Retro 1951 - Collection Highlights

Hi all and welcome back to Duck’s Doodles.

I’m sure by now, you’ve heard the news that Retro 51 as we know it is going to be no more. What exactly is happening is unclear, but things are going to change.

Retro 51 pens are just something special. They’ve been made for the last 30 years by pen people for pen people.

Retro was my entry into the pen world, and it became something to bond with other collectors over.

 It’s so rare to have something universally loved by a community, but Retro has certainly done it.

They’ll be missed, and I hope that someone can pick up the brand to carry it on (seriously, Retro folks if you’re reading this please consider selling it to Brad and Myke)

I thought what better way to celebrate this brand than to go through some of my favorite pens. 

So let’s take a look at some of my favorites in my collection to celebrate this amazing company

The Pen Addict Collaboration

The one that started it all! My first review on this blog was this pen. It’s special to me, as Brad has always been a welcoming mentor to all in the pen community. It was the first Retro I purchased, and a kind collector in the community sold it to me for an amazing price because they were just thrilled to have someone else in the hobby.

Paris Skyline - Goldspot Collaboration

You guys know I’m a sucker for all things dogs, and the French Bulldog in the beret cheers me up every time I see it. Plus, Goldspot was kind enough to include my review of this pen in one of their email newsletters. 

The Pulp Pens (Detective Edition)

This isn’t a typical Tornado that I collect, but dang these Pulp Pens are fun. They’re decorated with various Pulp Magazine cover- the three I have are a detective story, a biplane dogfight and a monster stealing a damsel in distress. The Detective is my favorite of the three, so I’ve included it here. 

Cioppino

Honestly, this pen is just downright the most gorgeous pen I own. When I think of Retro’s slogan ‘Life is too short to carry an ugly pen’, this is what I think of. This pen was a gift, and honestly it’s one I’ll cherish.

Thanks for reading everyone, I sincerely appreciate all that the Retro 51 company has done for the world of pens- creating an innovative brand with a dedicated community isn’t easy, but Retro has done a fantastic job.

And remember, life is too short to carry an ugly pen. So let’s celebrate the life of one of the best pen companies to have ever existed and carry only the best. 

Retro 1951 Tornado - Cake and Pie editions Review (Goulet Pen Exclusive)

Welcome back to Duck’s Doodles! Today we’ll be taking a closer look at Goulet Pens exclusive Retro 51 Tornados- the Cake edition and the Pie edition 

For folks who are new here, I collect the Tornado line, so as soon as Goulet announced these I snatched them up!  

So let’s jump in! 

Design

The pie version features a teal colored background  with cartoon versions of all sorts of delicious looking pies, including pumpkin, key lime, blackberry and cherry pie.   Interestingly, instead of having the same teal color the top cap features a dark blue background and a heart with “Pie” in the middle 

The cake counterpart features a dark blue (the typical “Goulet Blue” that the Goulets use in their branding) background with cartoony cakes- some of them are chocolate forest cake, bundt cake, red velvet cake and strawberry shortcake. Since the top cap of the pie version featured the shade of blue on the barrel of this pen, I was surprised that this top cap didn’t feature the teal color on the barrel of the pie pen. Instead, the cake version has an orange background and a heart with “Cake” in it. 

A closeup of the topcaps  

A closer look at the pie and cake designs  

Both editions have nice, shiny chrome hardware which compliments both designs well.  

Additionally, both come packaged in the typical Retro 51 tubes, with their designs being mimicked on the outside and the tops featuring the Goulet signature.  

Writing Experience

One of the reasons I collect Tornados is because I love the writing experience. If you’ve ever written with a Retro 51, you know just how smooth these pens are. They come loaded up with Retro’s standard rollerball refill but there’s many other compatible refills out there, so feel free to mix and match. 

I also appreciate how well balanced the Tornado design is- the clip provides a nice counter balance in your hand.  

Verdict

I’m a complete sucker for sweet treats- I love baking. So when two of my interests collided, it was an instant buy for me. So, if you like Retro 51s or are a fan of sweet treats, either these are good pens for you.

