Hartland Models to Return in 2001
It's been a long odyssey, but after a space of six years, Hartlands should return in 2001.
A new Hartland company took shape in the second half of 2000, and it plans to begin issuing Hartland models in January 2001. Hartland Collectibles L.L.C. (for Limited Liability Company) purchased the inactive Hartland department from Steven Manufacturing Company, Hermann, Missouri, and the sports portion of Hartland that had reverted from Steven back to USA Hartland in Dallas. Steven had owned the Hartland molds since the late 1970s and had produced Hartland statues from 1983-1994.
One of the new owners called August 14 to say that the purchase included 160 molds for horses, sports statues, riders, etc. (On December 7, the total was revised to 180 molds.) He also said that they would take possession of the molds that week, and that they had trademarked the Hartland name. He discussed my being involved with their company newsletter. As it turned out, a Steven official said that all Hartland property was removed by the new owners about the first week of September. Federal records show that Hartland Collectibles L.L.C. filed to trademark the Hartland name on September 27. My involvement with the company newsletter is pending.
The two, major owners of Hartland Collectibles L.L.C., Ken Movold and Joe Sterkx, were formerly involved in the sales and/or production of sports statues. Movold had worked briefly with (and then for) Steven in the early 1990s.
Hartland Collectibles L.L.C. issued a news release on October 9, began a web site in late November, and began mailing promotional flyers at the end of November. It has a business office in Louisiana and a marketing office in Hermann. The manufacturing (molding) location was not announced.
The purchase from Steven, however, included leftover stock of unpainted, acetate horses to be painted at a "West Coast studio." Those will, no doubt, be the first models "by" Hartland Collectibles L.L.C. to be made available in 2001.
Clubs, Direct Sales Are Outlined
December 5, 2000--According to its promotional literature, Hartland Collectibles plans to sell horses at reasonable prices, in "realistic and beautiful" colors that do not duplicate earlier models, and add new horse molds to the line that will "be realistic and conform to current breed standards."
The company plans to sell directly through its web site: www.hartlandcollectibles.com where collectors can sign-up to receive information on joining the collector's club.
Membership in the Hartland Collector's Club for horse and western collectors is $50 for 2001. Members are to receive an exclusive model (a Polo Pony in bay appaloosa called "Chart the Course"), a club pin (first in a series depicting Hartland models), a quarterly newsletter (to be called the Hartland Courier), the chance to purchase limited-edition horse models before non-members, and the opportunity to "give input" on future models by answering surveys in the newsletter.
Also planned is a Model Horse Show Producers Club to "support horse show coordinators by providing…awards and incentives for their model horse shows."
The Seventh Hartland Company
By my count, Hartland Collectibles L.L.C. is the seventh Hartland company in the complicated history of this product line. Note that it is not connected with Paola Groeber, who did business with a similar name, Hartland Collectables, Inc., spelled "ables," rather than "ibles."
Sale of 1980s-1990s Horses by Steven
The new Hartland owners discovered some old stock of Hartland horses by Steven from the 1980s-1990s, but no rider sets. The horses are being sold by Sheryl Leisure's Horse-Power Graphics, Inc. As of December 7, these models were still available: Fair Maiden, Bedouin Princess and Blessing, and the Palomino Tennessee Walker Mare and Foal. To order, call 909-446-0233 between 9 a.m.-5 p.m., California time.
Hartland Collectibles also contracted with Sheryl Leisure to include its model horse collector's club flyers in her recent, Horse-Power Graphics mailing. In addition to the Hartland flyers and Steven sale flyer, the mailing included information on the West Coast Model Horse Collector's Jamboree, which Sheryl hosts annually, and a surprise sale of previous Jamboree models. Sheryl also painted the beautiful, sample models at the Hartland Collectibles web site.
Model Horse Artist Offers
Hartland Restoration Services
Retouching "just isn't done" very much in the hobby of model horse collecting, but I can sympathize when collectors ask me to recommend someone to retouch and
otherwise repair or restore their much-played-with Hartland models from the 1950s-1960s. It's a shame to see such beautiful models with paint rubbed off, whether it's from a rider's shirt or a horse's shoulder.
