Acting Like A 5 Year Old Over Kinetic Sand

Kristian Beverly4 Comments

When I was small-ish, there would be commercials 24/7 about a substance called Moon Sand(I was shocked to google it and see that it is around still). It was advertised as being sand you can mold. I never got any but thought it was cool.
Like most things (like Furbies) the high comes and goes and years later a similar product comes out (Furbies will always be creepy to me.)
Kinetic sand is the new moon sand. I don’t have a clear memory of playing with moon sand but for the past couple of months, Michaels has been tempting me with the sand by having it right at checkout. And they had it open so that you could play with it.
Today when I went to Michaels it wasn’t on sale anymore( the sale took 1 dollar off) and now could use the much better coupon on it! So of course the only logical thing was to buy 2 lbs of it.

It’s a wonderful substance that doesn’t even feel like sand to me. It’s better than actual sand because it doesn’t make a mess. So yes, I was a 5 year old in gleeful play land with this stuff.

It holds its shape well. It you smash it together into a ball, it will hold its shape well. But once you press hard into it, it will lose its shape and flatten out.

My sister made a turtle out of it.

And it plays nice with models of the horse variety and other kinds of miniature animals.

 The good thing with this(2 lbs) is that it is enough to cover a traditional size area.

So in review:
If you show performance and use sand, coffee grinds, or footing I would recommend this. It is easy to clean up, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a mess( I played with it on the dining table, which in terms of crafts is not allowed. But Kinetic sand didn’t leave a mess on it). Kinetic sand holds its shape and is in scale.

When model horsey things are not working

Kristian Beverly6 Comments

Today I had a goal.
It was to glue the skirts, dye leather and make panels.
Didn’t happen. The skirts fought me, and I still have some fiddling to do still.

 So I decided to put the saddle down and do some feather fund pony stuff.

When that didn’t work, I ordered food. Funny thing is that I ordered it not at the one two minutes from my house, but the one that’s 30 minutes away. Yup, that’s me. :)
Also, who’s going to Breyerfest?(I am). The one thing I’m really excited about is seeing RJ Masterbug who was the star of Hidaglo, which was and still is one of my favorite horse movies. Funny thing about Hidaglo is that it is now 10 years old. Wow, time flies.
When model horse stuff doesn’t work, I try not to force it. Yup.

Saddle, Bridle, and Tips

Kristian BeverlyLeave a comment

When you make progress at a reasonable time, murphy’s law happens and what can go wrong, will go wrong. After typing up some tips, I felt proud of myself and clicked send. Yep, instead it turned out the internet decided to go out. So the internet was out for the rest of the night.
So I did make progress on the saddle set. The reason why there’s only one skirt? I cut two that was in the same exact shape. Haha.

While waiting for leather to dry, I made myself a western pony bridle.

Also here’s some tips for if you’re entering the Children/Youth show.

1) Research is your friend. Reading about breeds, different performance classes, and learning about the model horse hobby in general helps. You’ll gain valuable knowledge. You’ll learn about the rules that performance classes have and learn about breeds. For model horses, knowing the rules is one of the most important parts of showing. For my breed and performance cards, I have started to put the source at the bottom of my card (yes, school can cross over into model horse showing!) so that I can remember where I got the info from.
2) Have at least one copy of the rules and class list.When I showed I printed a couple of copies of the class list and printed the guides so that I had a hard copy, just in case my laptop wasn’t working.
3) If you are new to showing and you have a ton of models, don’t bring all of them.If you are relatively new to showing, don’t bring too many models. This is a fast paced show, and if you are new to showing, bringing too many models will be an overload. Plus, if you overwhelm yourself, you won’t be able to see other entries and may end up with a pony or two in the Pony Pound. Try to bring only your best models.
4) Bring a cover for your table. If your models fall, at least there is protection for them.
5) In terms of performance, research is key.The breyer website has plenty of articles from making props to an introduction to performance showing. There are plenty of model horse blogs too that help. Remember to look up the rules for the class you’re showing in. Look at what’s legal and what isn’t and make a card that reflects what your horse is doing.

How To Pack Your ModelsFor all of the years I’ve gone to Breyerfest, I’ve gone by car. So if you fly or take a train, this may or may not help you. I’ve never flown or taken a train to Breyerfest.
What to Put Those Models InThere are many ways to transport your model horses. This is just my way of doing it. During my first couple of years of showing I used a suit case. It worked well for the couple of models I had. It’s okay. Not bad, not good. Just in the middle.
I use a clear plastic container now. The pros of it are that it’s easy to pack, you can stack stuff on top of it, it has a hard outside that will protect your models, and you can see through it. The con is that you have to carry it, but you can buy containers similar with wheels.
What to Pack Them With?Over the years I have used anything from blankets to that white pillow fluff to pack models in. Blankets are not the best idea. For one, you lay your models in layers on top of each other. If the models are not packed in tight enough, they can shift around and scratch each other. The white pillow fluff? It’s one of the worst packing materials for models. It does not give them any padding, and it leaves a white fluffy dust all over the models.
Bubble wrap is one of the best materials. I use this sometimes.It gives padding and each model can be individually wrapped. But beware of hot temperatures. The bubble wrap could melt and mess up your mode’s finish.
Pony pouches or drawstring bags work well too. All you have to do is stick your model in and tighten the string. Very fast and each model can have its own special bag. I also use these for my models. And t shirts always work. Models can be individually wrapped.
What Order?When it’s time to pack your models, try to organize them by putting the models that are used last in the bottom of your travel case, and putting the ones that are used first at the top. It’s always good to be prepared for being late. I also pack the night before.

My last tip is to HAVE FUN. Enjoy the day and make friends.
Feel free to ask any questions too.

**Unrelated: If anyone has a body or LSQ Harley D Zip that they’d like to trade, shoot me an email!