Hi everyone,
Today I want to take a look at some of the upcoming 2023 releases I'm excited about, and toss out a few predictions.
My 2023 commitments - despite waffling on one and having no plans to join one of the others, I ended up in the Stablemate Club as I am every year, the Deluxe CC even though this was the first year I haven't been immediately drawn in by the model, and quite unexpectedly the Premier Club for the first time ever! I have been trying hard to avoid adding any more new "subscription" style expenses before 2024, but knowing there's a draft foal (and mare presumably) coming pushed me over the edge! I do also really like Cancion and ordered him in matte. While I do love glossies, the nature of the Premier club being an avenue for artists to obtain new molds may mean fewer of the mattes will stay OF (they tend to be easier to work with for customizing I believe?) So if I do really fall in love with the mold, it would likely be easier to obtain a glossy copy later on. The second mold I don't have any immediate opinions on yet, I am curious about it from the sneak peek, but there's nothing that sways me one way or another so far. I would likely re-sell or trade it if it does not end up matching my tastes.
At this time, I'm still planning to participate in BreyerFest in some capacity...hopefully in person! I am tentatively starting to line up plans, so I hope it works out. We'll see. There is also the benefit of going in person that I could sell Stable Snaps to offset some of my spending.
Unless Breyer holds an Exclusive Event within say 5-6 hours by car of Southern New England, I will likely be choosing to not enter/try to find a partner for whatever they offer this year (if there is one). Personally I'd love to see an event based around Saratoga NY or showcasing the Morgan farms of Vermont! I'm not sure if MA/CT/RI have any real unique horse experiences to base a theme off of. Of course, I'd also love to return to Breyer HQ in North Jersey as well. The only Exclusive Event I've attended has been Big Easy Bash in 2014, due to a mixture of affordability & travel proximity.
Out of the Regular/Larger Runs, Breyer has my number on most of the TR releases (granted, there are only 6, 8 if you count the Flagship, and 10 if you also include the holiday and Halloween models). I am planning to add:
- ATP Power, Wyatt - I am a big fan of the Wyatt mold, but I haven't liked all of the colors. This one I'm a fan of!
- Ebony Shines & Charlize, Stock Mare & Foal - I don't have either of these molds yet, and palomino tends to be a color I do like.
- Mariposa & Flor, Susecion & Le Fire - This is a breathtaking shade of bay! I am looking forward to this set and requested to hold a set (and a set for a friend) from one of my favored dealers. Will I like them better than Whinny & Nicker whom I bitterly did not get drawn for in 2012? Possibly!
- Gold Secretariat, Smarty Jones - I'm not a huge fan of the old Secretariat mold, but I greatly appreciate the nod to Breyer history. Plus who can resist the SHINY?
- Sweetwater's Zorah Bell, Astrid - Like many, I am happy to see the most common color for the breed (some molds we are still waiting for that!) and she's just super cute, after getting Rapunzel last year, I definitely want more.
- Ideal Series Appaloosa, Geronimo - This is not my favorite of the Mixer appaloosas they could have used, but regardless I am happy to add to my collection of this series.
Classics I'm looking forward to:
- Lysander, WB Stallion - This is not a mold I collect, but I am allowing myself to collect unicorns in colors I like on classic molds I otherwise don't. A compromise!
- Bay, Malik - This is such a nice color. This guy has looked excellent in every color he's worn so far.
- Palomino, Saddlebred - Yay, finally another color on this mold that I like! I only have Mason and Rainbow so far.
- Out of the new Singles assortment, I'll be looking for the Clydesdale and MFT
- Definitely getting the Poetry in Motion set for the G2 WB & G2 Morgan!
- The Deluxe Unicorn set is a must have, so many beautiful jewel tones!
Tomorrow, BreyerFest tickets will go on sale! It is so early this year - last year it was closer to the end of February. All of the SR & LE have been revealed, so here are my up to date thoughts on those:
- Best of BreyerFest SM set - Great lineup this year! My favorite is of course, the actual mini of Walk of Fame, "Hames", but I will be keeping all but 1 from this set (I don't collect the G4 dude). One of my VIP picks!
