Whoops! Overlooked One!

I've been meaning to rearrange my shelves for a couple of months now. Today I realized that the time had truly come.  I went to grab a FAM off a shelf and right next to her was Dapple Grey Old Timer #3.

I thought I had a third! But when I wrote the variation post on the dapple grey Old Timers, there were only two in my conga of that mold. I poked around the shelves but simply did not see this guy until this afternoon  and there he was, tucked right on the end of the FAM/FAF/FAS conga.

 Here he is, next to my original carpet herd guy (farthest back) and #2.

The most noticeable variation to me was the size of the dapples.

#3 has tinier dapples than the other two - in fact the size differences go in numeric order with #1 having the largest (he is also the oldest), #2 similar to #1 but not so "cornflakey," and then #3 whose are significantly smaller than the other two's.

 #3 has no hat but he does have nice pinking in his ears and on his nose like #2.

His tack, though, is poorly painted. Look at that smear of dark brown paint! It is rough and raised - I thought it might be dirt or something aftermarket, but it does not come off. And, since the color matches the harness, I am pretty sure it was done in the factory.

 The bridle is not painted next to the bit on the near side...

... but it is on the right. (That's not an eye white - if you angle his head just right to catch the light in a certain way, it looks like it, though.)

 And the painter was lazy and painted the triangular area of the head brown instead of grey.

Here is what it should look like. This is my carpet herd guy, #1.

The near hind hoof was not painted on the inside, and the off hind hoof looks as though the paint was thin and watery.

 The off front hoof has a big ball of puddled gloss under it.

What that puddle looks like from underneath.

More evidence of poor painting - the black spot on his off nostril.

Clearly this guy has some issues when you look at him closely, but in all honesty, I do not mind. I love variations and how that makes each piece unique. And a painter having a bad day in the painting booth? Just a part of the model's history.

Now, off to start reorganizing the shelves to make sure that all the congas are together.

Sigh. I suppose I should dust, too, while I am at it...