Both these editions are limited out of 500, and both are still available (as of writing this post) for $46.60 each on Goulet’s site- here’s the cake and here’s the pie . 

In the interest of clarity, I’m unaffiliated with either Retro 51 or the Goulet company.

Retro 1951 Tornado Review - London Skyline edition

Welcome back to Duck’s Doodles!

Those folks who have visited here before know that I collect Retro 51s, so today I wanted to discuss one of my most recent acquisitions- Goldspot’s exclusive London Skyline!

Let’s jump on in!

The London Skyline pen with the latest XOXO Field Notes edition

The packaging tube features a seal letting you know this is a Goldspot pens exclusive

Packaging and Pen Design

A detail of the pen

The thing I love about Retro 51s pen tubes (other than that satisfying pop sound you get when opening it) is that it really gives you a chance to admire the detail of artwork on the pen. This is especially true on the skyline series, since so many little details are included on these pens.

This pen features some key London landmarks- Big Ben, the London Eye, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the Shard, the London Underground (complete with people…and a little dog!) and a bunch more.

It also features some ‘distinctly London’ details- the naming of the boat “Victoria”, the red phone-booth and the blue police box/Tardis and has 6 Union Jack flags scattered around the pen. (Well I found six, let me know if you can find more!)

I really appreciate that so many things are packed into the barrel design, and it doesn’t look overcrowded

A closeup detail of the best top cap ever!

Top Cap and Hardware

So now we come to my personal favorite part of every Retro 51’s design- the top cap. The top caps just feel like they complete the pen. Some top caps are just plain colors, but others are specifically themed around the pen. And boy oh boy, is this one themed.

It features a PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI. IN. A. CROWN. Seriously? That is the most ADORABLE thing ever! This top cap really ties the pen together, as Queen Elizabeth II has had corgis for her whole life. And honestly, she has DEFINITELY put a crown on one of them before.

The hardware is a lovely chrome, which goes well with the coloring.

Glow in the Dark

I am a total sucker for anything glow in the dark- I always have been! This pen has one of the strongest glows I’ve seen, and it hardly takes any time at all to charge up.

The clean design of the buildings on the pen really comes through on the glow.

A detail of the glow of Big Ben

The Big Ben landmark not glowing

Verdict

This pen really is a really great addition to any Retro 51 collector’s arsenal. The design is beautiful and the glow is amazing.

Even if you’re not a Retro collector, if you have a special love for London (or corgis with crowns!) this is a great item to pick up.

There’s only a limited amount (650- the number of members of Parliament) so if you’re interested I would act fast!

They’re currently $48 on Goldspot’s website.

Note- this post is not sponsored by Goldspot in any way. But I do recommend you buy from them- they’re lovely, helpful people.

Retro 1951 Tornado- Paris Skyline

Welcome back to Duck's doodles!

The pen with my Field Notes book- the kraft cover contrasts well with the coloring of the pen to be able to see the different purple shades

I hope all my US friends enjoyed their Labor Day holiday. The shortened week meant work was extra busy for me, so I decided to take it a little bit easier with the blog this week. I wanted to talk about one of my favorite pens ever- the Paris Skyline special edition of the Retro 51 Tornado series.

Retro 51 makes some impressive pieces, and never cease to surprise me with their creative designs. I'm a Retro collector and, honestly, some of their pens are more akin to a works of functional art than just pens. The level detail they put into all their pens is astounding, and this one feels like something extra special. 

Design

Barrel

The design of the barrel shows off some Paris landmarks- the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, L'Arc de Triumph, and Notre Dame Cathedral, the Windmills of Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur to name a few.

The detail on these items is astounding- there's a sailboat going under the bridge, a couple kissing on the bridge, a skyline of the city underneath the arc of the Eiffel Tower and a speckling of stars above them all. The coloring is various shades of purple, meant to replicate viewing the city under a starry night.

To add to the night sky effect, the pen glows in the dark! All of the monuments, the streetlights and the stars glow in the dark. I've had some struggles getting other pens to glow in the dark before, but Retro 51 pens always give off a beautiful glow with little time to charge it up. 

