don't care for the mold. Something about his hips is funky to me, and I can't un-see it (sorry!) He is quite popular though and I know he has plenty of people who love him. Breyer chose to use this mold for the Ambassador model last year for BreyerFest, which was unfortunate for me. It was my first time volunteering, and I would have loved to keep him. I did end up trading him for a group of models for a couple of other congas (funny enough, other PC molds!)
Kalahkaari: While I didn't care for the color at first, I've always liked this mold (with this ear/mane/tail combo). He's grown on me over the years, and I wouldn't mind adding one to my herd someday. Fun fact - one ended up at my house (very briefly) back when they came out! I had purchased a Magnus from another collector, and she had him shipped directly to me. What a surprise when Kalahkaari showed up too, a couple months later! Eeek! (Yes, Breyer's issues of shipping to incorrect addresses goes back at least that far!) At least it was a good opportunity to inspect him on behalf of the collector, and repackage him better before sending him on to his intended home. Only took a little detour to the north! I currently have Tassili. the Palomino RR, and Nazruddin.
Brishen: This mold has a long history of love/hate with collectors, and this particular color is no exception. Many people find this color to be off-putting. Personally, I don't really care that much, it's not my favorite, and I don't want to own one. Of course, some do love him as well. I'm very "meh" on the mold in general, I flat out dislike the "Iberian" version. I have the RR pinto one, but he's kind of looking a bit out of place and I might part with him at some point. The only one I'd like to own someday is Aspen, for my silver filigree conga. (TINY version to be discussed below!)
2013-
Carrick: This was the first time that folks could choose which finish they wanted. I recall being sooo excited for him initially when I saw the photos of the resin/artist version. I love Sarah Rose sculptures (despite not really being involved with the artist resin world at this time) and Carrick looked quite similar to her Affinity sculpt. I was thrilled at the prospect of having a plastic mold that was in the same pose! Then, the plastic version photos were posted, and all of that went away :( He looked like he'd been changed a lot to adapt to plastic, and that was really disappointing to me. I've never really moved past that feeling. I've tried to like the mold a few times (I got Cafe au Lait from Big Easy Bash, the only Exclusive Event I've attended so far, and got Justify as a gift a few years ago...I didn't end up keeping either of them). I am grateful though that I don't like/want to collect everything! Being able to focus on the ones that bring me joy is a much better use of my time and resources. :)
Ashquar: On paper, this is a model that should have been a high priority for me. I love a good rich chestnut color, and I do like his pose. However, I am very picky about too much white on the face, and having the blaze go over the muzzle put me entirely off him. I might consider him again someday, but he's not on my wish list currently. I have Empres and Thunder and I love them both. I'd also really like Chamonix and Ganache someday.
Latigo: This is another interesting one for me. I do like this mold, but the visual of how the white blanket makes him look less proportional than he is was a hard one to move past. I still have remind myself that no, his butt isn't HUGE, it's the white markings, but overall he is quite nice and he's a lower priority to add to my wish list someday. I have Harley D, Checkers, Minstrel, Bollywood Buckskin & Chestnut Overo (matte). At the moment, there aren't any on my wish list.
2014-
Wyatt: This year provides two examples of molds that are among my favorites out of the 2010's, but the colors are not ones that I care for. Wyatt is the first. 2014 was the year that we learned just how challenging fancy dappled paint jobs can be when done mass produced, even if they looked nice on the prototype. I don't know that I'd be interested in one even if I could find an example that I found to be up to my standards, the color is just not the most interesting to me. While I love the mold itself, the colors are very hot or cold to me. I have and like Babyflo, Steele, & Jesse. I'd like to get Bozeman eventually as well. I do enjoy C'est la Vie, but I also don't anticipate winning the lottery anytime soon!
Falhofnir: This is another mold that I tried to like. For a few years, I had an Elska. She unfortunately never grew on me, and there haven't been any other colors to draw me in.
Croi Damsha: Croi is among my top 3 favorite molds of the 2010's! I had a slower start to my conga, but I currently have 9 - Banks Vanilla, Sable Island Pony, Cascade, Beachcomber, Chanel, Sugarloaf, Cypress, Bramble, and the purple Spice Drop. I am on the fence about the original Croi, since she also had a lot of the same production issues as Wyatt. However, since I have a larger conga of this mold, I think I'd be more likely to get her if I find a nice copy. I'm hoping to get Starlet this year (a friend has one for sale that I might buy over the summer). I've decided for now that I'm ok with only having one Spice Drop color (I'd want a blue one, if I had to pick a second color to add). The only others I'm missing are the glossy Sable Island Pony (might be doable at some point), Victoria (probably need to wait at least a couple years), Glossy Banks Vanilla (very much a stretch and may not happen) and Coal (I would also likely need to win the lottery to be lucky enough to add one of those!). My mom has the crystal version. Oh, and the tiny one is super awesome as well!
