Today we will look at the other side of the discussion - those who believe that Breyer's palomino color shifted in the early years - and examine what we can find as to evidence and documentation of that theory.
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I first heard the notion that Breyer's Palomino color shifted while reading Andrea Gurdon's blog, Breyer History Diva. (I have been told that the topic was also discussed on Model Horse Blab, but I have been unable to find it there.)
Andrea joined our group for dinner after Indy Blooms, so I had her current contact info and reached out to her several times, asking her if she would be willing to talk to me about this theory. She did not respond to my texts.
A search of her blog turned up three posts that specifically discuss the theory. Here are quotes from those blog entries in chronological order. (Click on the blog entry title to read the entry in its entirety.)
Honey (July 29, 2013)
"... It is a bit of a misnomer to call Gloss Honey Palomino a true "vintage" color. Early Palominos back when were more or less the same shade of Sunkist Orange that later Palominos were. The paint itself simply changed over time, from neon bright to mellow honey...."
"The formula for Palomino changed to something less fugitive sometime in the later 1960s or early 1970s; while some of them have shifted colors, too, it's usually in completely different ways and for completely different reasons."
Priceless (February 24, 2014)
"As I've mentioned before, older Palomino paint jobs are notoriously fugitive: they change with exposure to heat and/or light. Breyer Palominos tend to turn honey-brownish - often attractively so... "
Orange is the New Palomino (November 21, 2014)
"As I've mentioned before, early Palominos didn't start out "Honey," they turned that way..."
"Breyer eventually switched the formula for the Palomino to something less fugitive (less likely to change color) in the later 1960s or early 1970s. Exactly when is unknown but it's obvious it has to have been by 1971."
"You can see the same phenomenon with the #22 Palomino Pinto Shetland Pony, too. Later Matte and Semi-Gloss are just as bright and cheerful a shade of orange as the one Five-Gaiter, above. I've owned enough of these Shetlands - boxed and unboxed - and in every condition from LSQ to body - to conclude that the lack of a color shift is not anomalous, or due to any special handling. The paint was just different then."
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In addition to talking about the color shifting in her blog, Andrea also connected the well documented phenomenon of Hartland palominos changing to a bile green to the theory about Breyer's palominos' color changing.
Honey (July 29, 2013)
"Hartland had a similar problem with their Palominos, but they tended to turn chartreuse instead."
Priceless (February 24, 2014)
"... while many Hartland Palominos turn lime or chartreuse green."
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Finally, here is an interesting snippet, and, as far as I can find, the only piece of possible documentation that Breyer's Palomino color shifted.
Honey (July 29, 2013)
"I'm not sure if it's completely due to exposure to sunlight, or if another environmental factor such as heat is necessary. Several years ago I saw a Gloss Palomino Fighter that had been kept in a window for some time; one side was Orange, and the other side was honey. (Wish I had bought it! ...)"
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I have found no more information from supporters of the color changing theory so that means that we are now ready to start drawing some conclusions.
Stay 'tooned!
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