NC Trickles variants?

[lhaldimann]

Hello everyone,

It's been a long time since I post here on the arena. I was away due to my study  Now I'll have more time to devote to my ponies.

Hope everybody remembers me 

Anyway I was checking my collection and came across these 2 trickles (pix below).
Is there 2 versions of NC Trickles? The one in the gallery here is pale with the 3 metallic drops and the one picture in Debra Birge's book (nirvana guide) doesn't have drops (though in the description she says "3 orange watering cans with 3 silver drops". Do you know about this variation?
Also the darker one has a plastic I never encounter in NC, it feels soft and shiny like a mexican.

Here's the pix :
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Thank you 

[Taffeta]

I am not sure about whether your second one may or may not be NC/Spanish (I don't know enough about Mexican ponies to comment on that).

I know very little about NC ponies, too, but I do have a Trickles variation myself. I am not sure whether it relates to yours or not...?

Spoiler

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I know that one of mine is from Spain (1988 edition) and the other came from a trade from France. The French origin one looks like she has no droplets but she does, they're just really worn and faded. I know that there are 2 releases of 2nd set Rainbow Ponies in some European places, some on the card with Flutterbye (like mine) and some on the Starflower card. I also know they were sold in France and in Spain but I know some of the Spanish ones do say Spain on the hoof, the French ones I think don't.

So I don't know if that has any connection to your pony, or if it doesn't. But it's a point from which to begin at least...??

I have to admit looking at my one with the blobbier symbol and worn drops, it still doesn't look quite like yours does :/

[lhaldimann]

Yes that's a good start.

Seems like yours is also shiny and the watering cans are less pointy? It s definitely 2 different (blobbed/printed).

I didn't know about the second releases of Rainbow set, that may be the difference.

[Taffeta]

Yes that's a good start.

Seems like yours is also shiny and the watering cans are less pointy? It s definitely 2 different (blobbed/printed).

I didn't know about the second releases of Rainbow set, that may be the difference.

We need one of the Spanish/NC experts to come in on this really now. I haven't seen Rocio/Trickles on a Spanish card with Starflower pictured so I don't know if she has Spain on her hooves. But I think it might be ponies made for export and for domestic market. I have seen NC Rainbows on French cards. I just can't remember right now if one of them was Trickles.

[Perikoala]

There are 3 different Spanish Trickles, one with glittery symbols, other non glittery and the 3rd one non glittery without drops. She was released twice, first in a nameless series around 1986 with Starflower shown on the card and the second release as 'Pony Arco Iris' with Flutterbye pictured in 1988. But I'm not sure which variant was marked Spain or NC in which card (or just random, like the TAFs). It's harder to find Spain marked ones.

I have no drops NC Trickles and the symbols looks like Taffeta's.

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I can't see very well the face of the darker Trickles to appreciate the eyes but maybe is a very yellowed Spanish one? I found 2 on eBay sold recently with very similar symbols (both from the same French seller).

NC Trickles 1

NC Trickles 2

I haven't noticed before, but maybe there are no 3, but 4 variants? 

[Taffeta]

@Perikoala - my loose one's symbol does have drops. It's bigger and less defined, but when you tilt her to the light you can see where the drops used to be, they are very faintly still there, just have worn away and faded so much that at first glance they're invisible.

I had to really look for them, but they are there. So if there is a version with no drops at all, that would be another variation...

I am wondering if it is possible to photograph...I suspect not but I will try.

Edit: Ok, I tried. Can you see them..?

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If not, maybe this helps..?

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I am wondering if this production is similar to the Milky Way whose symbol tends to fade/disappear...same colour so possible..?

[Perikoala]

Oh my! I went to check mine and she used to have drops too! Only appreciated in the light, I didn't notice at all and I thought she was the non drops version! 

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It makes sense the color was the same as Milky Way, so it fades away.
I'm pretty sure lhaldimann's is a Spanish (real) non drop variant, just a very yellowed one. Most of, if not all, my yellowed Spanish ponies look shiny too.


PD: By the way, My Little Wiki has a pic of a non drops symbols version!

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[pinkkittywinks]

*brain starts to melt*

Both ponies do look different, the body colour is different.

There were two "waves"

Mi Pequeno Pony

http://mlparena.com/archive/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=473214

Pony Arco Iris

http://mlparena.com/archive/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=473212

You get quite a lot of variety in these, they got Spain stamp, NC stamp, glitter vs. metallic symbols

I do think the metallic paint isn't very robust and some colours seem to fade/wear more easily.

Love pkw xxx

[Taffeta]

Thanks PKW The Gallery demonstrates how many variations there really are in these releases. I remember the 1988 cards specify Valencia as a place of manufacture. It's possible there's more than one factory in Spain producing these.

The OP is in Switzerland so I have to wonder whether it was found in Switzerland or came from Spain. If the former, it seems more likely that it would've originally got there in French packaging, not Spanish...?

As for the no drops variation - I always err on the side of caution. Perikoala, you assumed yours was no drops until you really looked at her under the light. I also thought my pony had no droplets until I started comparing her to my MOC one. We don't know how many ponies out there have been assumed to be dropless when they are actually just really worn. And we probably should do more investigation into this.

I am a quite cynical person when it comes to stuff like this. I like to know 100% what the situation is before I believe in something And I'm also well used to websites and books claiming things exist (or don't exist) when the opposite is true. It's not that I'm saying it DOESN'T exist, I just feel like we need to do more to prove it does exist than just assume. I mean, this silver paint even fades on MOC ponies. So it really takes precise examination to discover if drops have been lost or not...

[lhaldimann]

I will take some close ups of eyes and symbol when I get back home
What I can say for sure is that I did buy this pony at a fleamarket either in Switzerland or in France.

[lhaldimann]

ok so here's a pictures of their eyes:

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and after watching carefully it seems that the drops have fade : I can see only 3 drops at her left side (see pix) but as the pony is in bad shape, maybe the rest of the drops were "scratched" or removed by an other way...

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It was very interesting to know about these spanish variations