Montblanc Great Characters James Dean Special Edition

[Michael R.]

P1440441 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

At the moment my daily writer is the 2018 Great Character Special Edition dedicated to James Dean. It came to me with an extra fine nib and is filled with the corresponding James Dean Rebel Red ink.

 

P1440485 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1440412 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

James Byron Dean (1931 – 1955) was an American actor and a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as exemplified by the title of his most celebrated film, "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), in which he starred as troubled teenager Jim Stark. This edition features a red precious resin cap and barrel in reference to the red leather jacket worn by Dean in the film, while the pattern is inspired by the jeans he wore. The clip is a gun which pays tribute to his famous scene in the 1956 film "Giant". The cap ring is engraved with one of James Dean's most famous quotes: "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." The cone features an engraving of the coordinates of the James Dean Memorial.

https://www.montblanc.com/en-us/collection/writing-instruments/great-characters-edition/117889-great-characters-james-dean-special-edition-fountain-pen.html

 

The pen is made from bright red resin with a subtle pearlescent effect which is almost impossible to capture in pictures.

Metal parts are either platinum or ruthenium plated.

 

P1440398 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

Other details include a riffle shaped clip (from the movie "Giant"), an engraved one dollar bill on the cap top ("East of Eden"), a bullet inlay in the cap and a nib engraved with a racing flag to remind of his passion for car racing. The platinum plated 14K gold nib also shows James Dean's California license plate number 2Z77767 from his Porsche 550 Spyder "Little (bleep)".

 

P1440433 (1) by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1440417 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

The smooth nib writes with a nice fine line and good ink flow. One little thing whis is bothering me once is a while that the nib seems to get caught in the gap between inner cap and cap.

I've posted a few more pictures here.

 

In addition Montblanc launched a little extra site with more information:

The Untold Story of James Dean

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

P1440414 (1) by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

[BillH]

Excellent photographs Michael, thank you so much. This pen is much more interesting to me now that you have shown it off so well.

[PAKMAN]

Very nice pictures! Thanks!

[pwsuba]

When I first heard they were doing James Dean I had hoped that there would be more pulled from his Porsche. I was originally very skeptical about it being red, I was hoping for silver.

However your pictures show off how beautiful that pen really is. He nib is absolutely beautiful. I love the flag and license combo.

 

Beautiful pen and enjoy!!

[Remedial penmanship]

Really cool focus piece on this pen. The macro shots tell the story of the pen, I think much better than the limited promotional materials Ive seen. I wouldnt expect such a flared cap top and so faithfully reproduced a rifle for a clip, the two linked quite well.

[TLMG]

That is a gorgeous pen. I wonder how the pen will age, though, with all the nooks and crannies it has. Seems like there would be a lot of grime that gets caught in different places.

[dubhe]

Lovely photos, thank you. How do you find the disc on the side of the cap (bullet inlay?) its the one part which I just dont like. Is it recessed in or does it sit on the resin?

[BillH]

The clip is shaped like a double barreled shotgun after his role in Giant, not a rifle as some have said, so I'm thinking the disc is after the bottom of a shotgun shell rather than a bullet or a rifle cartridge. I could take it or leave it as a design element... it might make more sense if it were a sports car wheel spinner? Or perhaps, since the texture is supposed to refer to the weave of denim, could it be a rivet from a pair jeans?

 

Ah, pen designers...

[bbs]

Fabulous photos, thank you! I really like the look of most of this pen - the colour, cap top and small star especially. Not so keen on the clip and bullet discs or whatever they are on the cap. It's a very busy design, the most features on any pen so far?

[jamesgibby]

Congrats Michael.

 

Been out of the scene for a while and missed this pen being launched

[Michael R.]

Many thanks for all of your nice comments :-)

I might want to add that the clip is one of few modern Montblanc's design featuring an externally tensioned clip! Also resin parts on both cap and barrel are of equal length.

 

A few times I've noticed that there is a gap between inner cap and cap so you have to be careful that the nib does not get caught in there.

Otherwise this pen has performed flawless with a very nice nib which writes a clear and very fine line.

I still will try to take a picture showing the pearlescent finish.

 

That is a gorgeous pen. I wonder how the pen will age, though, with all the nooks and crannies it has. Seems like there would be a lot of grime that gets caught in different places.

 

 

Yes, I already noticed this when taking those pictures. Some dust and a little bit of grime already got caught in the grooves. But nothing regular cleaning maintenance could not take care of.

 

 

Lovely photos, thank you. How do you find the disc on the side of the cap (bullet inlay?) its the one part which I just dont like. Is it recessed in or does it sit on the resin?

 

It is recessed and might be the only part of the design I could do without. It does not bother me but I don't need it either.

 

 

The clip is shaped like a double barreled shotgun after his role in Giant, not a rifle as some have said, so I'm thinking the disc is after the bottom of a shotgun shell rather than a bullet or a rifle cartridge. I could take it or leave it as a design element... it might make more sense if it were a sports car wheel spinner? Or perhaps, since the texture is supposed to refer to the weave of denim, could it be a rivet from a pair jeans?

 

Ah, pen designers...

I could not check the inside of the barrel to see if it is a shotgun or riffle And unfortunately I did not watch the movie yet. Or is there any difference between riffle and shotgun I'm missing to see from the outside?

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[ygv]

I checked it at the boutique yesterday. Very nice pen.

[BillH]

...snip...

 

I could not check the inside of the barrel to see if it is a shotgun or riffle And unfortunately I did not watch the movie yet. Or is there any difference between riffle and shotgun I'm missing to see from the outside?

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

 

Definitely a shotgun. From a movie still/promo print I found on the internet:

 

[PenTieRun]

We’ll the inside of the barrel on the clip would likely be smooth, so it would be a shotgun

[AndyLogan]

Michael, this post of yours literally was the one that broke my resolve, I've been visiting it when I log in and I've finally decided to get one in an OBB, plus the fact that LCdC had 20% off on everything was a nice touch.

[Michael R.]

Same here :-)

 

20 % discount at LCdC! ...and the chance to order directly with the choosen nib.

 

Glad I could help ;-)

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[pwsuba]

I promised myself I wouldnt be getting this pen, I mustnt as I just purchased the Homer. I must not.

[BillH]

I agree Michael, your pictures have been working on me as well. But I've committed to a couple Pelikans so I'll have to wait on this one until another 20% off sale.

[AndyLogan]

I agree Michael, your pictures have been working on me as well. But I've committed to a couple Pelikans so I'll have to wait on this one until another 20% off sale.

 

@Bill believe me, I had no intention of purchasing it, but the pens that I do want to purchase had eluded me, so much so that I finally just used the funds to purchase this one, and just my luck, another grail pen shows up on the classifieds section (The Semiramis), Well, I might as well strengthen my resolve to just wait for the next Petit Prince and use my remaining funds for that, after all April is just round the corner.

[Newjelan]

Great pics of a nice looking pen. Thanks