My collection began when I talked my mom into buying the Breyer Black Beauty model when I was 7. I still have him, though he's showing the signs of many battles, most notably with that durned Alabaster Fighting Stallion -- that guy was mean in his younger years! *grin* I didn't actively collect through my high school and and college years, though I did manage to add a few to my collection here and there.
I graduated from college in May of '95, got a "real job" to support myself, and dove back into collecting -- my collection exploded in a matter of months. My collection is all over the place -- OF Plastic, OF Chinas, CMs, and resins, though I'm becoming less of an OF collector and more of a resin collector.
I don't know how many models I have now; I'm gradually reducing my OF collection in favor of resins. Here's an outdated list of my Breyer OF models.
The following are some of my favorite models, though not all of my favorite models -- I've got too many favorites, since I try to only buy what I like. Click on the links to see the large image.
I think I need to redo this page... It's way outdated. I've removed the models that I no longer own (only two *grin*), but I've got lots of models that I should add. I'm just not sure how I want to do the page yet.
One of my favorite resins is Power Steering (side view), by Carol Williams and Chris Nandell. She is a lovely dapple bay thanks to Peri Riggins. Her paint job is really wonderful -- so dramatic! I've really started to get into performance classes, so I hope to be showing her in cutting classes.
Dunno when I'll get painted pictures of her up (geez, it's only been 4 years!), but mean while, here's a front view of her before the paint job.
Bizet, a resin created by D'arry Jones Frank, and painted by Sandie Bendel-Gaertner. I named him "Infatuation" because he looks so full of himself. Here's a picture of his other side.
I also have two Arielle resins by Carol Gasper -- I couldn't decide which color I liked, so I bought two of them. Sadly, one developed paint problems and a broken leg so no longer has her original paint job; the other has been painted a bay by Sandi Bendel-Gaertner. The one that was originally doeskin (named "Sashay Away", after a real horse that I knew) competed in the Other Western Performance class at a show in Reno in early 1997 as a bareback entry. She's wearing a bridle that I made myself.
The bay Arielle, shown as Pleiades, trotted away with a CM Other Western Performance Championship (this is picture taken at home after the show, although she's tacked up like she was in her class) at the 1998 Gold Country show, getting herself NAN qualified in the process. Her setup was the simplest in the class -- a simple bareback entry, wearing the bride that Sashay Away is wearing in the picture above.
I saw Mefistofiles at Jamboree of 1996, where he was being shown at NAN by his painter, Sandi Bendel-Gaertner. I passed him up then because I couldn't afford the price, since I'd already been buying models like crazy, but I couldn't get him out of head after Jamboree. So, with the help of time payments, he eventually came to live with my other models. He's shown as a bay Lusitano stallion.
Mefi has been shown at three different NANs -- 1996, 1999 and 2001. However, he has yet to place at any of them. I am probably going to retire him from halter showing, because he isn't competative against some of the newer Spanish breed resins. However, once I get a dressage saddle, he may hit the tables in the performance division.
I found Tod the first night I was at Jamboree in 1996, though it took me a day to decide that I really couldn't go home without him. He's a quarter horse yearling remade into a Spanish mustang. He's now trotting, has a new sculpted mane and tail, and has one ear turned back. He's been painted a bay. He's got a silly face, which is the main reason that I couldn't pass him up. He was NAN qualified in 1996, though he didn't place. He also qualified for and was shown at NAN 1999 in Kentucky, but alas, didn't place there! Guess no one appreciates his silly face like I do. :)
One of my favorite Breyer molds is the Misty's Twilight mold. I currently own two: Misty's Twilight and Dover.
I've shown the Dover as a Warmblood mare, and she's done well at every show. She won the OF Warmblood class and the OF Championship at my first show in 1996 and did well in just about every class that I've put her in. She was qualified for NAN '99, though she did not show. She has been retired ever since.
Many years ago, a friend of mine showed in a Halloween costume class at a "real horse" show as a bunch of grapes. Her grandma and her mom took purple balloons and stuck them all over my friend's clothing. It was a really cute idea, though I don't think the other horses in the class were very pleased at seeing the balloons billowing around *grin*. Luckily, none of the models in the class with Dover seemed to notice the grapes. =) As a side note, I made the bridle that Dover is wearing.
A couple of years ago, HR released an SR for Jamboree. I didn't attend that event (that was before I rediscovered model horses), but I have managed to add this little guy to my collection. He's an interesting color -- much paler than most I've seen.
"Cortez" I know absolutely nothing about this mold -- I can't even remember where I bought him, though it was probably at a mall. I keep an eye out for others like him, but rarely see them. Know anything about this guy? Please let me know!
Nantucket is such a cutie! Nantucket is a Pour Hourse Limerick, who was released in early 1998. She's got lovely coloring and great details! Here's a scan of her other side. I didn't show her for a while, but in 2001 she did quite well. She now has at least two NAN cards, several firsts and a few big champion or reserve ribbons. :)
After spending many hours on the Internet checking out all the beautiful models that people have created, I decided to try it for myself. I have two completed custom models to my credit, and both of them came out extremely well; however, I've found that I prefer painting over customizing, so probably won't do any more plastic surgery. You can see the two customs and several of my repaints in my own little gallery.
