Copy, Copy, Copy

Hagen Renaker introduced the beautiful Large Arabian Mare, Zara, sculpted by Maureen Love, in 1957.

Current reissue Zara in bay. 

Breyer copied Zara and released what they called the Proud Arabian Mare in 1958.

My mahogany bay Proud Arabian Mare made by Breyer 1972 - 1980. 

Needless to say, Hagen Renaker took exception to Breyer copying their sculpture, went to court, and Breyer had to discontinue production of the Proud Arabian Mare. 

Artist Chris Hess then made a new but similar sculpture for Breyer which was called the Family Arabian Mare and released in 1961. (This is my carpet herd Family Arabian Mare who is still in my collection.)

It was just a few days ago that I realized that Breyer's Family Arabian Mare had been copied by Marx when they introduced Thunderbolt and the Best of the West series in 1965.

Same long neck, same short back, same awkward tail, overly long legs in the same position... 

It may be 1:6 scale compared to Breyer's 1:9 scale, but I would call Thunderbolt a copy of the Family Arabian Mare. But Thunderbolt isn't Marx's only copy.

Take a look at Thundercolt.

And compare him to Breyer's Proud Arabian Foal, also released in 1958 and also a copy of a Hagen Renaker foal, Zilla.

Zilla was sculpted by Maureen Love and is Zara's foal.

As far as I know, Hagen Renaker did not take Marx to court like they did Breyer. Perhaps the subtle differences between the foals were enough that the case would not have held up in court. Regardless, I find it interesting to see that two different companies copied Hagen Renaker's sculptures.

That speaks well of their quality and of the skill of their sculptor, Maureen Love.

All photos of Marx horses taken from Google Images. Hagen Renaker photos are from Identify Your Hagen Renaker.

More Spot Variations

As I said recently, I love variations, especially when it comes to the spots on Breyer's Appaloosas.

 I saw this small blanket version Appaloosa FAM with spots scattered down her legs on an online sales site

 and snapped her up right away.

She's my third Appaloosa FAM, very white when you consider her age,

 and with moderately large spots all the way down below her hocks. 

I love how she compares to my Appaloosa FAM #2, also a small blanket version, who has huge spots.

 Both of them have the USA mark, making them later than 1970.

 Appaloosa FAM #1 is a belly band version with smaller spots

and no USA mark, making her pre 1970.

 Here #1 is in comparison with #2 - you can really see the differences!

I'm watching some other Appaloosa variations right now - fingers crossed that I will add some more to my collection of variations!

Show Prep: Readying the Party Signing Model

Last year for Happy Trails I, I spray painted a vintage black Appaloosa Running Stallion in metallic foil copper and asked everyone to sign him as a memento of the show.

 I signed him myself first

and dated him

and then asked everyone who had come to take a moment sometime during the day and add their signature or message.

He now stands with pride on the shelf with my other Running Stallions. (It's a great way to use an older model who has scuffs and dings - new life as a show memento! And in a glitzy, sparkly color, too!)

This year I wanted a Running Mare for the party signing model, but I did not have much luck finding one. (Well, I found plenty, but all of them were in good enough condition that I did not feel good about spray painting them.)

So I expanded my search, still looking for a vintage mare mold that was suitable to use.

(photo from eBay auction)

 I found this scuffed up Family Arabian Mare on eBay

(photo from eBay auction)

for a reasonable price and in bad enough condition that I had no qualms about repainting her.

 Several coats of spray paint on a nice sunny day

 And she's ready to be signed!

Another thing checked off my to-do list as I get ready for Happy Trails.

Is This Related to the Other Glossy Greys?

As I was researching and writing the blog entries on the early glossy grey Appaloosa color, I went through the pieces in my collection looking for examples in that color. I came across this guy and paused.

My Brahma Bull sure looks like a belly band version of glossy grey Appaloosa that is missing its spots.

According to Nancy Young's book, Breyer Molds and Models 1950 - 1997, the Brahma Bull was first produced in 1955 or 1957 in this color. That predates Breyer's other pieces done in glossy grey Appaloosa and leads me to wonder if Breyer made the decision to use the color in its line of horses and just added spots to make them Appaloosas.

The Family Arabian Stallion was first marketed in the glossy grey Appaloosa color in 1959, several years after the release of the Brahma. The Family Arabian Mare and the Family Arabian Foal followed in 1960. The Proud Arabian Mare was introduced in 1959 in the color as was the In Between Mare. All came AFTER the Brahma.

As far as I can tell, the Brahma Bull was the first piece that Breyer produced in glossy grey. Was his color the inspiration for the glossy grey Appaloosa that first appeared in 1959? I don't have a definitive answer, but I do have a strong suspicion that the two colors are related.

Variations: Family Arabian Mare in Grey Appaloosa

Vintage molds are my love when it comes to collecting model horses. And the Family Arabian Mare (FAM) is one of Breyer's matriarchs in their lineup of models.

First released in glossy grey Appaloosa as "Speck" in 1960, early pieces have an extensive bald face reaching well down the sides of the face and grey or charcoal  legs. The earliest pieces also have a large white blanket that extends well up the body and is the hardest version to find. The second version has a white belly band, and the third is a small blanket on the hindquarters.

I have an early belly band version (left) and a later matte small blanket version in my collection.

That belly band extends onto her shoulders on the near side. 

The glossy version's bald face is extensive with a hint of pink on her nose and ears, whereas the matte has a smaller blaze with a very pink nose and ears.

Look at the difference in the spots! I love the big ones and actively seek models like that.

The matte FAM is also significantly taller than the older model. 

The hoof bottoms are interesting as they both appear to be made from grey plastic. 

The belly band mare's hooves.

The matte version's hooves. It is from 1968-1971 according to Liz Cory, its original owner. That's too early for the chalky era. Breyer has reground flawed models and used colored plastic in the past to economize. Perhaps that's the story behind these gals?

No USA stamp on the belly band FAM

while the matte FAM has a USA stamp, confirming its later date of production.

Both are in great shape considering their age, and while the Family Arabian Mare is not one of my favorite vintage molds, I do like them in this color and am  pleased to have them as part of my collection.

Big Spot Family Arabian Mare

I love the Breyer vintage molds, and recently have been interested in collecting variations, especially on their vintage Appaloosa paint jobs. So, as you might imagine, when I saw this girl for sale at Great Lakes Congress, I did a double take and then made a beeline to where she was displayed on Liz Cory's sales table.

 Those spots are huge!!

 Liz came over and offered her to me for a price that I felt was quite reasonable (even generous), so I bought her then and there.

 I already had this piece in glossy (my new one is matte) but I could not remember if the spots on it were normal sized or tiny (I knew that they were not ginormous like these), so I pulled her out when I arrived home from the show.

 She is a lovely tiny spot version! 

 What a comparison - just look at them together!

The collector in me is all over these two. I just keep looking at them, comparing them, and practically jumping for joy as I sit here at my desk typing.

Model horsedom has many different facets to it. Some people buy models for showing, others use them to showcase their creative sides and paint, sculpt, and make tack.  Then there are collectors like me who get giddy over something like big spots.

Those collectors like me know exactly what I mean!