Here we have the Peter Stone Niveous, one of 250, from the 2005 Signature Series.
It seems a really long time ago, another era of collecting OFs, when Stone still did cheaper regular runs in basic colours, but also offered more detailed models at a higher price in limited numbers. They're almost a forerunner of the current situation where all Stone releases are an expensive and exclusive luxury - looking back it seems as if they tested the waters with the Signature Series and Show Line, then decided there was enough of a market for a better grade of model, they could drop mass production and make regular runs a thing of the past.
The only Stones I buy now are second-hand, so it's always exciting to be the winning bidder on an ebay listing, and particularly in this case, as I remember admiring Niveous all that time ago when he was new!
Though his colour might not look spectacular, not in this day and age where we're used to seeing special runs with mapping and dappling and every possible detail, back in 2005 these were the paintjobs which stood out in a crowd, and the horses so many of us OF collectors coveted most of all. It may only be 15 years, but there's a sweetly retro appeal to buying a model I wanted all that time ago; it brings back memories of happy times discussing catalogue pictures and new arrivals on internet forums, and friends I didn't manage to keep in contact with when everything gradually slipped over to Facebook instead.
One of the nicest things about the ISH mould is the friendly, happy face, don't they do great 'looking at the camera' poses!
And here's that emphasising-the-quarters angle so beloved of the stock horse breeders, although funnily enough Niveous wouldn't be a favoured colour in the real-horse world, as I've heard Paint breeders dislike greys as the colour patches fade out as the horse ages, and the visual impact is lost. I've seen some great hunters and eventers in greyed-out 'white' skewbald and as a coat colours fan I think they're really interesting and always try to get some pictures which capture the colouring, but I can see why people want something that stays flashy forever if they're more into showing than sport!
The next buy was a horse who almost didn't come here - at first sight I resisted cos I'd spent a bit too much lately, then I got tempted I put him on my watch list as a maybe... and promptly forgot to be online to bid before he ended. Luckily, no-one else bid either, so he came round again and I promised him I'd try harder this time... and managed to get him, for less than regular run price!
Introducing Marsh Tacky Two Step, who was a Breyerfest special run in 2013. Only my second on the Desatado mould (after Picasso), he's a nice unusual colour for my herd, too; primitive dun with leg barring, and the prominent barring on his shoulders and to a lesser extent on his rump.
I'd never even heard of the Carolina Marsh Tacky breed until he was on the way and I googled what his name meant (I thought he just had a really long name of four words!), so it's been interesting reading about them and their history, watching a few videos of their unique 'swamp fox trot' gait, and I'm sure that bit of research has made me appreciate the model more. I always think it's brilliant how model horse collecting can spark these little moments of curiosity and broaden our knowledge of the real horse world too.
Another mould which photographs well from the front, I like how his heavy tail lets him hold a rearing pose without being the slightest bit tippy.
The Marsh Tacky didn't travel alone, either - while I was bidding on him, I left a small bid on another horse from the same seller, not expecting to be anywhere near the finishing price but worth a shot just on the off chance... and imagine my delight when I flicked tabs after winning one auction, to find I'd won this handsome chap as well!
This is the Santa Fe Morgan mould from Stone, the first edition release called Santa Fe Renegade (a portrait of a real horse), from 2012. I was never a fan of their original morgan mould, but this one is a huge improvement, and the gorgeous deep glowing colour with a hint of dappling really brings it to life. It's a model I can't stop having one more look at, maybe because the mould is new to me - I'd never even seen one in person - or maybe just because he's so pretty!
Doing the 'OH, WHAT'S THAT?!' face of horses who've spotted something they're not sure whether to find scary or exciting!
Not the best of photographs, but this shows his beautifully detailed eye, and how the little white half-star on his forehead is actually a marking etched in with hair-by-hair rough edges, not masked as a blob to be peeled off after painting.
Much like with his Tacky travelling companion, I did a little bit of extra reading about the morgan breed while waiting for his arrival here - I'd heard the story about Justin Morgan the foundation sire, and have seen a lot of photos of them being coat colour examples over the years, but realised didn't know the breed standard in terms of looks and conformation. Having read about it now, I think maybe I did know this all along, but didn't know I knew it : I just pictured them as the pretty-faced, curvy, compact horses, deep in the neck and chest but rounded all through the back and rump too - not sharply upright and exaggerated like the gaited breeds, or heavy-quartered and muscly like the stock breeds, but something in between. They have a presence all of their own, and this model seems to capture that specific Morganishness far better than I can in words!
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