- Buggy, Individual SM Online Exclusive - I wasn't planning to log in during the event, but this will be worth it! Gorgeous Django.
- Delft, Classic Decorator - I like this mold, but like most of the other theme/motif Classics, this isn't really my taste.
- Araba, Special Run - Not sold on the mold and this color doesn't really meet my tastes. Easy no.
- Tilly, Limited Edition - Though I think it's cool to finally have a mare on the Othello mold, she's not really grabbing me.
- HD Darkness, Limited Edition - Nice bright bay Morgan? Count me in!
- Jump & Drive, Special Run - Meh, I'm extremely picky about bald faces. I do like this mold but the color is very passable to me.
- Nemea, Special Run - I have no space for Long Bois that are not Holo, plus I am not enough of a history nerd to be interested in the design.
- Peanutine, Special Run - Cute Pinto Brighty! Also, likely to appreciate in value a bit, similar to the past Brightys, so it's a good idea to get this one first hand. One of my VIP picks!
- Phaeton, Crystal Limited Edition - The crystal is a yearly must for my family, since mom collects them! One of my VIP picks!
- Scurry, Special Run - I don't dislike this pony, but I also probably won't seek it out if it's not what the Ticket Selection Algorithm God chooses for me.
- Speos, Special Run - This guy is interesting. I completely LOVE the color, but I'm hesitant to totally fall for him because I haven't seen the mold in person yet, and it's the type of mold where I might have Strong Opinions. Maybe I'll see an Anamar sometime in the spring. There's also the possibility that this guy could be the matte/glossy split, in which case SIGN ME UP for that chestnut glossy goodness!
- Stagecoach Surprise, Special Run - A lot of how I feel about this will heavily depend on ongoing spring reveals, the volunteer model which we'll actually see ahead of time, etc. I plan to get one VIP, and probably one AA to have at least 1, maybe 2 chances to get a Surprise. (And to have 1-2 to open in person). IF I end up feeling more paranoid about the odds of a Favorite Mold being used, I might get 1 or more Online Access tickets to try for more (cheaper initial ticket, plus with only 4 SR in the pool, I probably have better odds for the Surprise and I'm also not tempted to buy a second SR. Opening them at the park is more fun, and I could sell/trade whatever other ticket I get if I don't want it, but a $25 base price difference must be considered.) One of my VIP picks!
- Studebaker, Limited Edition Online Exclusive - While in general I find this to be a pretty color, I'm still rather on the fence about the mold (or at least most of the colors it has worn). It's another shelf hog. I could change my mind later on, but for now this is a pass.
- Surrey & Axle, Special Run - A mare and foal pair is always cute, right? The mare is...not really doing it for me, but the baby is ADORABLE! Considering their lack of popularity though, I am hopeful to find someone to split a set with, whether I am drawn for a pair or I buy the foal off someone else.
- Via Lattea, Limited Edition - So far, I am 0 for 2 with Constantia colors. Hoping the next one will be something I like better, I do like the mold itself!
- Wells, Special Run - I do want to like this guy...it seems like he might suffer from the "poor stock pictures" syndrome. He is quite popular in general, despite that. I hope he'll be one of those displayed at BreyerWest or featured on a live stream or something ahead of the event, so we can get a better idea of the color. If the color is accurate, he might lean more towards the no category for me. Especially with the loads of dapples - not always the strong suit of the painting team.
There is (so far) no Single Decorator Stablemate, which has been a staple of the event for quite a few years. I do wonder if last year's pair of Wittelsbach and Torlinie, neither of which were very popular, made for the decision to only offer one Individual Stablemate. However, it has been noted that they could also be withholding this model because it wouldn't be available to VIP. In any case, it doesn't bother me that much, those SM are usually around $15 so whether there's one or not, it won't have a major effect on my budget.
I don't collect the plush, so I haven't included that in my analysis.