Mini Falhofnir: In contrast to the Traditional, I actually do like this smaller mold. I have nearly all of them except Mini Falhofnir himself, and the other 3 Stablemate Club gamblers choice colors.
2015-
Hermosa & Corazon: This was the first time I really liked a mold + color combo choice out of the PC! However, that was limited to just Corazon. While I find the foal totally adorable, the mare still hasn't really grown on me. I have Gozosa and Chico- Gozosa I sold the mare from the set I bought, and Chico I lucked into someone selling him apart from Mamacita at BreyerFest. I'm not totally against buying the mares and foals together in the future - in fact, for La Molina & Masella I'd prefer it, since La Molina is silver filigree and I'm sure you can tell by now how I feel about that color :D
Bobby Jo: Oh, what's not to love! The first mold + color combo I fell for without exception. Bobby Jo is also right up there in my top 3 favorite molds of the 2010's along with Croi and Hamilton. I'm very picky about overo pintos and face markings (as previously mentioned), but it all just *works* on her! I've gotten a few more on this mold in the last year and I still have a few targets I'd consider achievable. My current conga includes Paint Me a Pepto, Spectrum, Cirrus, Sheila, Charlie, and Avalanche (plus mom has the crystal). Realistic goals include Glossy Pepto, Bobby Jo, and Out of the Blue. Sonorah is a pipe dream and All Out is a "shouldn't even bother dreaming" as I'm sure all 3 are in long term homes (plus I cannot afford anyway for a longgg time!)
Forever Saige: If there's a mold that competes with Desatado to be my least favorite of the decade, it would be her. I still can't get past how awkward her neck/shoulder connection looks from the off side, plus her neck also looks on the long side from that angle. I even tried liking her recently - I bought Encore and Tor, and Encore was a color that I felt could win me over potentially. I had fun using her as a test subject while I played with lighting and setup for a photo shoot area I made, but ultimately I was thrilled to be able to sell her to a friend who congas the mold and didn't have a copy of her yet.
Mini Hermosa & Corazon: I like the colors, and they are well done on these small ones, but I don't collect the adult mold, and I only somewhat collect the foal mold (I used to say I didn't, but now I have like 9-10 of them so I can't really say that anymore. Ha!) I wouldn't go out of my way to look for them, especially when I mainly want the foal and they are probably still on the pricey end for Stablemates.
2016-
Geronimo: I was initially excited for a mold that could possibly measure up to the Stone ISH in the stock horse ring (as far as modern standing molds go), but I ended up not all that impressed by him. The color isn't really my taste, either. However, when the Orren Mixer series debuted, I finally found colors that spoke to me. I have the chestnut and pinto, and I'm quite excited to get the palomino this year.
Shannondell: This is a color that I believe they totally nailed! The perfect bay for a Clydesdale. I don't have one yet, but I'll probably end up with a braided one because of how insane the prices are on the loose mane/tail versions. I have Markus, Yuletide Greetings, and Glossy Benelli (whom I wasn't planning on buying *until* Breyer offered the glossy option during BreyerFest). I'm not sure why I didn't really care for the gray regular run, but maybe I'll pick one up someday. I also kind of regret not picking up a Vahana considering I actually went to BreyerFest 2017 (and my cousins didn't get him either), but unfortunately our last ticket time ended up conflicting with our plans to head home and I was basically spent up by that point, anyway. I also really like Claude since he is charcoal, another of my favorite colors, but I'd be totally happy with a glossy version. Woodford is one of those rare raffle models I'd actually put on my radar if I ever won the lottery or elsewise became wealthy enough to afford those kinds of models.
Yasmin: I do kind of sort of like her, but here's the thing. I HAVE one right now. It's my cousin's, and I could potentially add it to her sale pile (I'm doing local sales only right now, no shipping, please don't ask - I don't have any boxes available to ship even if I had time to go to the PO), BUT I have Yas in a box of models that I'm considering keeping (and paying my cousin for, of course). In addition to finding her color interesting, this particular model was also my cousin's award for winning a sectional champ at the BreyerFest Youth show (don't worry, while she is downsizing to go off to college, she is keeping a handful of favorites, including the horse that won this award). So, Yasmin has some sentimental value to me as well. She is kind of L O N G though and I'm trying to not get into too many longer molds so I can keep my display options more flexible. I do also have KB Omega, who is a really neat blue-black. I was disappointed in Zena because she doesn't have gold hooves/horn/accents and I had gotten my hopes up from an original (albeit lower quality) photo before her official release. I thought I'd like LV Integrity, but bay color didn't have anything to make it stand out to me, and I liked Empres better. Kaalee I'm kind of glad I didn't end up going with at BreyerFest, I would have preferred the rabicano to be more distinctly stripey and fun. I think the only other one I'd be interested in is Starlight, from the VC.
