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| WIP |
2020
I made the decision to participate in the Best Customs Contest (BCC) and attend BreyerFest again (it had been YEARS) in 2020. Then COVID hit and it went virtual. Looking back, I think my entry photos could have been staged much better with a realistic background, but I was finishing the entry up to the very end. I spent way too much time hand-building a tree! While I was very pleased with Bert and Ernie, we were not chosen as a Finalist.
2021
I didn't have much time to create something for the 2021 BCC. I was still working at PwC in a promotion year, which meant new clients and even longer hours. I earned the promotion, but decided 9 nine years in public accounting was plenty and I spent the spring job hunting. I had ideas for what turned out to be my 2022 BCC entry, but pivoted to creating an entry for the Finishwork division. I made a fairly decent effort, but this category is one of the most competitive (in my opinion) and again, we were not chosen as a Finalist. In hindsight, I probably should have entered Bert & Ernie in the theme division for that year "Classical", but it didn't occur to me that you could enter the same entry again!
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| Molly Magoo - 2021 BCC Finsishwork Entry |
2022
With a much improved work-life balance, I committed to the idea of creating a donkey nanny. This was an involved project resulting in not only a drastic custom donkey but 6 sheep and their 6 lambs, along with some tack making. The effort paid off and Giuseppe won the Excellence in Performance division in 2022.
2023
One of the rules of BCC is you can't enter the same division 2 years in a row, so I picked Extreme Custom to challenge myself in 2023. My goal was to make the most drastic custom I could. I took a standing Springtime filly, which is approximately 1:6 scale, and made it into a jumping horse in probably 1:8 or 1:7 scale. There may have been some plastic still on the surface, but everything was melted or sanded down and the proportions adjusted so that nothing of the original was left. The result was Tootsers and I am so pleased to say we won the Extreme Custom division.
With Tootser's amazing win, I was more motivated than ever before and I made the goal to try to be a Finalist in each of the BCC categories (maybe not Excellence in Tack, but maybe). I knew Finish Work would be challenging, and they were still changing the theme each year, so I decided to go all in on Fantasy. If you know me, you know I generally stick with realistic equines. The idea started formulating before I even left the Clarion!
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| Tootsers - 2023 BCC Extreme Custom Winner |
2024
I left BreyerFest with a partial idea for the following year's BCC, which further developed and I started to build it in the fall of 2023. The entire thing was more than five feet tall! I had all the armatures and pieces blocked out and was starting to make progress when the contest rules were released. There was now a height limit of 30 inches!
I pivoted and literally cut my entry in half. I started over with smaller-scale models, which set me back considerably. In the end, I think the design might be more cohesive on a smaller scale, and I plowed ahead.
I tracked my hours and by the time the deadline was about a week away, I had already spent about 350 hours on the project. There were parts I wanted to tweak, but I pressed forward and got the basecoats on. I had about a week left to paint and I started to realize it just wasn't going to happen. Even on the smaller scale, this is not a small project. Change of plans (again) and I looked at what I had already created to see if I could at least enter something. I entered Rebel Just for Kicks in the Glow Up division. Maybe, just maybe, the interchangable manes and tails would sway the judges. I knew it was a stretch and not what they were probably looking for, but you don't know until you try. Not surprisingly, we were not selected as a Finalist.
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| Rebel sporting his different hair-dos. |
2025
This year the contest rules hit hard. Connecticut is listed as one of the states that are ineligible to compete in the BreyerFest Best Customs contest.
I held a worried suspicion there could be a change in the rules again, but it never occurred to me I would be put outside of the contest entirely. My first reaction was devastation that a project I had put so much into was no longer eligible. I posted about my disappointment on Facebook and received an outpouring of support. Thank you. 💕
I'm still feeling a little deflated, but I'll still finish the project (and fix those areas that were bothering me!) and maybe show it at BreyerFest Live this summer. I'll probably hold off and join in on the fun reveals after the BCC deadline. After all, I still have a ways to go to finish! The peak of the wing at the top of this post is all you'll see for now. But I really am so excited to share this project with everyone. That was actually one of the biggest bummers when I didn't finish it on time last year!
I may or may not pursue next year's project, for which I've already acquired the body. My sweet husband reminded me that all of the hours I spend towards entering this one competition can now be used elsewhere. Goodness knows I have many, many partially completed projects and even more ideas! And really, I am blessed and honored to have won twice out of five entries. BCC has inspired me and pushed me past my comfort zone. There is no reason that approach to my art has to change. 😌
