Is there a hobby you have got into recently? Maybe it was as a result of something you had to do at home, work etc? I have recently got into designing a couple of websites one using a ready made layout and pages the other using Frontpage. Other than that I have got into researching various readings over the last year for my wedding next year and as a result designed the order of service. So is there any new hobbies you have got into or maybe its a new twist on n old hobby

I like painting GW figures when I get the time too. Its a hobby

My sister paints D & D type figures for fun and profit.

Oh ya, you can earn a lot o dough if you can paint expertly. $350 for a troll figurine on ebay :

She's not quite that good

Ive collected GW stuff since I was 12. it can be a paying hobby. I paint well too.

I have a vintage Voltes V Godaikin I got in 1985, cost around a thousand Philippine bucks in those times, nowadays the diecast metal Voltes V Godaikin cost around 80 thousand Philippine bucks! I'm planning to make a Megumi Oka (Voltes V ninja girl pilot) 12 inches figure using Cygilrs from Bluebox toys (I already had a G-3 Cygirls 12 inches figure)

Doing Gatch art! I've got a pile on my office waiting to be scanned and PDN coloured!

I used to paint GW figures for our D&D games. Then I got into fic-writing... but we still use the figures I have painted!

Hobbies! I'm the queen of hobbies. My main hobby was making porcelain dolls, which I did for years. I used to teach classes twice a week. I still have work to finish out there....sigh, one day I'll get back to it. I like hand work mainly...relaxing Now its fanfic writing and drawing... GATCHAMAN!!!!

Hobbies? I have been so busy recently I have not had time to do any of my hobbies I once enjoyed. I used to do lots of needlework - knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, plastic canvas. And reading I used to read (books) a lot as well to help me relax. Now I spend most of my free time online reading fanfics, browsing different boards and IM'ing.

Aside from collecting voltes V and Gatchaman stuff, i do write my own graphic novels, but I hardly consider this as a hobby...moreof the "Main deal"...

I have only one hobby. Being the Condor's girl. I don't have time for anything else.

Sound a good hobby JW! I think I'll put it on my hobby list too!

Pardon my ignorance, what does GW stand for?

I was going to ask that...George Washington? LOL

Originally posted by stardust Pardon my ignorance, what does GW stand for?

Games Workshop. They have all kinds of miniatures games. The miniatures are usually plastic (sometimes metal) and you can paint them. This site is WAY more detailed than I ever did, but it will give you the idea. http://members.aol.com/drdresch/paintgd.htm

Looks like fun!

Ive been doing it since I was twelve. Ive done a lot of other models too. I also collect books and enjoy the outdoors. (lets not talk about the Skyline From Hell, shall we?)

My brother was very into D&D and had lots of the figures, many of which he painted beautifully. I don't think he would part with them now for any price on ebay! He suckered me into D&D when I was in high school, but I have to admit I think I liked it because I was the only girl hanging out with about 10 guys every Wednesday night. I had a huge crush on our Dungeon Master -- he took me to homecoming my senior year. (Umm . . .was this TMI? sorry . .. ) This summer, I am trying gardening - but not at my house. My friend got a big plot in the community garden and I am helping her and learning about raising all kinds of vegetables. I also like to knit - but haven't touched it in days as my new, current, obvious obsession has supplanted nearly everything else this weekend.

[FONT=comic sans ms][COLOR=red][SIZE=3]Hobbies?...paiting drawing doing Gatch art too. Also like to do smothies....mmm! & watch a good movie.[/SIZE] [/COLOR] [/FONT]

OOOhh! Did you say Gatch Art? What can we bribe you with to get you to post some? How about some of these to chew on:

Hobbies . . . oomph . . . too many! I crochet, knit (rather badly), garden (currently doing well on tomatoes, at least, if not much else), bead, and make wire-wrap jewelry. I keep chickens, although they're more "pets" than a "pet project". Occasionally I carve wood or make fancy tack for my model horses (think horse jewelry). I sketch fantasy critters, horses, and Gatch fanart and cartoons. I paint, mostly paint-your-own dragon and griffin statues from Windstone Editions, although I've tried a little fanart and also some kitschy flowers-on-wood. And I write fanfic, mostly BotP. I think that's everything . . . for now.