Mini Geronimo: I think this is the only Stablemate mold besides Hands Down (the one with the tack and rider) that I don't have any examples of, even in my trophy bin. She is still technically a cartoon mold. So, yeah, not my favorite.
I think this might be the only pre-20's mold I won't have a photo of...
2017-
True North: I'm not crazy about this pinto pattern, but he is a nice mold. My favorite color so far is Dani! I had 3 All-Access tickets last year. The third Dani went to my friend. I was originally planning to sell the third one too, but out of the two that I kept, they are soooo different! One is really dark, and the other has very dramatic shading. I do also have a Catch Me. I haven't been totally in love with any of the other colors (but I would have been happy to win Rangoli) yet. Fun fact though, I ended up sitting next to a Rangoli winner, which was really cool!
Duende: Despite improvements from the 2014 dapple issues, Duende was still not very consistent. It's also not one of my favorite shades of gray. I do own Dominante and Arctic Grandeur, and would someday love a Benasque if his prices are ever a bit more reasonable.
Carina & Selene: Here's another example of a pair where I started out only liking one of them! In this case, I prefer the mare over the foal. I do have one now, I kept my Favory Ariella set together, but it took me a long time to warm up to the baby. I also have Celestine. My top choices for next additions on the mare mold would be Avioraz (either color), Carina, and Bellatrix (and if I can only find a full set I'll keep the foals). Julep I'm on the fence about due to the facial marking.
Mini True North: Eeeee! Tiny Brishen! So cute! It was a fantastic experience to see him for the first time in the BreyerFest Collectors Club tent. Since this was the very first larger Breyer mold that was shrunk down, there was much buzz and hype about this little guy. I am no exception, and currently have all of them except Mini True North and the platinum chase piece.
2018-
Bristol: I definitely like this guy! He's a very nice color, as well. I've decided I mostly prefer the loose mane and tail version. However, the only one I own right now is Voyeur, who is braided. If I could have any others, I'd like an original Bristol, but especially a Redmond! One of the nicest chestnut colors ever and the gloss makes him even more perfect!
Dundee: I'm not all that enchanted with this mold, yet. I didn't end up with any Surprise models last year, despite having 3 tickets, and honestly I was relieved that I didn't like any of the colors either. The only one on this mold that I have is Peptoboonsmal, and that's because he's a RR and I like roans.
Emerson: I'm also still working on warming up to this mold, but I do have one color I totally love so far, and that's Eclipse! I ended up with a very BLUE one and I feel in love. He's just too cute! I do have Winx as well. I even won Crane- but not for myself, instead for a local friend who loves the mold and was delighted to get him.
Darwin: I think the theme of 2018 was "molds I kind of like"! I have a couple on this mold- Kaleidescope, Klaus, and the black Regular Run, but I feel like if I'd wanted to seriously conga him I ought to have decided sooner. There's already a lot that I'm missing, which is fine. If I could choose any of them to add though, it would be the Florentine from the Christmas blind bags.
2019-
Rhian & Cadell: The foal is totally cute! I definitely want a few of those. I'm still deciding how I feel about the mare. The black RR pair this year might be a good time to test that out, since I passed on Snickerdoodle (if you read my posts about new release fatigue last fall, you might remember that!)
I am still missing examples of these molds, so no photo!
Hamilton: THE ONE. The best. The ONLY PC model that I have ever loved so much that I've gone out and bought within months of release! I can recall experiencing an ethereal-like excitement when he was revealed at BreyerFest that year and OH BOY everyone around me knew just how much I was into him! I'm not sure what it is about him. Somehow, two of my top molds are Saddlebreds, even though I have no personal connection to the breed in real life, nor would I say they're close to my favorite breed (I do like gaited breeds, since I dislike riding bumpy horses, but I'd probably go for a Missouri Foxtrotter if I ever have the opportunity to own a real horse. Or a Paso...I need a shorter horse LOL.) I currently own every Hammy except Order of the Thistle *grumbles*. I think we can guess which model I'd want to go out and buy if I had the funds (well, him or Journey, if I could find one). I even have two of the Palomino in matte, which was not planned whatsoever. My first one was a gift from a friend whom I helped with BreyerFest, over the summer. I'd kind of been toying with the idea of getting a second one because I loved seeing all the variations, but I hadn't told anyone. My BF's mom got me a second one for Christmas! She often goes off-script with horse purchases (I do provide a list), and I hadn't asked for a Hammy. I guess she saw it and figured I'd like it (she was NOT WRONG). Best of all, he's fairly different from my other one, which is what I wanted to a T! Both matte palominos are very beloved and I am so grateful for them.
