Montblanc Marilyn Monroe

[MrsHobie]

I quite like it ... But i'm not sure it will be confortable to write for hours with it ... Maybe it will be my next Christmas gift with my grandmother's heritage

[kett]

I'm kinda with you, Ghost Plane. While I don't want as big and heavy a pen as a 149, I *certainly* don't want some dainty looking little pen that looks as it it will break if anyone with larger hands than mine so much as picks it up.

I'm not a fan of most of the MB LE pens. People went "ooh, aah" over the Grace Kelly pen, which I find to be overly florid (even a tad, well, tacky looking -- sort of a disservice to the intended honoree, wouldn't you say?) And while I *kinda* like the color of the Monroe pen, I'm not wild about that step-down to the section -- *or* the apparently lack of postability....

Truthfully, I'm not a big fan of "girly" pens to begin with. Pens *I* like using? Parker 51s, Pelikan M200/M400s (LOVE the M405 Stresemann I got last spring -- it's classy looking, not "mannish", and just who says grey pinstripe is only for guys, anyway?), and some of my Sheaffer Snorkels. At the moment, Pilot is making me nuts -- Vanishing Points are a little too heavy for me, but the colors of Decimos being sold in the US run the gamut of "meh" to "girly" to "even more girly" to "who in their right mind likes this color -- it's HIDEOUS" (I'll leave it to everyone's imagination to decide the order of colors... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

I've been lurking here for a long time, but this is finally my first post - so hello!

 

I just wanted to weigh in - I bought this pen yesterday (fountain) and I'm quite liking it. And, for the record, I don't generally lean towards the feminine pens either. My grandma has the Grace Kelly rollerball and I find it to be, if not tacky, then certain overwrought for my taste. Something about the Marilyn Monroe I liked, though I agree that it has a similar look with the tapering clip.

 

I use my Montblanc Heritage Rouge/Noir as my daily writer, if that gives you a sense for the size I prefer, and I find the MM fits in my hand in a similar way, but with a slight flare that gives me a better grip. I can't write with wide barrel/cigar-like pens (I have a few writer editions that are nothing but decor these days because of the barrel size) for very long, so the way that my hand fits around the flare with the tapering at the rear end is perfect for me. You can also post the cap, it has a little notch built into the barrel, so that it looks like an hourglass figure when it is posted. It also adds a weight to it that I like - it feels a bit light without the cap.

 

As far as looks go, I suppose it is a matter of preference. It has some mid-century details to it that I love and the color is a lovely red in person. That said, I wish they'd left the pearl off the clip (Marilyn Monroe is not the celebrity I'd associate with pearls, anyway - if they wanted to be true to form, I guess they could have done a diamond, but... barf). They also engraved MM's silhouette on the nib, which I don't particularly like. I also find that the rollerball/ballpoint are very blah - the fountain works for me because of the curving and tapering with the cap posted.

 

So, anyway, I wouldn't call it a home run, but I like it a lot more than most people here seem to.

[RocketRyan]

I think it looks cool, but looks like the step down would be awful. I struggle with the step down on a pilot metropolitan.

[TennesseeTrash]

When capped it looks like the heel of a high-heeled shoe. The fountain pen appears to be the least usable version. My wife thinks it's gorgeous, so I wish I hadn't shown it to her.

[Tom Kellie]

I've been lurking here for a long time, but this is finally my first post - so hello!

 

As far as looks go, I suppose it is a matter of preference. It has some mid-century details to it that I love and the color is a lovely red in person. That said, I wish they'd left the pearl off the clip (Marilyn Monroe is not the celebrity I'd associate with pearls, anyway - if they wanted to be true to form, I guess they could have done a diamond, but... barf). They also engraved MM's silhouette on the nib, which I don't particularly like. I also find that the rollerball/ballpoint are very blah - the fountain works for me because of the curving and tapering with the cap posted.

 

 

~ Hi, kett!

 

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network Montblanc Forum!

