I have already reviewed the Retro 51 Tornado and you can read it here. Nothing has changed as to my opinion on the pen. You can read my review here. The review is almost three years old and with exception of the cosmetics, it is the same pen.
The cosmetics deserve a good close look and hence my pictorial. I missed out on the Previous LE Popper, the Saturn V rocket homage named Lift Off, and I regret it. These are numbered and limited to 500 examples of each. I ended up with #369. I really enjoy the level of detail that Retro 51 decided to incorporate into the Flying Tiger. The seams of the “sheet metal” and the rivet dimples are all in relief instead of just printing them on. The brushed metal of the ends and clip have been given a grunge treatment that gives the metal an added dimension of detail. I still don’t like the roller ball refill and promptly replaced it with a Schmidt 9000 Easyflow Parker style refill.
Here is what Retro 51 posted on their Facebook page about the Flying Tiger:
On August 15, 1945 the end of World War II was announced. In honor of this seventieth anniversary we bring the next Tornado Popper, the Flying Tiger. The shark-faced nose art of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG), nicknamed the Flying Tigers, remains among one of the most recognizable images of World War II. The AVG was a squadron of American volunteers led by Claire Lee Chennault, that had tremendous success in their missions despite formidable odds of being outnumbered, limited supplies and brutal fighting in the Pacific. This design has been acid-etched with rivets, then lacquered in army green, printed with the iconic shark face and number 70 and finished with antique silver accents. Each Tornado is loaded with a rollerball refill, numbered on the top ring and packaged in a special tube. 500 pieces have been produced.
So here is my pictorial review and I hope you enjoy. :
I purchased this pen with my own money and Retro 51 did not know about my plans for a pictorial review. If you wish to help this blog, please consider making a purchase via my amazon links.
Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 – 6 Pack – Black
Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 – 6 Pack – Blue
For those that got this far, here is a little behind the scenes look at how I did my pictorial. Windows to the left and right of me, on the kitchen table. The window to my left is closer to me and has some frosted white vinyl cling stuff I found at my Home Depot. It helps diffuse the south sunlight a bit. The background is a book of scrapbooking pages. I just keep them in the original bound book and flip to the page I want to use. The back of the top page is white and acts as a reflector. All images taken with my first generation iPad Mini.
Thanks for reading!
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I think that design would work nicely on a fountain pen!
What a great looking pen it really captures the Flying Tigers look with the dimples in the metal and the seams are in relief.
Some of the Retro51 LEs are a bit dodgy but this one is wonderfully realized.
My black gloss Retro51 is sharing pride of place with my Visconti FPs in my pen drawer 🙂
Hi Ken! Glad to hear the 51 is still part of your collection! 😄
Is this Flying Tiger pen for sale and if so for how much? I would like to obtain one for my collection.
At this time it is not for sale but thank you for asking.