Now, I can recommend a model horse collector, custom artist, and model vehicle maker, Barbara Zoulek. Barbara has a degree in art education (with a minor in art history) from the University of Wisconsin--Whitewater, and taught art in high school for five years. I've seen pictures of her retouch/restoration work on Hartland horses from the breed series and on Hartland riders. She also does attractive custom paint jobs; her dapple greys especially stand out.
Barbara was featured in Driving West magazine, October/November 2000 for the extremely realistic vehicles she makes in five scales from traditional to micro-mini.Her models and vehicles have qualified for NAN (North American Nationals).
You may reach Barbara at tinkers@axs4u.net.
Her address is:
Barbara Zoulek, Star Studio Ranch, 1145 W FM 78, Marion, Texas, 78124; phone number is 830-914-4890.
Please contact her before shipping models
Sport of Driving (Horses and Models)
Captured in Magazine
To order the October/November issue of Driving West magazine, send $3.50 to: Driving West Magazine, PO Box 395, Dept. WS, Jamul, CA 91935. The article on Barbara Zoulek and her miniature vehicles is two pages, with color
illustrations. The October/November issue is currently pictured at www.drivingwest.com or email them at editors@drivingwest.com. An article on the Great Milwaukee Circus Parade, and lists of driving clubs and events also appeared in the October/November issue.
The nice thing about the sport of driving
is that all breeds of horses can participate: light horses, draft horses, and ponies. Breeds illustrated included the Fjord and Hafflinger. From a spectator's viewpoint, driving has to be the most elegant equestrian sport. For one thing, the horse, with no rider to change its silhouette, is entirely visible.
Nylint Joins the New Brands of Model Horses
A new line of "traditional-sized" (about 9-10" high), 1/10th scale models debuted this fall. They are not by Breyer, but by Nylint Corp. Nylint Corp., in business since 1946, is known for its toy truck sets. Small animals (under 5" high) have accompanied some Nylint trucks since at least the early 1960s, but it is a first for them to issue a series of horses in their own right, and in a large size at that. The six molds in The Untamed Spirit™ series, which appeared October 21 at Farm & Fleet stores in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa (and probably everywhere) are:
1. Dutch Warmblood-a jumper in the ascending phase of the jump-with forelegs tucked and hind legs extended).
2. Trakehner (trotting)
3. Clydesdale with mane bobs (trotting)
4. Friesian (trotting)
5. Quarter Horse (standing)
6. Peruvian Paso (in action)
Colors I've seen at the stores include: the buckskin, and liver chestnut; Quarter Horse in chestnut; Clydesdale in bay; and Friesian in black. The Farm & Fleet catalog, which priced the models at $12.89 each, and Nylint web site, also show the Jumper in dark dapple grey. The horses can also be ordered directly from the web site:
www.nylinttoys.com for $24.95 each.
Are these models worth getting? It depends on how tolerant you are of conformation/anatomy that falls short of Breyer quality. I think an 8 or 10-year-old might love them, but a 12-year old used to Breyers might find these models wanting. Judging by their heavy weight, the Nylint models are made of rubber-like plastic. Hopefully, they will hold up well in play, and play isn't limited to kids. The Nylint Jumper looked great in a nice set of tack at a model show in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. While its hind
legs are a bit thick, its unique, ascending pose is more interesting than the Breyer Jumper's level-over-the-jump pose. With the Peter Stone Jumper coming down off a jump, and the Nylint Jumper going up, these two models could make a nice sequence.
Other Toy Sets Depict Nice Saddles
The
Blue Ribbon Stables Arabian comes in white (left), black, and bay. Farm & Fleet's catalog also included two toy horse sets, with synthetic manes and tails, in small "classic size" by Kids Kore. One includes a horse and doll rider ("Shenandoah Riding Club Assorted Combo") and the other, "Assorted Stable Champions," includes five horses of different breeds and poses. There is one English and one western saddle per set, and the girth or cinch are in about the right place, instead of the too-far-back location often seen on toy saddles.
Other Brands Enhance Selection of Traditional-sized Model Horses.