I enjoyed your reasonable explanation as to why the Marilyn Monroe pen appealed to you.

You've widened my narrow perception, letting me understand the design from another viewpoint.

Ha! I agree. The pearl seems odd, but a diamond, or at least a facsimile thereof, would have been snazzy.

If you're using the fountain pen, may I please ask what nib it has?

As a male, I admit I'm intrigued by your comment that Ms. Monroe's silhouette is on the nib.

Perhaps a photo of the nib will eventually be posted here so that we might ‘check it out’.

Your post is so nice, as it is persuasive and clear. Please don't lurk anymore, as your participation is most appreciated.

Enjoy your red Marilyn Monroe pen!

Tom K.

[Ghost Plane]

Hi, kett! Welcome to the board.

 

Sounds like you're a perfect match for this design. Glad at least one is finding a good home.

[Kalessin]

Welcome, Kett!

 

I do sometimes wonder if MB really researches the subjects of their designs; the pearl seems really out of place on a Marilyn design. I'm also not a fan of metal sections and big step-downs between the barrel and section. The color and shape are pretty good, but the design certainly isn't for everyone.

[Pravda]

It's the kind of pen I imagined my grandmother would be carrying back in 1970 something in her purse along her powder case. With her big glasses she would take it down to write down a phone number so she can dial it back on these big black rotary phones.

[CS388]

Welcome to FPN, Kett.

 

As you have seen, we have diverse and frank opinions!

Thanks for your post. I had no idea about the cap posting feature, on the barrel. Nice touch.

And agree re the jewellery issue.

Sounds like you've found the perfect pen for yourself, alongside your Heritage Rouge et Noir!

 

Congratulations.

Hope you enjoy it. We'd love to see pictures.

[Pravda]

Welcome to FPN Kett

[kett]

 

 

~ Hi, kett!

 

Welcome to the Fountain Pen Network Montblanc Forum!

I enjoyed your reasonable explanation as to why the Marilyn Monroe pen appealed to you.

You've widened my narrow perception, letting me understand the design from another viewpoint.

Ha! I agree. The pearl seems odd, but a diamond, or at least a facsimile thereof, would have been snazzy.

If you're using the fountain pen, may I please ask what nib it has?

As a male, I admit I'm intrigued by your comment that Ms. Monroe's silhouette is on the nib.

Perhaps a photo of the nib will eventually be posted here so that we might ‘check it out’.

Your post is so nice, as it is persuasive and clear. Please don't lurk anymore, as your participation is most appreciated.

Enjoy your red Marilyn Monroe pen!

Tom K.

 

Thank you for the warm welcome! I am using the fountain pen - according to the documentation, the nib is "Au 585 Champagne Gold-coated" in fine.

 

I've attached a photo of the nib.

 

Hi, kett! Welcome to the board.

 

Sounds like you're a perfect match for this design. Glad at least one is finding a good home.

 

I didn't mean to give the impression that I thought it was perfect (in general, or for me). The pen definitely has some flaws, ones which a pen company with the budget and history of Montblanc shouldn't be allowing to pass beyond the design stage. For instance - I included a picture of the diamond engraving that circles the end of the barrel. I hate this addition. And the exaggerated step down is the kind of thing you expect to see on a cheap pen with no consideration for ergonomics. I definitely wouldn't use it for a long letter. That said, I liked it enough (and am a Marilyn fan) to bring it home.

 

It's the kind of pen I imagined my grandmother would be carrying back in 1970 something in her purse along her powder case. With her big glasses she would take it down to write down a phone number so she can dial it back on these big black rotary phones.

 

I thought using the back of a pen to dial on a rotary phone was the epitome of cool when I was a little girl! I was so sad that rotary phones were long gone by the time I came of age.

 

Welcome to FPN, Kett.

 

As you have seen, we have diverse and frank opinions!

Thanks for your post. I had no idea about the cap posting feature, on the barrel. Nice touch.

And agree re the jewellery issue.