Pen Details

Glow in the Dark details

Top Cap

The top cap of this pen features an adorable French Bulldog....IN A BERET!! I mean COME ON this is ADORABLE!! Retro always knocks it out of the park with their top cap designs, and this one is extra great in my opinion.

There's not much more I can say about this, other than this creative top cap was at least part of the reason I purchased this pen. And by at least part I mean a huge influence on my purchase.

A closeup of the French Bulldog top cap

Hardware

The pen features silver colored hardware, with the brand name, Tornado and the edition number etched into the top band.

This edition is (was? unfortunately it's all sold out now) exclusive to GoldSpot pens, and is numbered is out of 537 (which is symbolic as it's the number of art pieces in the Louvre when it opened)

Overall, this pen is easily one of my top favorites in my collection- I'm such a sucker for glow in the dark and dogs. If you can get your hands on one I recommend you do- it's a neat piece to add to any pen collection.

Thanks for reading, happy writing!

-Duck

Retro 1951 Tornado- The Pen Addict edition- Review

Welcome to the inaugural post of Duck's Doodles!

I wanted my first post to be a review, but I wasn't quite sure what I should start with. I collect pens and notebooks, particularly Retro 1951 Tornado pens and Field Notes notebooks (because both brands put incredible time into the attention to detail, just the type of thing my pack rat/collector brain loves). 

Then, a short while ago, I acquired a Retro 51 Tornado themed around the Pen Addict from a fellow collector. I realized that this pen would be the perfect item for my first post, not only because of how great this pen looks, but also because of it's personal significance.

 I began listening to The Pen Addict podcast (and then began reading The Pen Addict blog) not too long ago; from the jump I knew I had found my new hobby. I've been binge listening my way through the back catalog ever since to help me pass the time at my desk job.

Hearing the hosts, Brad and Mike go through the phases of starting their businesses (Nock Co. and Relay FM respectively) is truly what prompted me to start this blog. Thanks to Brad and Myke, for their countless episodes filled with the advice of "if you want to do something cool, just go and get started."

So, without further ado, let us get to the review

The thing that first struck me about this pen was it's orange coloring; the Pen Addict podcast and blog both have orange branding. However, instead of the brighter, matte orange one might expect from Pen Addict branded items, this pen has a more metallic, "burnt" orange coloring. This color looks great when paired with the color of the hardware. Instead of Retro 1951's "classic" shiny chrome color, this pen has a darker gunmetal grey color.

The Pen Addict pen with the latest edition of Field Notes

A closeup of the Retro 1951 Tornado's twist mechanism

This gunmetal color works very will with the Tornado line's signature machined grip on the twist mechanism. This adds some weight to the top half of the pen; this weight distribution can be a little odd to get used to at first if you've never written with a pen like it before, but overall contributes to a positive writing experience. 

A closeup of the "button" area of the pen featuring the Pen Addict logo

One of my favorite things about all Tornado pens is the little "button" that is at the top of all of them; the button will always have a design tying back into the theme of the pen in some way. This pen has the Pen Addict logo on top and even includes the blue lines that you see on a typical piece of lined paper, more evidence that Retro 1951 really cares about the products that they are putting out.

The writing experience with this pen is incredibly smooth; I kept the default cartridge in, though you can easily swap it out for another compatible cartridge. I have noticed, through my time writing with Retro 51s, is that they tend to "hiccup"; the ink will stop flowing for a moment in the middle of a word and will restart letters later. I've seen this in all the Retros I have ever owned across several different types of paper, so while it could be user error I suspect it's linked to the cartridges themselves.

While this particular pen was a limited edition of 300 released in 2016, there is a different Pen Addict/Retro 51 collab available, The Ice-O-Matic (it glows in the dark and I can confirm it's REALLY cool). If you're a fan of the design I'd get one quickly, I can't imagine they'll be in stock much longer.

Many pen distributors carry the Tornado rollerball line, and other Retro 1951 products. Most Tornado pens are in the range of $20 (for the widely distributed ones) to about $45 (for the more limited releases).

Thanks for reading, and happy writing!