grails

I have my Grails. Some of them are:

-Mansfield, Peter Stone Pebbles Arabion, Equilocity 2013 Special Run
-Peter Stone 'Gold Rush' Foundation Quarter Horse 5 Piece Special Run
-Breyer Wimpys Lil Chic
-Breyer Glossy Big Chex to Cash 
-Breyer 'Winter Haven' 8 Piece Silver Bay Sunshine Celebration SR
-Peter Stone SoCal Live Special Run Sorrel Pony, minimal Sabino, w/ one blue/one brown eye
-Breyer Gunner

There are plenty more. In fact, the list probably totals 1,000 if I would go to the trouble of digging through every site and alcove of the hobby and picking out which delectable  plastic delights I found tasteful. I know of about 400 Peter Stone One of a Kind and 5 or under piece runs that I have a passion for. I mean, really, really, passionate about. I shouldn't go into details, except to say that no matter the passion, the money wasn't there. I sometimes cry about it. I can recall several times when I watched such hard to find grails fade away for three digit price tags that were unjustifiable for me.

Some of my grails (not listed) are grails not because of their piece run, but because they're hard to acquire. I've wanted a Cedric and Wind Talker for a long time, but I've never been in the right place at the right time.

one of my grails, Gunner

Other grails are customs. Yes, customs. I often dream that at Breyerfest I walk into a room with all the beautiful customs I had ever dreamed of, bid on and lost, or couldn't afford all on one table, waiting for me. I often cross my fingers that such a miracle will take place, but the odds remain against me.

Grails aren't supposed to be easily acquired. Sometimes they are but most times they aren't. I have three of my grails, though I decided they were 'grails' when the term was still new to me, and could be used loosely. Not to say that my 3 grails are none the less special to me (actually, they all have profound meaning to me), just that they aren't as true to the term 'grail' as I once considered them to be.

One of those grails is Flame, the Traditional on the Running Stallion mold. On my... 8th Birthday... I received him. The Island Stallion was my most favorite book in the whole world, and having a horse like Flame? Epicness! (epic is my favorite word, btw) I was still in the carpet head phase of my hobby career then, but Flame? No, Flame I couldn't take out of the box. That glistening pony was something to show off and stare at. Besides, I could have never role played his story as well as Walter Farley had told it.

it's a stock image, don't worry

To this day he is still in his box, though he might be more special than the average Flame. He's in a box... in the garage... some where... but I have a hunch he may be glossy.  I packed him up quite a logn time ago, and can't remember his exact level of shininess. But even if the hunch is wrong, it won't effect his level of specialness. His level of specialness.. is one for the books.