Riah - I Don't Think So

As many collectors predicted, hobbyists are having a difficult time figuring out which Riahs are the black point variation and which ones are not.

Include me in that crowd of puzzled hobbyists.

The photos I posted of mine did make it seem as though I had gotten the black point version. For a refresher, here's one of those photos.

His mane and tail (the better identifier than the socks) do look very dark.

But just as the photos Breyer posts of new pieces often differ from what collectors receive, be it due to tricks of the light, the fact that the sample pieces are a bit different, and so on, my Riah did look darker than he really is in those photos I'd posted. But with the piece in hand, I could see that difference.

And so I'd written that I'd gotten the regular, more common variation. Within a few hours, I'd received a flurry of texts, emails, and comments from readers who thought I'd actually gotten the black point. Thank you all for writing; I wish he were, but here is why I think he is not.

I began by comparing Riah's color to my black point PAM.

There is a definite difference in color but (once again) it is not showing well in the photos.

This one is better - it shows how grey my Riah's mane is next to the PAM's tail.

A mane to mane comparison.

Someone said on social media that a good way to tell the difference was to compare the mane and tail's color to Riah's coat color - was it grey like the coat, or was it much darker? 

Look at how the mane's color matches the coat's color.

This photo really shows how well the two areas match - grey coat and grey mane. Those colors are so close, it's very hard to tell where the coat ends and the mane begins in this photo.

A better shot of the tail at the base of the spine also shows a matching color, grey to grey.

That is why I believe my Riah is the regular grey model and not the black point variation. Could I be wrong? Certainly. But I am sticking with non black point for now.

My advice if you want to buy a Riah second hand? Make sure you can look at it in hand before purchasing to be sure you are getting the Riah you want.

And boy howdy, I sure hope Breyer never does variations that are that close again!