Breyer Madison Avenue

Breyers are like potato crisps: you can never have just one...

Yeah.

 So, I'd like to introduce you to my latest model. She's sculpted on the Rejoice/National Show Horse mould, and I believe she's the Madison Avenue model, but she could just as likely be the warehouse find/reissue version. I'm not really bothered either way.

   She's second hand, and has a lot of small rubs and scratches. You can see the most obvious two on the base of her tail and her off side hip. I can probably touch in the one on her tail with some brown/black paint, but her imperfections really don't bother me. In fact, as someone who only collects Breyers as a hobby, I'd rather have the imperfect models and let the pristine/immaculate ones go to the showers and competitors.

Probably the biggest thing that attracted me to this girl was her colour. She's got this fantasticly shimmery buckskin coat that wonderfully highlights the contors of her sculpting. I love the way her golden pelt is darker and lighter in places, and the juxtaposition between the rich tones of her body and the dark chocolate black of her points is just superb.

  I'm a big fan of solid colours in horses, so I like the fact that she only has a few white markings as highlights. I also like the fact that the markings on her legs are all different lengths. I feel that it really adds character to the model.

 The mould itself is really lively and animated. She feels like a very sassy, energetic mare, but at the same time very dignified and proper. It just feels like she's begging to be harnessed up to a light trap or prancing around a showring in hand.

 Because she only stands on 2 legs, her exaggerated tail is essential to balance the mould. Despite this, she's actually very stable and no more prone to tipping than any other model. Her long, thin tail does seem like a potential snapping point, though, so I'll have to be careful with her in that respect.

 Her off hind leg is actually drawn under her body as well as forward, and I like the fact that there's a very obvious slant in her hips to emphasise her movement.

 Her hooves seem a bit pale to me, but that might just be with age or exposure to sunlight.

 She's got an intelligent head. I love the way her ears are pointed in different directions. She's definitely listening to something behind her (her driver/rider, maybe?) whilst focusing on where she's going at the same time.

 I think it's a bit of a shame that her eyes are just plain black with a white edge. She's got such large, emotive eyes that it would have been nice if they were a bit more detailed.

 The black tips to her ears are a really nice touch, and something that customisers often forget buckskin horses have.

 

Her mane and forelock certainly seem tack-friendly, and she's got the large bridlepath traditional to the National Show Horse breed. I can't tell whether it's her golden colouring, her energetic pose or just the joy that comes with a new model, but every time I look at her I can't help smiling.

Most of my models quietly wait for me to find the right names for each of them. But true to her lively, sassy nature, this girl got tired of me procrastinating over naming her, and told me to hurry up and call her 'Jewel' already! I couldn't argue with that, so her showname is now Persian Jewel. I've got to say, it'll be nice to have a mare with a bit of attitude in the herd :)