You sound like a very busy person barrdwing. When do you find time to work?

Originally posted by clouddancer You sound like a very busy person barrdwing. When do you find time to work?

I work four ten-hour days per week, so that leaves a little more weekend time. But regarding hobbies: generally I only work on one type of handicraft at a time, in the evenings. Often the bug for a new project will bite me in the middle of an existing one, which can get annoying. But it's never boring! Oh yeah, and I'm an omnivorous reader, too. Mostly it's sci-fi and fantasy, but there's a fair assortment of other stuff on the shelves.

I enjoy many of the same things you do, Barrdwing: Reading Sci-fi and Fantasy, needle work and gardening. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for the rest of you, I am not much of a drawer or sketcher, even my 6 year old students laugh at my stick figures.

Barrdwing, it sounds like we have a bit in common too! Gardening (funny, I seem to be having the most luck with tomatoes this year too! Everything else has been "eh"!), reading (mostly mysteries and ChickLit, sci-fi and fantasy if fanfic can be thrown into that category!), writing (fanfic. Well, if I could ever get any of my stories done!), and, wow! You make your own tack for your model horses?? That's something I could never do! Of course my model horse collection is non-existent these days. I think I only have 4 Breyers left - and they're all 15-20 years old!

Originally posted by Hinotori Of course my model horse collection is non-existent these days. I think I only have 4 Breyers left - and they're all 15-20 years old!

My sister and I, between us, had twenty or more Breyers, going back to the late 70s-early 80s. They're still at my Dad's house, but I guess over the years they got quite brittle and as various of my nieces and nephews played with them, legs began snapping off! It's quite sad. I was just at my Dad's place in July and a niece showed me where they all were, in a big cardboard box in the basement. Only a few are still fully intact.

Originally posted by gogirl212 OOOhh! Did you say Gatch Art? What can we bribe you with to get you to post some? How about some of these to chew on:

[FONT=comic sans ms]I dont have a scanner yet! But I will....[/FONT]

Originally posted by lborgia88

Originally posted by Hinotori Of course my model horse collection is non-existent these days. I think I only have 4 Breyers left - and they're all 15-20 years old!

My sister and I, between us, had twenty or more Breyers, going back to the late 70s-early 80s. They're still at my Dad's house, but I guess over the years they got quite brittle and as various of my nieces and nephews played with them, legs began snapping off! It's quite sad. I was just at my Dad's place in July and a niece showed me where they all were, in a big cardboard box in the basement. Only a few are still fully intact.

Several of my original Breyers have broken legs thanks to the tender mercies of the cats, who could never stand seeing something on a shelf for very long. I keep meaning to repair them, and probably will someday . . . . I've got some other battered or broken Breyers that I picked up at antique malls that I plan to fix and custom-paint someday. There's just enough other stuff going on that I haven't gotten to it yet. Incidentally, some of the older Breyers are considered valuable to collectors. Condition does affect value, but still, you never know. If you have anything in blue, metallic gold, metallic silver, or glossy black with white mane and tail, definitely check a pricing guide: those are usually considered quite rare. Even a damaged rare horse can still find a buyer. I know I've picked up "rare-ish" horses that were in marginal condition just because I knew I'd never be able to afford one of the mint ones. They look OK on the shelf, at least!

Very interesting! I know that none of them are blue, metallic or black with a white mane and tail, but I'm having trouble remembering what any of their Breyer names were. The ones that I can remember, I have found, after some googling, are going for anywhere from $20 to $50. My sister would probably remember their names better than me as she was older, more of them were hers than mine, and she was far more horse-crazy than I was.

I've got a new hobby every week! LOL I'm working on themed birdhouses, I've done a silent hill birdhouse, doing another one as well. At the very moment I'm making a Gatchaman comic. SO HARD! but its coming along. Gonna draw it then scan and color on computer. A also have 4 scrapbooks goin, and I'm also making another comic of Silent Hill. PHEW! i have too much time on my hands!! LOL

Wow, Trideegurl, the Gatchaman comic sounds cool! I wish I had talent to draw. I am looking forward to seeing it!