Besides Nylint, other new brands of traditional-sized, plastic horse models that have appeared since the mid-1990s include:
Blue Ribbon Stables horses, with five molds: standing Barb and Quarter Horse, galloping Thoroughbred on a base, an action horse ("Appaloosa") that reminds me of the Breyer Buckshot Mustang/Barb in pose, and an Arabian that is sort of trotting.
Ertl Treasured Horses series, with synthetic manes and tails: seven molds in action poses: Appaloosa Mare and Foal, Arabian, leaping Lipizzan, Quarter Horse (cutting), Morgan with head bowed, and Tennessee Walker.
Best Talking Horses, which came with a (detachable) base with a button to push to hear a brief description of the breed. There were five molds: Arabian Mare and Foal, Quarter Horse, Mustang, and Clydesdale. This company is apparently out of business.
Winner's Choice, Gold Standard, series, four molds by Candace Liddy with manes and tails that are
interchangeable: Thoroughbred/Pinto stallion, Quarter Horse reiner, cantering Arabian stallion (my favorite), and galloping Appaloosa mare. Production of these stopped, but let's hope it resumes soon.
Peter Stone Horses. So far, there are eight molds: standing drafter, trotting drafter, Ideal Stock Horse (standing, Carol Williams sculpture), Sport Horse (jumper with wall), Western Pleasure Horse, Morgan (sometimes shown as a Saddlebred or National Show Horse), Performance Horse (cutting horse), and Rearing Horse. The Ideal Stock Horse also includes mold variations due to long
and short manes and tails, and the Performance Horse includes normal and roached mane variations. See www.stonehorses.com.
I say, the more brands of model horses, the merrier!
New Breyers Are A Delight, Too
It's a wonderful time to be a model horse collector. In addition to the new Hartland horses for 2001, Breyer has added two new horse molds in plastic and two mostly-new molds in porcelain, and has taken its 2000 clock horse off the clock.
The new molds in plastic are a trotting Percheron (named Cedarfarm Wixom) by England's Donna Chaney and a rearing horse, The Lone Ranger's Silver.
The entirely new (for Breyer) porcelain is Firebird, an action horse by Kathleen Moody that had previously been issued indedendently as a resin. Firebird is beautifully realistic, but with an art deco touch seen, for instance, in its rolling wave of a tail. I think it's one of her best sculptures. The other new porcelain is the Shire that was used earlier for the Drum Horse porcelain, but is now free of the drum.
The standing Saddlebred mold that debuted in 2000 in palomino on a mantle clock will be available without the clock, in black pinto (in a tobiano pattern).
In addition, many molds from previous years appear in new colors. The Breyer web site is at www.breyerhorses.com. (This article was added December 20, 2000, and updated January 8, 2001.)
Breyers Found in Three Christmas Catalogs
The October 21 Farm & Fleet catalog featured some Breyer horses, and Breyers also appear in the JCPenney and Sears holiday catalogs. The Farm & Fleet Breyers are:
1. Appaloosa Performance Horse mold (a standing mold with thin and short tail) in buckskin blanket appaloosa. Name: Buckskin Appaloosa Stallion.
2. Quarter Horse Foundation Sires mold in fairly dark bay. Name: AQHA Performance Sire Series Poco Bueno.
Breyers are sold on two pages in the Sears Holiday 2000 Wish Book: 41 and 125. The models on page 125 were carried over from 1999 and are 10% off the original price. They are:
1. Mustang mold in red dun, a special edition of 2,500.
2. Roy the drafter in light grey and the Clydesdale Foal in very dark gray (or black), a set of two.
Page 41 features new-for-2000 Breyers:
3. Five-Gaiter in glossy, dark dapple grey, a Sears exclusive.
4. Adios mold in pale dun as Buttermilk, Dale Evan's horse, sold with a video of several of the Roy Rogers television program episodes.
5. Running Mare mold in a blanket appaloosa they call red dun appaloosa; sold with a special, issue of Breyer's Just About Horses to commemorate the 25th
anniversary of the company's product-and-hobby, promotional magazine.
