Scales within Scales: The Myth of "One Size Fits All"

This is a long beginning, but bear with me. It explains a shift in my thoughts and focus.

Midway through this project of looking at Breyer's scales, I realized that I was actually thinking more about size, particularly length, and not the scale of the models. Their length affected how a haversack fit. And while I did find a lot of interesting scale differences within the Traditional and Classic models Breyer produces, that doesn't affect me as much as the length of the models do. Here's why.

When I began sewing haversacks to sell, I blithely stated that I was sewing for Breyer's three sales: Traditional, Classic, and Stablemate. I listed prices for them, bought a lot of fabric, and got to work.

Well, it didn't take long before I had a problem. Someone wanted a haversack for a shelf eater model. So, I created a new pattern that would fit, and added XLT to my list of scales I would make. But "scale" was a misnomer. What I was really accommodating was length.

Not too long after that, I was asked to make haversacks for some models that were bigger than Stablemates but would swim in a Classic haversack. As I was familiar with Curio sized models from china collecting, I started creating smaller haversacks for non-chinas that fit the Curio size. A couple of older Little Bits (now called Paddock Pals) that were in my collection were the models for that pattern. 

Then there came a need for Stablemate Foal haversacks. A discovery that many Traditional foals would fit into Classic haversacks. A special section created and called "Odd Sized" that was necessitated by pieces like the new Classic Rearing Mustang (needing a long and narrow pattern), Brighty (a tall and narrow pattern with a wide bottom), the Kathleen Moody foal, Le Fire (those splayed front legs!) and so on.

I discovered that, while I could make haversacks that fit most models in a scale, there were always outliers within that scale who would need something different.

Today we will look at the XLT outliers. These are the shelf eaters who don't fit standard shelves. We'll begin with Breyer's earliest and then proceed to current ones.

Early Long Models

Depending on the shelving I've used, the Running Stallion was on the verge of too long for most of them and, for safety, had to be canted at an angle a bit.

Same with the Running Mare - a nose poking out and two feet outstretched front and back made for caution. (And still do.)

John Henry - a lovely pleasure horse but long and barely fitting on my shelves if he was facing forward.

But equines were not the only early shelf eaters.

The Fighting Bull's legs do fit on my shelves but his head and horns hang over. I move carefully when I am by his shelf so that I don't catch those horns and pull him off.

Tatanka, the White Buffalo, hangs over, too, but his horns are further back on his head and his face is flat so he is far less likely to hook something and take a tumble, despite being a shelf eater.

The Brahma Bull's horns are upright and curving back. A shelf eater but one less likely to have a disaster.

Later Breyer Shelf Eaters

Sugar Maple (Show Jumper)

Dundee

Flash

 

Andalusian Stallion

Hamilton

Andalusian Mare

And Breyer's Longest Ones (at least, of those in my collection)

Shagya Arabian

Cleveland Bay

Shannondell/Shire Gelding

Standardbred Mare

Nemea

Of course, there are others that could be included in this list. Cigar, Bristol, the original Jumping Horse, and the original Pacer, among others.

Every one that I have shown here requires a much longer haversack than the Traditional pattern I originally made. (Hamiltons are in a class by themselves; they only need about another inch more in width and then are good to go.) But this is due not so much to scale differences, but to the length of the model caused by the position of the model and/or a long tail. And length is not scale.

So, where do I go from here? I still haven't done any comparisons of those Curio and Stablemate scale models, but when I realized I had not really been talking so much about scale as I was length, my focus changed. Having said that, the scale differences between the Traditional scale models I pulled out and compared were pretty big and even impactful, depending on what you do with your model horses.

Stay 'tooned - I do still have some things to say on the topic.

Advent Calendar Reveal December 15

A Western rider (who has a wonky eye)

I've got her set up and doing some training in the arena.