Brothers?

Susan Young was able to get some pictures of her Grenendere with a light behind him to compare with my Shadow.

My Shadow - you can see just a bit of light passing through the body of the model.

Her Grenendere - it appears that a bit more light comes though.

My standard PAS - lots of light passing through.

It appears at first that Shadow and Genendere are not quite the same but there is something to consider and that is that we used different lights. I used the flashlight on my phone, and Sue used a lamp in her drafting room. To really compare them, we should use the same light source. (Maybe we could bring them both to BreyerFest and check them together there.)

Sue also pointed out something that I'd not paid too much attention to on Shadow. She wrote:

There is something staring us in the face:  I believe these two models were painted by the same person. Take a look at the stripe of dark paint up the front of the near hind.

Then take a look at the stripe going up the rear of the off hind leg.  Both horses have this feature.  It isn’t exactly realistic, but it’s very Breyer.  If the same person didn’t paint them both, then whoever did was going through the same motions. I’ve noticed other old Breyers with this oddball feature.

The two photos above are of those stripes on Shadow. (Now I have an urge to start taking other vintage pieces off my shelves and looking for hind leg stripes!)

The place where Genendere and Shadow still appear to really vary, though, are their ears.

Genendere - smoother, thinner pink.

Shadow - thicker, almost pearly pink.

Those ears are what caught my eyes years ago in the antique shop; they are unlike any ears I've ever seen on a Breyer. However, as I've said before, they are VERY difficult to photograph true, and it is possible that Sue had the same trouble I have every time I try to take a picture of them and that, an in-hand comparison would show that they are very similar.

If I attend BreyerFest in person, and if Sue has room in her car to pack Grenendere, maybe we can get our two PASs together this summer and examine and compare them closely together. I'd be really interested in what other similarities and differences we might find, and especially to check out the ears on them both.

If we do, I'll be sure to report the results here after BreyerFest.

  

  

PASs Enlightened & More

Going through my files, I found some pictures of the two PASs (my oddity dapple grey and my normal dapple grey) undergoing the light test. And what I found was intriguing.  

This is my normal, run of the mill PAS with the light coming through its body as it does on non-chalky models.

And this is my oddity:

Most of the light is blocked, the usual for a base coat chalky. As for a model made from chalky plastic, I don't know how they respond and would have to do some research, but my guess is that chalky plastic would block some if not all of the light from coming through.

Susan Young sent a photo of her similar PAS's ears. This is a case where I wish I could see her model in person.

This is not what my oddity's ears look like. BUT... often his ears LOOK like this in photos. They are very, very difficult to photograph true.

This picture is the most accurate I could get - see how the ears look thick and rough instead of smooth? 

 

Another picture of those ears - I took a lot of photos and never did quite capture them accurately.

Aside from the smooth-looking ears, Sue's horse looks very much like mine. It is very possible that the ears are similar, too, and that she had the same difficulty I had in trying to photograph them accurately.

I'm going to email her and see if she has time to shine a light through Grenendere and get a photo of the results. She's a very busy lady so we shall see. My guess is that most of the light will be blocked just as it was for mine. I'll let you know what I find out.

(I really need to give his poor hrse a name. Any suggestions?)

Paging Chalky Experts!

Are there any chalky experts out there? I have a mystery horse, one that's been in my collection for years and he is a real puzzle.

I bought him at an antique shop because he looked so odd, and I go back and forth in thinking that he is chalky and then that he isn't.

Friends I've asked who know chalkys have been stumped, too, although one said she thought he might be chalky plastic. All agreed that this model is unusual.

His paint does feel thicker than it does on non-chalky models.

Putting him next to another dapple grey from the same time period shows a lot of differences. Due to his dapples and some other clues, I think he is probably an early piece.

His mold stamp is crisp and easily read

while his counterpart's stamp is blurred and worn.

He has the early drain board pattern underneath his hooves. That's not dirt - I tried to wash it off and it will not.

The other PAS (Proud Arabian Stallion) has typical Breyer hooves that are smooth and bare plastic.

And those ears! My favorite part of him!

They are what caught my eye in the antique shop; they are so pink and stand out so well.

This model was made sometime between 1972 and 1988; I'm a bit surprised that the pink hasn't faded as it has on so many vintage pieces.

The legs are very different, too. 

The one on the right in this photo (the near foreleg) has a distinct chalky appearance except it is not as bright a white as chalkys normally are.

The front legs of the non chalky PAS look very different.

 A second peek at the forelegs of both.

A view of the hind legs. Possible chalky is on the left.

A close up of the possible chalky's hind legs.

Looking under the tails will often give you insight - I have a bay QH Yearling I wondered about, and when I looked under her tail, there was a blob of thick, white paint. Yup, she was a chalky!

This is the possible chalky's tail. It is darker than the undertail of the second model.

See what I mean? I also did the light test, and light goes freely through the non chalky, and just a bit through the other. (I couldn't film that without help and Craig was gone.)

Last, I did a weight test. 11.4 oz for the mystery model,

and 11.8 for the other.

 If you have any thoughts about my oddity, I'd love to hear them. You can comment in the blog comments or email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com.

Any insight would be appreciated!

Midwest Model Mania: Shopping!

If seeing your friends is the very best thing about a live show, then shopping at shows is the next best thing - at least, in my opinion. But believe it or not, I didn't buy a single thing at Midwest Model Mania!