Updated Surprise Guesses - This will very likely change as the months go on, but my feelings as of now!
As far as breed type, I think it will go one of 3 ways:
- Draft
- Stock
- Sporty/Carriage
Despite a few 90's molds being a good match for the theme being popular harness types (Aristocrat, Brown Sunshine), I sincerely doubt there will be any pre-2000's molds used for the Surprise.
Based upon these thoughts, as well as looking at which molds have *brand new* releases for 2023 (the Surprise thus far has never been a mold with another new release in the same year - ongoing current releases are fair game), here are a few I am considering and why:
- ASB Stallion - Popular mold, and Breyer has used this mold to represent a harness breed before (Dutch Harness Horse, Harmonie).
- Cantering WB - I could totally see this mold in a high action harness performance setup (I probably have!) This mold is popular, but not incredibly hot at this point. As an interesting note, last year's Surprise was previously used as the Celebration horse just a few years before (Oliver, 2019) and we had the CWB used as the Celebration model, Dani in 2021.
- Vermeer - Another "carriage breed" angle, this mold has seen limited action since his release. Despite still being rather "young", he does not seem to garner the same level of adoration as others of a similar age. He has also had comparatively few releases as well when looking at molds of similar age. Battlefield Angel, the current RR, was released last year as part of the mid year lineup, so he counts as a "continuing run" and this would not disqualify him from playing the part of the Surprise.
- Forever Saige - She could put the "wild" in Wild West if they're looking for a Western/Stock horse type. She is kind of polarizing though, she's got fans but I am not certain if she's actively popular enough to pull off being the Surprise.
- Hamilton - Yes, I may be wishing for this to not happen (and thus I will be closely following any new releases this year), but despite how inaccurate it is for a racking horse to be associated with a harness theme (Saddlebreds do not perform this gait while under harness), we all know the thought of "oh, this breed is associated with harness activities, sounds good" is not a farfetched line of thinking from Breyer. HOWEVER, I still think he is TOO popular (look at the fact that they made 1,000 Tahoes, the largest run for an equine web special ever) to be a smart choice. Breyer knows what happens when collectors in large groups are vying for a very desirable model (cough cough, early NPOD anyone?), they do not want to use anything for the Surprise that would cause a rush of the tents in people's attempts to buy/trade off those who just picked up/purchased. I also maintain that he would be an excellent choice to celebrate BreyerFest's next big anniversary in 2024. Yes, this is partially due to wanting to celebrate the payoff of my student loans alongside BreyerFest, since I will finish those no later than early 2024 whether the government helps or not! What better way to mark this accomplishment than actually being able to afford a mold I conga being the Surprise?
- Strapless - A sporty mold that I also frequently see in harness classes at shows, plus she's got the swappable manes and tails. An older pick at this point for sure, but you never know. The average age of the Surprise mold at time of use is 9, several of them have been over 10. the CB last year was 16! She does kind of feel too similar to CB and Giselle, both recent Surprises, so we'll see.
- Wixom - I am starting to feel less confident in the Draft theory with Shannondell and Othello now both in the lineup, but if it's any other draft, it would be her. Barring the historical context where scrappy stock breeds were used for stagecoaches in the old west, Percherons/Belgians can be shown in large teams pulling stagecoaches (this is the top search result for the query, "what type of horse pulls a stagecoach?" https://arew.org/what-kind-of-horses-pull-the-wells-fargo-stagecoach/ so maybe Breyer came across this as well in their research). Still, Wixom is getting pretty "old" at this point, and she's also the largest mold they have.
- Working Cow Horse - This one would also hurt, to be honest, since along with her, Hammy and Croi, those are my only 3 really "serious" modern congas. But if they're going with the "scrappy stock breeds" historical approach, I could see her fitting the bill. The one thing I wonder though is if they will pick a mold that could conceivably wear a harness, because that would likely be tough for her?
- Volunteer reveal at/after BreyerWest
- Potential spring CCA
- Other upcoming web specials
- Spring releases
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