This year's holiday horses (I know there's a Halloween one and a Winter/Christmas one, but I'm gonna refer to them collectively as the "holiday" horses, just because it's way easier.)
Let's start with Highlander, this year's Christmas horse--
I will be straight-up and honest and say that I don't collect the Christmas horses. I never have, I probably never will. I'm never the biggest fan of the tack (even though you can take it off,) and typically, they tend to have worse seams/rubs/etc than your standard RR Breyer... and the colors are pretty flat without dapples.
That being said, this guy is neat!
I wanna see him without tack.
He's described, color-wise, as being a "warm, golden buckskin," but he almost looks more champagne or smoky cream in this shot. Not that this is a problem, it's just a very different color buckskin than what Breyer's done in the past. Which is cool!
I'm all for Breyer trying new things and getting creative with their standard lines. The antlers are a very nice touch, too.
One little thing that is getting me, though, is the fact that Highlander's Traditional version seems to be different than his ornament version.
In the stirrup ornament visible in this year's holiday catalog, Highlander has a blaze and two hind white socks-- and painted shoes!!
It'll be interesting to see which version of him we actually get: one with white markings, or one without.
NOW.
Onto the Halloween horse.
I am an unapologetic Ashquar-lover. I will defend this funky little Arab to the end. He's CUTE, and he's SASSY, and he's SMOL, and I LOVE HIM.
I also have a serious admiration for Lauren Hoeffer and her deco designs. Talk about goals!
While I can't 100% say that this guy is my cuppa, he has certainly grown on me. I don't think, personally, that he's a Halloween horse that's going to adorn my shelves... but I can't say that about too many of the Halloween horses, honestly. I'm exceptionally picky, and while I enjoy Spectre, I don't feel drawn to him in a way that makes me wanna own him.
If he were a different base color, maybe I'd feel more compelled? And this isn't me going "what would I do better??" because Lauren's great at her job, and I don't want this blog to turn into Critique Central. I only say this because I'm not a huge fan of the color orange ^^;;
However, based on other Halloween designs Lauren has done, I can say with complete certainty that this guy will look way better in person than he does in photos! Pair these metallic colors with a nice thick coat of gloss, and you're gonna have a fantastic piece.
What are your thoughts on these two models?
Feel free to share in the comments!
-Emma
I'm definitely getting Spectre! My first reaction was that I wish he'd been fully purple or fully orange, but I love the ghosts and his spoopy face, and I'm sure the colors will look better in hand. Can't wait to add him to the Halloween herd!