That doesn't mean I didn't come home with new models, though. In the weeks before the show I did some trading of Horsiemama merchandise with folks who were also going to be at the show. We brought our trades with us and then handed them off there. (Always good to save on postage!)

The Indian Pony is one of my favorite molds, and usually I already have those that I find at shows, antique malls, or flea markets. This matte red dun piece from the 1988 JCP English Horse Collectors set is one I did not have.

I also traded for this lovely dark bay Proud Arabian Stallion. He has an unusual textured coat and very high dark socks. 

Teresa Rogers sent Marilou a huge box of mini Hagen Renakers as a donation. Marilou used them as door prizes and I received Baby Caterpillar. He will go well with Caterpillar Pa that Kristina Lucas Francis sent me last year.

A tiny piece is missing from his propeller, but I don't mind a bit. 

Here he is with Kaleidescope to show how small he is.

I also sold quite a bit of merchandise during the show. To my surprise, the big seller was pony pads. I only had three left when the show was over. I sold a lot of haversacks, too, but I was pretty sure that that would be the case - nearly selling out of pony pads was unexpected.

With three boxes and two totes fewer than when I started, packing to come home was not quite the Jenga that it was to get to the show. 

That wraps up my coverage of Midwest Model Mania. Next up? Some of my BreyerFest models have finally arrived.

Stay 'tooned!

Variations: Proud Arab Stallions in Rose Grey

Breyer's rose grey coloring is so beautiful. And when applied to the Proud Arabians, it makes for some truly stunning models.

Before I go any further, though, apologies for the location of the photos. Indiana has been dark and gloomy for days and days, and the light for photographing using just a cell phone has not been good. I finally got tired of waiting for the weather to break and took my models into another room with better light than my office. (The bathroom. Sorry if that is offensive.)

What I love about looking closely at the variations within my collection is that I see things I had not noticed before.

 My two Proud Arabian Stallions look nearly identical except that one is darker than the other.

They both have a subtle dorsal stripe, but the dapples show better on the darker model.

The lighter one has muzzle shading that extends further up his nose. Knees and hocks are nearly identical in shading.

Sadly, though, it looks like the darker PAS may be a shrinky. While there are often variations of size in the same models due to a variety of factors, there is enough size difference for me to think that shrinking has begun.

Vinegar Syndrome, the formal name for the problem (after the same issue affecting celluloid film in the film industry; Breyers are made of cellulose acetate),  affects models made 1987 - 1992, and the rose grey PAS was produced right smack in the middle of that time frame - 1989 - 1990.

And see his warped front leg? That is an effect of Vinegar Syndrome, too; as the model shrinks, the body warps and twists. Discovering that one is a shrinky, though, is not a happy discovery - I will need to keep an eye on him for further deterioration. Eventually he will start leaking fluid as the decomposing continues. 

 Not only does he have a dorsal stripe, the darker one has a nice belly stripe, too. Again, notice how well you can see his dapples.

The lighter one has a no belly stripe - that's just a shadow.

It is always interesting to look at a model and find things that you had not noticed before, although when Vinegar Syndrome is discovered, it makes me feel badly as I know I will eventually lose the model.

A sad end for a beautiful piece.

Variations: Proud Arab Stallions in Dapple Grey

I did not really care for Breyer's Proud Arabian Stallion when he first appeared in 1971. In fact, I didn't purchase any models of this mold until 1989, eighteen years after production began and he was produced in Breyer's beautiful rose grey color. He was so pretty! (And, there was a matching PAM and PAF to go with him - mom and baby needed the dad, you know!)

The next PAS that I added to my collection was a beautiful darker dapple grey one that I found in an antique shop. He is also a semi-gloss.

 And then I found a lighter one (along with its picture box) in 2014.

 I like them both, but the one on the left I especially like as his color is lovely.

He has drainboard markings as well as goop from the factory's drying shelves on his hooves, enough that you can actually feel it. (I have many models with hooves like this and I often wonder just what Breyer had on those shelves that so many models acquired and brought with them when they were marketed.) Again, you can see his beautiful dapples.

There is a very clear Breyer mold mark and USA stamp, but no B stamp on the first PAS. (One of my alabaster PASs has a B stamp.)

The lighter PAS has a much less distinct mold mark and USA which are very difficult to read.

A view of both dapple grey PASs from the top shows the dapple differences as well as the semi-gloss and matte comparison. There are differences in both the shapes as well as the number of dapples on each piece.

 A backside view. The darker one even has dapples in his mane and tail.

The darker model has beautiful pinking in its ears and on its nose. The other has very, very faint pinking in the ears but none on its nose. 

They have the same number of socks, but the newer piece has more black shading below his knees and hocks.

 And, I think the darker guy just may be a chalky. Look at the thicker, rougher  paint, especially on his off front hoof.

His barn buddy does not have that.

Here's the comparison of the two pieces together again.

There are also places on his nose and tail that make me think he is chalky, too. 

I have had several people look at him and offer their opinion, and the jury really is out. Some have labeled the dark dapple grey guy a chalky; others say he is not. I lean towards chalky myself.

Regardless of who says what, all have agreed that there is something odd about his paint job. And it is finding those oddities and trying to figure them out which makes collecting, especially vintage pieces, so much fun.