Sounds like you've found the perfect pen for yourself, alongside your Heritage Rouge et Noir!

 

Congratulations.

Hope you enjoy it. We'd love to see pictures.

 

Thank you for the welcome - Opinions are the spice of life!

Edited September 4, 2017 by kett

[kett]

Welcome to FPN Kett

Thank you!

[Tom Kellie]

Thank you for the warm welcome! I am using the fountain pen - according to the documentation, the nib is "Au 585 Champagne Gold-coated" in fine.

 

I've attached a photo of the nib.

 

 

~ kett:

 

Those are terrific pen and nib images!

Really sharp, clear and well-illuminated.

The nib photo is a surprise, as it appears to be Ms. Monroe's face and hair.

The engraved diamond band reflecting “Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend”, eh?

Your images redeem the pen from the “what were they thinking?” file in my thoughts.

It has a certain appeal. Not what I'd buy or use, but I'm not in the target market.

Again, many thanks for posting such quality photos.

I hope that you'll enjoy the F nib as a daily writer.

Tom K.

[max dog]

Thanks for the pictures Kett. It is indeed a very elegant pen. Glad to hear the cap is made to post well, because with the cap posted it gives it a nice overall balance and symmetry.

Edited September 4, 2017 by max dog

[Barkingpig]

I am thankful for your detailed images of your pen & appreciate hearing from an owner of this pen.

 

I am not interested in any of the "Homage" pens, but appreciate the artistry that is employed to create what represents each pen. I surely remember the rotary dial phones & equally imprinted are the screen images I remember from this fantastic actress from movies when I was a very young child of the 1950's. She was just one of my many images of interesting, talented film stars from my first views of the "screen," to later films that followed. It would be very difficult to create a pen to represent the many facets of her personality for the many viewers of her work. I hope you enjoy the pen for many years & thank you for joining us. (@ I agree about the nib's engraving & "the pearl!")

[Pravda]

Kett these amazing pics truly bring out details I failed to notice earlier, like the engraving on where would be the piston knob, the aesthetics of the nib and the way the clip and its star have been fixed on the cap.

 

Thank you for this.

[Maktoob0303]

 

 

It's like the Bonheur series made/designed for women

 

Ew

[horationelson]

MB have also released a Marilyn Monroe notebook as part of this collection. It is white with a red lipstick mark on the top right corner.

 

Not sure if I'm allowed to post images from MB's own website due to copyright, but the product can be seen here:

 

http://www.montblanc.com/en-gb/collection/writing-instruments/writing-accessories/116486-montblanc-fine-stationery-notebook-146-ladies-edition-lin.html

 

It's a shame (or, more likely, a deliberate marketing strategy) that this is so gender specific - I can't imagine any men buying this, other than as a present for their wives.

[Ghost Plane]

Poor wives!

 

If corporations had any clue how much more they could sell to women (and our men) if they simply ASKED us what we wanted. (Other than a Blue Hour with an O3B nib)

[inkstainedruth]

Poor wives!

 

If corporations had any clue how much more they could sell to women (and our men) if they simply ASKED us what we wanted. (Other than a Blue Hour with an O3B nib)

 

My husband has already come out and said he will never buy me a pen for fear he'd get the wrong thing. (I've said "I can give you a list....")

But I can tell you for sure I would *never* ask for this pen -- or buy it for myself. If I wanted "pretty/girly pens", well, I'm still in the market for a Morrison sterling filigree overlay, to go with the two gold-filled filigree overlay ringtops, but I can wait. And the "win the lottery pen" is a Yard-o-Led Viceroy Victorian -- now THAT's an attractive pen.

The only MB pen I've ever seen that I was the least bit interested in owning (assuming I could afford it) was one from the 1930s, which had a blue barrel similar to that of a Thirties Pelikan Lapis (also completely unaffordable) or a similar looking -- and vintage -- Parker Duofold ringtop....

This pen? Not so much. Looks extremely top-heavy when posted, for one thing....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth