Editing The Pen Addict 514/transcript (section)

== Montegrappa F1 Speed Limited Edition ==


'''Myke:''' I feel like I've seen this before. Have you? The Montegrappa F1 Speed Limited Edition. I've seen the red one before.

'''Brad:''' That's what threw me off. So when I saw this pop up in my feed, I didn't see the red one. Right. Because I thought we'd seen this before. They had the black one, and I think the black one's new.

'''Myke:''' The black one is new. Yeah, it's the 2022 one.

'''Brad:''' So it's the follow-up. I wonder, do they do one every six years when the regulations change? Is the racing red model different in style from the podium?

'''Myke:''' I can give you all the answers. I have all the answers for you. Thank you. Thank you. The F1 collaborated with Montegrappa in 2020 as part of the F1 70. So in the 2020 season, I don't know how aware you are of this. It was the 70th anniversary of Formula One. So they partnered with Montegrappa, and they made a Formula One-themed pen. Carbon fiber, red and black, and all that kind of stuff. Now, this year, they have made a new one, which is they're called Podium Black, a high-gloss black lacquer finish. One of the things that I really like about this pen is that they have an exhaust on the end of it, which is heat-treated.

'''Brad:''' I wonder if they hired Michael Gubrele for that. They could have. They contracted him for that. He's a very professional torchbearer. But I have faith in Montegrappa that they could pull off their own torching because they make some of the wildest, most unique pens ever. And this is just a classic. I think the wheel is my favorite. The actual in the finial wheel of this. It's just really kind of neat. And, you know, on one hand, I hate everything about this pen. I hate the way this pen looks with a fiery passion. It's so ugly. On the other hand, it's like, okay, I see you, Montegrappa. This is what Montegrappa does the best, right? Yeah. They take the premium thing and take it over the top, right? It is over the top. And I just wanted to be sure to share this latest edition. So this is the newest edition. Even though the pen is the same silhouette, there are different features in the podium black model from the racing red model. So it's quite the looker. And you can take that every which way you want.

'''Myke:''' I want someone to get a Formula One license and make a pen for every team. But they look good.

'''Brad:''' That seems like an ST DuPont thing that they could pull it off. They've done not really like team branded stuff. But they are another one like Montegrappa that they will have the high end licenses. You know, like they'll pay for like a Star Wars license and do a really special high end thing.

'''Myke:''' Because obviously like that is what I've asked for is unrealistic because nobody has the ability to give you the license to every team. Like Formula One doesn't have that. Like Montegrappa has got Formula One. They haven't got McLaren and Mercedes and Ferrari. You know, like blah, blah, blah, blah, right?

'''Brad:''' Yeah. Like just the Ferrari license would be outrageous, right? Like and then you have to get all 10. It would be extreme. But you're also, you know, marketing these pens to a customer that could probably afford it if you look at the Miami race and the prices of things there. This is the marketing. So I appreciate this pen while simultaneously disliking literally everything about it. Totally fine. But yeah, that's what Montegrappa does best. So they do some wild stuff. This one, Myke, I'm going to tackle because I'm not sure even you really care to appreciate what's going on here. And this is the Cinderella slipper glass pen from Bungu Box that I got in my email.

'''Myke:''' So you hit the wooden. You put these links in the show notes and I looked at them.

'''Myke:''' The words that you have put in the show notes do not match my feeling for what this is. So I want to hear what you have to say.

'''Brad:''' I want to be very clear. I have no desire to own a product like this. This is a high-end, ultra-premium glass-dip nib pen. And the reason why I'm putting this in because, you know, listening to Jacob and CY on Tokyo Inklings podcast, they've talked for, I don't know, over the past year or two that one of the hottest items in Japan were not simply glass-dip nib pens, but very specifically made, expensive, custom, unique glass nib pens. And this is, you know, a $200-plus glass-dip nib pen. And it's stunning. Like, this looks like a $200 glass-dip nib pen, right? It looks, you know, almost handmade from start to finish. It's got some really unique features. It has a lot of craftsmanship that went into it. You know, this is not a product I ever have any desire to own by any stretch of the imagination.

'''Myke:''' I don't understand why this is Cinderella. Cinderella.

'''Brad:''' Yeah, I guess it's just unique kind of. Yeah, so it says, I don't know, it's glittery and blue and, you know, it's a magic story. You know, it says, there was once a girl covered in soot, and as soon as a magical spell was cast on her, she was transformed into the most beautiful green-blue glass slipper. So we have captured this magical story in a glass pen. So, you know, it's, you know, theoretical.

'''Myke:''' Sure, it's like, you know, the story you tell is whatever it is, right?

'''Brad:''' It is, it is. But in collaboration, Myke, which really seals the story, and this is the product I'm the most excited about.

'''Myke:''' This makes sense to me, what they're trying to do here. There is. It's the Cinderella-ness of this next part.

'''Brad:''' Yep. There is a Cinderella slipper silver ink bottle cap ornament that fits these specific bottles that Bungo Box makes for their sailor inks.

'''Myke:''' I love that it's not actually, you don't actually get the bottle. It's just the add-on. It's just a little metal part, a little crown that goes on top, basically.

'''Brad:''' Yeah, it's, this is the storytelling tying everything together, right? So we have the pen, and it's individual, and the pen is telling a story. But you need the ink to, to match with that. And there's, you know, we've had, you know, different, different ink bottles, and Bungo Box always kind of collaborating, you know, a product with, you know, a pen and an ink kind of together. This one takes it even further, and it is an accessory for your ink bottle. And I think it's beautiful. Like, I would never use this. I would never want this. Like, it wouldn't be, for me, it wouldn't be money well spent, right? Because I wouldn't, like, get the joy of seeing that sitting on my desk using my Cinderella glass pen in the same ink bottle with the glass zipper ornament. But I like this. Like, unlike the Montegrappa before, it's like, I like this a lot. And I think, like, in the market that Jacob and CY were talking about, and the prevalence of this type of product with the glass-tip nib pen, I mean, who better than to be on the cusp of that than Bungo Box? And I appreciate, like, literally all of this from the pen all the way down to the bottle cap.

'''Myke:''' And I just think it's fantastic. For me, so the little cap is like a little crown thing, kind of looks like a building. It's kind of cute. And it's got a slipper on top, but the slipper's not glass.

'''Brad:''' True, true. I didn't think about that, but, you know. Yeah, makes sense. I see what you're getting at there. I see what you're getting at there. I feel you. Yeah. So, anyway, it is definitely more of a monopoly piece.

'''Myke:''' This is for a specific type of person that's not me. And I'm fine with that. And I don't think everything needs to be for me. Exactly.

'''Brad:''' Exactly. I was just completely taken aback by this whole thing in a respect kind of way. Oh, yeah. Big, big respect for you, Bungo Box, for making this. It's stunning. For this customer, they will be, you know, just like we would fawn over certain pens. Like, this is a thing that people will jump through hoops to acquire and to cap it off with a literal bottle cap. I think it's just so smart in the silliest kind of way. Yep. Appreciate the commitment. Related to all things Japanese, Jacob, who I just mentioned with Tokyo Inklings, he followed up on kind of a topic that we've mentioned that he mentioned before. So, this is just a big, big circle of friends here. About the different colors of the Pilot Custom 912, which is the drum that I've banged for years. Like, hey, Pilot, give me more 912 options. I think this is your platform pen, and I think it should be available in more than just black and rhodium trim. So, they came out, or we got the news, I don't know, really not that long ago, earlier this year, that there was, you know, some different barrel colors. Some translucent blue, green, and red barrel colors for the Pilot 912. And the interesting thing about those is they only came with basic nib options. And one of the reasons I want the 912 to continue to grow and expand and gain in popularity is because they actually have quite a few of, you know, really interesting nib options, you know, outside of just like a fine, a medium, you know, or a broad, you know. The 912 fits Pilot's Falcon nib, and it fits the stub nib, which is not a normal thing that they sell. And it fits all of these different kinds of nibs. And it looks like for this model, the Pilot Neo Classic 912 in blue, you can get, how many nibs is this? 15. One, 15, thank you. 15 different nib choices for this pen. And I'm like, yes. Like, is this really happening, right? Again, like, this is not the pen for me, but it gives me hope that one day I'm going to see an expansion of the 912 lineup to retailers, not specialty shops or, you know, one-off limited editions. That Pilot will expand the 912 lineup universally, not only with interesting barrel colors, but the availability of 15 different nib choices in a single pen platform and still be at an awesome price point, like under $300. Like, the Pilot 912 is just a classic great value pen. Like, it's by no means inexpensive, but for what it is and what you get, like, I think it's fairly priced and a good deal. And I just feel that this is the model that I want to see Pilot lean into the most. And they've done it here. And this link we'll share in the show notes that Jacob and CY shared on Tokyo Inklings is to a company, Pinto Note, that will ship to the U.S. So if this is something that you're interested in, like, I'm willing to hold off for a while and see what continues to happen here as Pilot expands, hopefully expands this. Like, I'm going to bet on them doing more. So I'm going to wait on this. But I absolutely, I'm through the moon with this decision by Pilot to do this for this model of the 912.

'''Myke:''' Through the moon.

'''Brad:''' Yeah. That was a couple of mixed metaphors there, right? You're over the moon and through the roof. Through the roof. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. That's how excited I am, Myke. Over the roof and through the moon. I cannot even metaphor correctly. That's how excited I am. So, and I'm assuming you just share my excitement.