5 HOTY Arab Champions

[elm]

My first Ebay purchase just arrived. 5 HOTY Arab champions? (Correct me if I'm wrong) 3 matt and 2 shiny. I like to keep them original as possible so other than repainting the hooves, can you guys tell me which rug goes with which horse or if they had their own colours? Also any suggestions about the palomino's hair (its purple) would be appreciated. (Posted on facebook page too)

[kits]

Georgie might be able to help you with the rugs, she used to have a website with all the HOTY set details on before Geocities stopped hosting websites have you tried basic shampoo and conditioner yet on the purple mane? I'm glad you gave them all a new home!

[elm]

Not yet, have just given them a good brush!

[elli]

Yes, those are Arab Champions (not to be confused with the different Originals mould of the same name, but there's an Originals mould of this shape horse too, there just haven't ever been huge numbers of them made). The rubber ones were available in five main colours of grey, chestnut, palomino, bay and black. There are some variations within those, like some varying shades of palomino and a chestnut with a chestnut coloured mane (the flaxen mane is far more common). The plastic versions were only available in four colours: black, bay, chestnut and palomino. At the same time as the rubber ACs there were also some rubber Family Ponies (the originals version of this is the Mustang), if you're interested in collecting more from that era but didn't know about them - those came in black, bay, chestnut and brown. I'm pretty sure the rugs were just general and the horses didn't have set accessories (like the later HOTY sets) but I could be wrong, it's a long time since I completed my HOTY collection so I might have forgotten! The navy rug with the hood was sold as a travelling be set and had bandages with it too. The early riders that came out at the same time as these were nice because they had smiley faces, much happier-looking than all of the later ones

[elm]

Oh awesome thanks for that information Elli. I got 4 riders with these guys and I think 3 are the early ones. Will also have to come up with some names. I just tried shampoo and conditioner on the purple hair but it didn't really do anything.

[astudyinscarlet]

Like Elli said they didn't really have set accessories. From what I remember you could get the horses both on their own or in sets with a rider and either tack and a rug or with mucking out accessories but I think there was lot of variety in those sets and most of the riders and accessories were also sold on their own too so nothing was really definite. I think the checked, red edged in navy and blue edged in yellow rugs could all have come either from horse sets or been sold on their own (the navy edged in red rug though I think was only available in the travelling accessories set).

When I bought my grey arab champion (in the 1990s) he came in a set with that red/white checked rug and the grey was also wearing that rug in the picture on the back of an old HOTY stable box and in the old catalogue/box pictures too they usually seemed to put the blue edged in yellow rugs on the bays and the red edged with navy on the palominos.

If the palomino's hair is properly stained, which it sounds like it is if shampoo isn't removing it, you're maybe going to have to try some kind of bleaching method. If you look up 'how to bleach dolls hair' there are methods that come up but they do sound a bit risky. 

[elm]

Thanks, doesn't matter which they get then. Also got 4 saddles and bridles and 2 halters (which seem way to small). Have just repainted the hooves so they look all pretty now. I guess the purple will have to stay (its kinda grown on me anyway).

[elli]

Jun 23, 2015 22:43:00 GMT elm said:

Thanks, doesn't matter which they get then. Also got 4 saddles and bridles and 2 halters (which seem way to small). Have just repainted the hooves so they look all pretty now. I guess the purple will have to stay (its kinda grown on me anyway).

It obviously depends if you want to keep them as close to original finish as possible but regaining wouldn't be a difficult job if you wanted to give him mohair or a replacement synthetic mane and tail. You'll have to give him a purple themed name!

[elm]

Jun 23, 2015 23:27:47 GMT elli said:

Jun 23, 2015 22:43:00 GMT elm said:

Thanks, doesn't matter which they get then. Also got 4 saddles and bridles and 2 halters (which seem way to small). Have just repainted the hooves so they look all pretty now. I guess the purple will have to stay (its kinda grown on me anyway).

It obviously depends if you want to keep them as close to original finish as possible but regaining wouldn't be a difficult job if you wanted to give him mohair or a replacement synthetic mane and tail. You'll have to give him a purple themed name!

I was wondering whether they were male or female. To me they look male. Thanks to the purple name idea. I just looked up purple colours so he's called Imperial now.