These pens turned me from appreciator of pens to reluctant collector. First came the hounds-tooth gunmetal Metro Retro Pop gel roller, a very tempting torpedo with film noir flavor.
Then the pair of black on black Metropolitan Classics, the gel roller and the fine nib fountain. I love the subtle contrast of the matte and glossy blacks with the silver accents. Nice pair for a desk set.
I also bought a Plum Retro gel roller with a leopard print for my daughter’s birthday, and later a Turquoise gel roller with polka dot print for my other daughter at Christmas. In between those, I bought the Lime Green Retro Marble with fine nib and a gel roller Classic Gold for myself.
These were pretty bold color choices for me. Blacks and grays and muted colors had been my style up to then. But somehow the green marble caught my eye. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever had it out of the house. The gold pen is a matte finish and isn’t too loud, so it gets out a little.
Then I went a little wild. Pilot came out with a White Tiger print pen and offered a set with fountain, ball point, and mechanical pencil versions. There was also a gel roller available. I lost my head and got them all. They reminded me of the all-white Big Red pen I had in junior high, which made me feel quite “mod”, and the white tiger print was a subtle/wild touch.
I love the look, but they were too bold for my blood, so I left them in the boxes and put them aside. This was a true “collector” purchase. Unfortunately, I’ve no idea where I packed them when I moved eighteen months ago, so I can’t offer any photos of my own.
There was also an orange version at one point with some kind of print. I like orange these days (20+ years living in Maine, the blaze orange grew on me), but the print was too frilly and I never bought it.
Have you succumbed to the Pilot Metropolitan kick? Which one(s) caught your eye? Fountain or Gel?