The Bottom Line
Pros
- Well detailed horses, in three different themes including fantasy
- Easy to use high gloss acrylic paint and brush included with set
- Sets include three to four horses for future play
Cons
- Horses are made of fairly soft plastic and may not stand properly
- Paint dries quickly, but horse cannot easily be put down while it dries.
Description
- Well detailed plastic horse models in soft plastic.
- Set includes good free flowing acrylic paint in main horse colors along with a small brush.
- Sets match with other Breyer Mini Whinnie sets extending play value if child prefers to play instead of collect.
- Older children may prefer classic or traditional scale model horse activity kits from Breyer which fit their collections.
Guide Review - Mini Whinnies Model Horse Paint Set
These small, inexpensive (under $10) activity sets for model horses in the Mini Whinnie size (roughly 1:64 scale) from Breyer are a good fit for children interested in the model horse hobby. Mini Whinnies are the smallest of the Breyer horses standing approximately 1 inch high at the withers (adults) with a total height of 1 1/2 inches. The sets come in several themes, each set has three to four horses (foals and adults) and appropriate colored high gloss acrylic paint to create either realistic or fantasy models. No instruction is given, except for a small set of suggestions for horse color types.
The small included brush does allow for some detailing of the horse with care (eyes, nostrils, hoofs, mane. The paint is free flowing acrylic, which requires two coats for good coverage. The paint dries quickly, so children will not get frustrated.
The included models have good detail, but are made of fairly soft plastic, so some of them may need to be gently bent in order to stand alone without support. The running horse set is difficult to pose standing due to their leg postures. Fantasy horses include slots in the back to insert the included wings.
Overall these are good sets to introduce children to custom painting of a tiny miniature. The sets could be used as ponies for 1:48 scale scenes, or will fit in with other S scale items (model trains, Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars etc.) Other items in the Mini Whinnie range include portable playmats and sets, including a car and horsetrailer (1:64 is a common scale for hot wheels and similar die cast cars).