Originally posted by Barrdwing Incidentally, some of the older Breyers are considered valuable to collectors. Condition does affect value, but still, you never know.

Yeah, unfortunately mine don't fall into that category! I recently did a value check on mine, since they are older, and they're value is basically the same as what I bought them for. I was hoping that at least Gem Twist would go for something, but he doesn't. Seems I don't have the die that has a little more value to it. Which is fine. Gem was one of my all-time favorite jumpers, so the chances of me parting with that model is slim to none.

I've had some luck identifying some of mine and my sister's, courtesy of this site! A total nostalgia trip: http://www.identifyyourbreyer.com/identify/traditional.htm There were also some foals too.

Oh! I remember these! I had a palomino with a white mane and a brown quarter horse. I have no idea what happened to them but they were so lovely and I liked them so much when I was little. How great you have yours to still enjoy (even the brittle ones that are in pieces!)

My sister and I played with ours a LOT. We used to braid yarn to make fancy bridles for them, and we had these plastic dolls that had legs designed to make it possible for them to ride the Breyer horses (Barbies were useless in this regard). I suppose if I'd really thought about it, I could have stuffed some in my suitcase when I was at my Dad's place and brought them back to Indiana. I need to make a toy list: 1. Reclaim Breyer horses (and heck, my Smurfs too) from my Dad's house. 2. Steal all my nephew's lego. 3. Buy a Scrabble game so that I can challenge the BF, who I have never played but who claims he would beat me -he is soooo wrong.

Here are the ones I still have. Gosh, except for Gem Twist, I don't think think the other three have seen the light of day in almost 10 years! I think they're still in their original boxes too. Well, I know the Clydesdale mare and Gem are - I think the Clydesdale stallion is too, but the box may be damaged. I know the App's box is long gone. That was my first model, so I'm sure I threw it away as soon as I opened it.. Anyway, here are the models I have:

Oh, and GoGirl... My Gem Twist model?? I bought it at Hyway Robbery...uh, I mean Hyway Hobby!

Ooh, pretty, Hino. Yours are in much better shape than mine, which have scratches and (in some cases) broken legs. Funny thing, when my niece and I were looking at all the old Breyers, at my Dad's house, she was telling me the names that she and her older sister had given them, as they always played with them when visiting the grandparents, and showing me how they'd arranged them all into couples, with specific foals as their babies. I pointed out to her that several ones she and her sister had designated as female were actually male, and vice versa. She and her sister had never noticed the little bump that Breyer put underneath the male models!

Originally posted by Hinotori Oh, and GoGirl... My Gem Twist model?? I bought it at Hyway Robbery...uh, I mean Hyway Hobby!

OMG - you know of course that I got mine there too! HaHa - that nickname for it still makes me laugh. My brother bought all of his model airplanes there. And later, paints for his D&D figures.

Originally posted by lborgia88 Ooh, pretty, Hino. Yours are in much better shape than mine, which have scratches and (in some cases) broken legs.

Actually those pics I picked up from the site you gave us. But my actual models are in excellent shape. No major rubs, maybe just a scratch or two. One has only been out of the box once, so that one's nearly mint. I was always very careful with my Breyers so they never got beaten up, but my Barbie Dallas and Midnight horses - yikes! The legs were still on, but the manes and tails will never be the same!

I pointed out to her that several ones she and her sister and designated as female were actually male, and vice versa. She and her sister had never noticed the little bump that Breyer put underneath the male models!

That "anatomically correct" thing always cracked me up about the Breyers... The fact that it was mostly little girls who collected/played with them, and the company made sure that everyone knew which were the males and which were the femals... Hmmm, does that mean the gelding models don't have anything on them???

Originally posted by gogirl212 OMG - you know of course that I got mine there too! HaHa - that nickname for it still makes me laugh. My brother bought all of his model airplanes there. And later, paints for his D&D figures.

LOL! I'm telling you, we must have been like two ships passing in the night!! We hung out/went to too many of the same places! I wonder if Hyway Hobby is still around?? It is! I just checked and they have a website. From the pics, the store looks exactly the way it did 20 years ago! It looks like even the Breyer horses are still on the shelf all the way in the back (side) of the store!!!