Georg: He is lovely, I like the color! I have Theo, Honeybear, and Zugsprite. Someday I'd add Georg and Julius. I'm planning on likely buying the Rhenish Draft during BreyerFest this year. I'm also sooo excited for the mini!!
Charleston: Despite being a tiny Hamilton, I'm a bit neutral on this mold so far. I have Skye and the black RR. I don't know that I'll go out of my way to conga this one.
2020-
Altynai: 2020 was another meh? year for me of the PC (when considering mold + colors). I do really like this guy's color, but he is VERY long. If I were to get any of them, it would be the holographic one because that was AMAZING. However, if Breyer puts the holographic color on another mold that I like more, I'd lose interest in this one most likely.
Oh hey, I also don't own anything on this mold!
Vermeer: This is a pretty nice leopard appy (another color I'm very picky about), but I just don't really care for the sculpt's style, I think? It is hard to truly evaluate without a few more colors to work with.
(Or this one)
Troubadour: I do absolutely like this mold, I have an Ansel and I'm excited for the other 2 this year (and that blue one, OOOOH), but splash white is not a pattern I tend to find interesting.
Mini Troubadour: See above re: splash white. I do think this is an adorable mold, I have Avant Garde and I'm excited to see which color I get from the Stablemate Club this year.
2021-
Fireheart: I like this guy! I don't know that the color is my favorite ever, but he's a neat mold and I'm excited to own a Stein (secured him with my VIP ticket).
I don't own any of the 2021 molds yet or (obviously) Zafirah.
Astrid: She's interesting, I think out of this group I'm the most likely to track her down in her original color someday. The mane and tail variations introduced for this year are really neat as well.
Firefly and Hawkeye: Nice molds, I'm very pleased to finally see a new stock horse foal mold (we haven't had one since the 80's) in Traditional scale. I don't like these colors, but as I'm seeing with the pinto BreyerFest set, I'll end up with a set eventually- there will be a set I like enough. I do like the BreyerFest previews which is promising.
Mini Fireheart: He is also TOO CUTE! And a very nice replica of the larger version. And of course HELIOS (Stablemate Club), I think he's one of my most anticipated 2022 models!
2022-
Zafirah: I'm waiting to see her in person (or at least until in hand photos start rolling in) to decide how I feel about her.
PC to Best Customs Contest Theories
Breyer also revealed the BCC winners' prize today, a black pinto Dundee. Since the inception of the contest, the top prize in each category has always been a re-colored Premier Club mold/pattern. This means to me that:
- All of the pinto/appaloosa pattern PC horses are fair game
- Solid colored ones will not likely be used, if at all.
This contest has been held every year since 2015. Initially, there were 4 categories, and there are now 6.
2015 - Anahi & Agueda, bay variants of Hermosa & Corazon (2015)
2016 - Guerreiro, bay variant of Geronimo (2016)
2017 - Masala, bay variant of True North (2017)
2018 - All Out, bay variant of Bobby Jo (2015)
2019 - Leap of Faith, black variant of Bristol (2018)
2020 - Cornwall, black variant of Latigo (2013)
2021 - Noir, black variant of Emerson (2018)
2022 - Brandenberg, black variant of Dundee (2018)
There are a couple of interesting patterns here.
1. The first 4 years featured bay versions of the PC models, while the next 4 years have had black versions...perhaps the color will switch up again in 2023?
2. Only the first 3 years featured variants of models from the same PC year.
3. 2018 is the only year that has all 3 of its models featured as variants
Here are the pinto and appaloosa models that have not yet been used:
Desatado, Kalahkaari (2012)
Carrick (2013)
Falhofnir (2014)
Forever Saige (2015)
Yasmin (2016)
Carina & Selene (2017)
Hamilton (2019)
Vermeer, Troubadour (2020) (Maybe Altynai?)
Fireheart, Firefly & Hawkeye (2021)
I hope you enjoyed this long blog post! Be sure to check out Breyer's article if you are in the Collector Club! :)
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