Breyer's 50th Anniversary Golden Clydesdales

If you've been following the news from Breyer lately, you'll know the coming year, their 75th anniversary, is going to be absolutely bonkers amazing. There are so many exciting models that have been sneak peeked for the various clubs---Breyer is really going all out to bankrupt me! With that in mind, I figure I'd better hurry up and write about the their 50th anniversary and the interesting models they released in 2000.

In the fall of 1999, my parents, sister, and I attended a Breyer event at a local toy store to promote Eclipse, a black Legionario that was the Fall Show Special for the year. Though it wasn't a particularly limited model in retrospect, it still drew a large crowd of local collectors. While we were there, my family was introduced to the Breyer rep for our region. We enjoyed chatting with him that day and discovered that he, like our dad, had an interest in model railroads.

The following year, my dad ran into the rep again at a hobby shop he frequents for model railroad magazines that also happens to carry Breyers. The rep mentioned that he had a couple of special models that he wanted to give to me and my sister. Even though we were both young, only in college and high school respectively at the time, he recognized that we were serious collectors and wanted the models to go to an appreciative home. He met with my dad and sister a few weeks later at a model railroad show (I was stuck at college and couldn't join them), and they were astonished to receive these beautiful gold electroplated G2 Clydesdales!

The rep told them that the models had been given to him at an annual meeting Breyer held for their sales reps and that not many had been made. Over the years, I've never heard anyone give a definitive number, but I've seen maybe 10 or so in the hands of collectors. They're quite scarce these days.

By 2000, all of the Stablemate models were being molded in ABS plastic, so unlike the silver G1 Saddlebreds, Breyer didn't have to mold them in a special kind of plastic before electroplating them. Like the Saddlebred, the Clydesdales have a hole drilled into their undersides which was used to suspend them in the electroplating bath.

The hole is just in front of the word Breyer

In addition to the rep models, Breyer marked the occasion of their 50th anniversary in 2000 with several regular run and special run offerings as well. The most interesting piece they offered as a regular run was Kathleen Moody's beautiful new standing Saddlebred sculpture standing over a clock. It was a fabulous homage to the Western Horse clocks that had begun it all for the company back in 1950.

At BreyerFest that summer, the volunteer model was a stunning glossy dapple grey Moody Saddlebred, and 15 of them were also offered on clocks as prizes for the live show. Several of the special runs were nice nods to Breyer's past as well, especially the silver and gold bolo ties (which technically may have been leftovers from BreyerFest 1998).

Breyer has teased some incredible models for next year, including a new clock for the Vintage Club. It wouldn't be a Breyer anniversary without one! This one features a Western Pony in a realistic dappled palomino color called Pioneer. The Vintage Club is sold out for 2025, but I know members will be excited by the other offerings yet to be revealed!
 

Photo from Breyer's Facebook page

Tha mi air bhioran! A plastic Highland Pony!

Photo shamelessly yoinked from Breyer's announcement

I mostly blog about vintage models here, but I can't help but squeal "tha mi air bhioran!" (Scots Gaelic for "I'm excited!")*  about this amazing new Premier Club reveal for 2025. Sculpted by Kelly Sealey with a soft creamy dappled dun coat designed by Tammi Palmarchuk, this new Highland Pony model dubbed Rowan is a dream come true. I adore the Native pony breeds of the UK and Ireland, and I have been hoping for a good plastic Highland Pony sculpture for literally decades. Even more exciting, Rowan will be available in two distinct variations---as a loose maned Highland Pony stallion or as a lighter-framed, braided and clean-legged sporty pony mare.

I had not planned to join the Premier Club next year---money is extremely tight---but I'm going to have to find a way to swing these ponies. I am an ardent Celtophile, and I have a soft spot for Highland Ponies in particular. Back when I was in college in the late 1990s at the University of Georgia, I was lucky enough to visit Bill Begg-Lorimer who imported the first breeding pair of Highland Ponies to the United States.

Quartz of Croila as a youngster with Bill

Nora of Croila and Bill

Sadly, Bill passed away a short time later, and his pony herd was dispersed. Quartz proved to be a well-regarded stallion here for over a decade before being exported back to Europe in 2013. (I don't know what became of Nora.) I'm sure both ponies have crossed the rainbow bridge to greener pastures by now, but they left a lasting impression on me.

Not being able to afford a real pony myself, I actively searched for an appropriate Highland Pony model instead. Unfortunately, at the time, there simply weren't many options. However, the summer after I met Quartz and Nora, I did find one of the few models actually sculpted as a Highland Pony, this handsome dun Beswick chap. I found him for sale in a room at BreyerFest, and I felt sure it was fate.

In the intervening 20+ years, Donna Chaney of Animal Artistry has produced a few lovely Highland Pony resins (and a few more that can pass as Highlands with a little work), but the hobby has lacked a widely available, mass-produced traditional scale pony of the appropriate type. Finally getting a proper plastic Highland plus a lovely sport pony alternate version to boot is such a terrific addition to the Breyer line. I can't wait to see them as regular runs in more fun colors, and I am itching to get my hands on extras to paint my own little herd of Highlands.

Now if only I had more shelf space!

 

 

 

* pronounced "ha me ay-r virrin"

Where does the time go?

How is it already December? Where does the time go? Why are there never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I need or want to do?

"Tick tock!"say the Hartland clocks. "Time is ticking on!"

Every time I say that things at my Real Job are finally calming down, a new project pops up, and I get swamped. And that's a problem because I tend to do a lot of brainstorming and blog writing on breaks at work. Unfortunately, I'm often too tired at the end of the day to do much writing when I get home. Or my time at home, especially weekends, is usually spent painting and trying desperately to catch up on commissions for my incredibly patient friends and customers. This has all meant that I have fallen off the wagon of trying to write weekly-ish posts here. In my defense, I have a pretty solid excuse for the last month.

Oops

I am now almost a month out from my little hospital misadventure, and I'm fine. But I feel like it's taken me until today to catch up on all of the work I had to set aside while I recuperated for a week. Whew! The last three weeks have been *busy* and I am ready for a breather and a slower pace for the rest of the month.

I have at least been making notes to myself on subjects I want to cover and models I need to photograph when I visit my family for the holidays. These are just a few of the posts in my drafts folder. I am looking forward to getting back to work on these!

I also managed to finish up a few models to offer as Black Friday stocking stuffer sales. I don't talk about my own custom work here much, but I've mostly mothballed my studio blog (and even with good health insurance, hospitals stays are not free. Eep!) So these are all portraits of horses that BreyerFest attendees will recognize---racing legends and famous past residents of the Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions. Left to right, they are John Henry, Point Given, Cigar, and Funny Cide.

John Henry and Point Given are both still available if anyone reading this is interested. They are $110 ppd in the USA. Just drop me a line at mumtazmahal (at) gmail (dot) com or message me on Facebook.

John Henry

Point Given

I am planning a spring sale as well, probably more minis and maybe a few larger customs. I have a huge stash of Maureen Love molds that I need to get to work on. If only setting those Hartland clocks back a few hours would take me back in time like Hermione's time-turner. Or maybe I need to put them in a DeLorean and speed up to 88 mph?

Anyway, I'm always looking for more blog topics to tackle. Feel free to let me know what subjects you'd like like to read about next in the comments!