Originally posted by Hinotori Actually those pics I picked up from the site you gave us. But my actual models are in excellent shape. No major rubs, maybe just a scratch or two. One has only been out of the box once, so that one's nearly mint. I was always very careful with my Breyers so they never got beaten up, but my Barbie Dallas and Midnight horses - yikes! The legs were still on, but the manes and tails will never be the same!

Question from North of the Border: What distinguishes a Breyers Horse? Is there a Breyers name stamped on it somewhere? I am only asking because I have a large collection of horses, packed away down in the basement where little cats can not knock them off a shelf. I was trying to figure out if any of them might be these Breyers you are talking about or if they are only something sold in the USA. The collection of items I do have out are my Wade miniatures. Not sure if anyone recognizes them but we used to get a little Wade ceramic animal or fairy tale piece in our Red Rose Tea boxes. I have a huge collection of those.

Breyer's known for their detail and that the models are handpainted (or so they say). Most people collected the 1:9 scale Traditional model horses, though they also have what are called Stablemates (which are of smaller scale), along with the other animal models (dogs, cats, other miscellaneous livestock).They also sell tack, barns, and dolls for the models. I guess I should say that they used to sell all this. It's been ages since I was into the whole model horse thing, so I have no idea what they're up to these days.. Anyway, as far as I know, Breyer is sold internationally, so you could very well have some Breyers in your basement. I don't remember Breyer puting their name on the actual models, but if you remember what they look like (or what breeds they are), you may want to click on the link LB gave above. .

Breyers are usually, but not always, marked on the inside of a hind leg. Some of the earliest ones were not marked. The Breyer mark usually seen looks like a B in a circle, although it might actually say "Breyer Animal Creations" or something similar. I've got a book that--among other things--describes the different trademarks Breyer has used. Breyer is still making models of dogs, goats, cattle, etc. and they still sell tack, barn, and rider dolls. But the horses are definitely their main production. They may still be hand-painting them, although I think it's done by airbrush and there are definitely some differences in quality from model to model. Also, I know that they've farmed at least some of the production out to China. Breyer's big competitor, Stone Horses, makes a point of remarking that Stone horses are all produced in the USA, unlike Breyer. (A little half-friendly razzing there, I believe.) I will say that the paint job on Stone horses tends to be a bit better on the average. But the Breyer models themselves generally look more like horses, warts and all, whereas Stones look more like an artist's ideal of a horse. (I have some of both. ) Yeesh, doesn't take much to send me into geek mode. Oh well!

Originally posted by clouddancer I was trying to figure out if any of them might be these Breyers you are talking about or if they are only something sold in the USA.

All of the Breyers that my sister and I had were purchased during various summers at a store in Connecticut, near where my grandparents lived -we never did find a place in Nova Scotia that sold them, but that doesn't mean that they weren't sold in Canada. Nova Scotia was always something of a backwater place!

Originally posted by Hinotori That "anatomically correct" thing always cracked me up about the Breyers... The fact that it was mostly little girls who collected/played with them, and the company made sure that everyone knew which were the males and which were the femals... Hmmm, does that mean the gelding models don't have anything on them???

Yes, what is it with young girls and horses? My sister was truly obsessed, and I followed in her wake, taking weekly riding lessons for two years. My sister, as an adult, got a horse and competed in Ohio's hunter jumper circuit, but I haven't been on a horse since 1991.

Originally posted by Barrdwing Breyers are usually, but not always, marked on the inside of a hind leg. Some of the earliest ones were not marked. The Breyer mark usually seen looks like a B in a circle, although it might actually say "Breyer Animal Creations" or something similar. I've got a book that--among other things--describes the different trademarks Breyer has used.

Thank you for that information barrdwing. Now I will have to go and unpack my collection and check for that mark. Although I suspect I have a cheap version of horse. I really do not remember where I got them from or if they were given names, as you three are mentioning, or anything about them. I had them for decoration and friends knew I liked horses and unicorns so that is what I was given as gifts for a number of years.