6. A barn, rider doll, and tack set with the classic, Might Tango (USET) mold (cantering, hunter type) in palomino.
7. A kit for making a halter and blanket for classic or traditional Breyers. Includes the Classic Swaps Thoroughbred mold in chestnut with four stockings and dar
8. Fighting Stallion in a black, tobiano pinto pattern (with white mainly over the neck and hind legs) and the Running Foal in a bay, overo pinto with two socks, star and snip (mostly brown), a set of two.
To order from the Sears catalog, call 1-800-775-5555, or shop online at www.wishbook.com (America Online keyword is "wishbook.")k flaxen mane and tail.
JCPenney's Breyers are on page 78 of its Holiday 2000 catalog:
1. "Silver Lining," a resin cast, slow-action Quarter Horse on a base (apparently, a new mold) in dapple grey, a limited edition of 2,000.
2. Leopard appaloosa color on the Friesian and Running Foal molds, and a Dalmation dog, a set of three.
3. Tennessee Walker in palomino, with a champion-rosette neck sash that reads, "Breyer Golden Anniversary."
4. A stable, horse, doll, and accessory set ("Ponies horse care center"), featuring one of the Breyer horses with synthetic mane and tail.
5. Roemer mold (cantering Dutch Warmblood) in chestnut with fancy, plaid blanket reading, "Season's Greetings 2000."
6. Christmas Ornament consisting of a facsimile, English stirrup with a small likeness of the Roemer-mold, blanketed holiday horse in it. It's second in the stirrup ornament series.
7. Western Prancer mold with chain rein and saddle, in flaxen chestnut with stockings, as Gene Autrey's Champion.Sold with a video about Gene Autrey's life.
With the JCPenney catalog in hand, place orders by calling 1-800-222.6161 -- or visit www.jcpenney.com.
Horse-Themed Calendars Stand Out
"Horses: A 2001 Calendar" from Current, Inc.
See www.currentcatalog.com
Each fall, I enjoy shopping for a horse-themed calendar. This year, I've seen at least a dozen of them in the stores. All but one relies on photos, rather than paintings. Most depict horses at liberty, rather than under saddle, in harness, or in hand. Our choices aren't so wide as those of dog lovers, who can choose from specialty calendars for many different breeds, but they are varied enough. Browntrout Publishers offers specialty calendars on "Arabians," "Zebras," and "Jackasses," along with "The Literate Horse," which is graced with quotes from famous horse admirers. "Wild Horses" are the subject of three calendars with that title: one each by Graphique de France, Avalanche Publishing, and Golden Turtle Press, Inc. Gladstone Media published the "Misty of Chincoteague Foundation" calendar.
Another publisher, Storyline, has calendars called, "Romancing the Horse" and "Horse Feathers." "Horse Feathers" is on, you guessed it, draft horses. Captions identify Cydesdales, Friesians, and Gypsy Vanner horses, with their bold, piebald coloring. Then, there is "Robert Vavra's Equus" with his dramatic photos portraying the unbridled temperament of horses. "Unicorns" is also by Robert Vavra. Among all-breed calendars is "Horses" by Antoich Publishing. "Horse-A-Day," by Bob Langrish, includes about 30 small, bonus pictures with each month although it is a full-sized, wall calendar. I saw three, smaller-sized calendars: one also by Bob Langrish, another by Hometown Graphics, and a desk-type calendar by Year-In-A-Box. The lone art calendar is "Horses in the Mist" from Bookmark, Ltd., with paintings by Persis Clayton Weirs and Chris Cummings, of a variety of breeds and scenes . It would be nice to see more equine art calendars.
A very charming calendar is "Horses: A 2001 Calendar" by Current, Inc. Each photo depicts one or more horses with one or more humans, usually very small humans. "Horses" by Hallmark includes an artistic mix of head shots, medium-range, and full-horse photos; and a good blend of adults and foals, and interesting poses and angles, with lighting and backgrounds that are both natural and very nice. The "Horses" Expressive Images calendar by Cullman Ventures, Inc., features pleasant, graceful images with one or two horses per picture and a mixture of poses. I saw it at an office supply store. Two other calendars that I thought stood out were "Horses," by Hoyle Products, and "Horse Lovers," by the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
No doubt, there are more horse calendars. If you've found others, I'll be happy to mention them here.
(This article was added December 4-9, and updated December 20 and 25, 2000.)
