Custom HOTYs
These are my Horse of the Year models that have been customized. Many have been resculpted and nearly all have a totally new paintjob. I love customized models because they are totally unique, even more so than originals, I think.
Arab Champions
Twilight
Twilight was painted by Laura Bond and was part of her personal collection. Twilight was always one of my favourite models belongs to other people and so I was really happy when Laura decided to sell her.
Kori
Kori is a very simple custom by me. I bought a cheap bay Arab and gave it the markings of a real horse I know, including a freezebrand and shading. Although Kori is not a brilliant custom and his mane and tail are very fuzzy, I still think he looks quite like the real thing.
Ponies
Misty
I was given an old Julip Silvermoon in bad condition by one of my school friends. Her mane was missing and her tail was frizzy and falling out. I pulled it out to find it had been held in using sticky tape! Once I had removed all of the old hair I gave her a new mohair mane and tail and named her Misty. The mohair is soft and bushy, making her look like a fluffy native pony.
Jack
Jack is another custom by Laura Bond, this time resculpted. Laura used an HOTY Black Velvet as a base model and sculpted on feathers with black milliput. She also used the milliput to sculpt the mouth closed and make the face more cobby and rehaired him with a silky mane and tail. Jack is a portrait of a real pony Laura knew, and has a star just like the real thing. When I bought Jack from Laura, I plaited his mane and tail and boil permed them to make them crinkly, like the hair of a real dales pony.
Moondance / Horse
New Moon
Another black and feathery horse from Laura Bond, this time a friesian. New Moon started out as an HOTY on the Moondance mould. Laura removed the head and reattached it in a graceful tucked position. She added thick feather and lots of mane than falls on both sides of the neck, making New Moon very hard to photograph!
Cob
Foxtrot
Foxtrot is also by Laura Bond, a red dun cob with lots of white and a striking red mane. Foxtrot does not have much resculpting, just a slightly built up face. Her paintjob is possibly my favourite out of all the horses I own, I especially love her eyes, one is blue where her face marking surrounds it and the other brown.
Blue
Blue came with Foxtrot in the same parcel from Laura. He has a lot more resculpting done than her, a thicker neck, chunky profile and filled bum dimple, and has not been rehaired. He is a gorgeous blue roan with dark points, just like roans should have, and a heart shaped star.
Demeter
Demeter, a smart piebald show cob, is also from Laura Bond. She has had her bum dimple filled in with milliput, feather added to her heels and a thicker face. All her patches have mapping around them, including her blaze, which turns pink where it covers her muzzle. Demeter has been rehaired with a silky tail and a plaited mane.
Snowy
Snowy is the simplest of Laura's customs that I own. She does not have any resculpting or even a new paintjob, she was just a flawed dapple grey who Laura stripped the paint from and left white. Snowy has been rehaired with white and given a pink nose.
Eclipse
Another very simple custom done by stipping paint, this time by me. I bought a Black Diamond from my friend Annie and removed the star because it had a big seam line right through it. As she was now pure black I thouhgt it would be good to rename her Eclipse.
Elvis
Elvis was my first custom - he's not very good but has a lot of sentimental value. My school friend found a flaed Conker model in her attic and gave him to me. I thickened his legs and face with milliput and filled in his bum dimple, before giving him a weird greyish paintjob. Some of it got into his mane so he looks like he is old and going grey! I've never really known what colour he is, as he doesn't have the dark points to be a roan, but doesn't really look iron grey either.
"Limpy Cob"
Sylva
Not many collectors like the Silver Mist mould, and I don't really either, but this one has had a makeover to fix all the really bad bits, like the twisted nose, pert but uneven buttocks and crazy shoulders. Although this horse was also customized by Laura Bond I bought him from collector Mel who lives in the US - Sylva is a well-travelled girl!
Nightmare
For the Julip Live 2009, all entrants were sent a free flawed Silver Mist model to customize. Although I didn't finish mine in time I am still working on it, and when it is done I will put its picture up here.
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