[IC] GMK Indigo // GB Thread is Up

[Fredington]

GB Thread: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=116307.0

Hi all,

I'd like to unveil a project I've been working on in the background for a while now: GMK Indigo is inspired by Japanese denim culture, especially sashiko mending.





Specifications

Manufacturer: GMK
Profile: Cherry 1-1-2-3-4-4
Material: ABS
Legends: Doubleshot
Mod Style: Center-Aligned Icons



NEW IC Form & Social Media

As the kits have had a major revision, please do me a favor and fill out the NEW FORM! If you'd like, you can also follow me and my other projects on Instagram.

         



GB Details

This set is slated for a February 2022 GB window with the following vendors:

Worldwide: KBDFans
US: Space
CA: Desk[H]ero
UK: Proto[Typist]
EU: Salvun
SEA: iLumkb
OC: Daily Clack



Kits

Base

The updated Base kit now features Latin-only legends with support for 60% boards and up. Terminal-style ISO and F13 are included.



Hiragana

Due to costing, JIS support has been dropped, and this kit now features ANSI-only Hiragana support.



Extension

The Extension kit features a wealth of additional compatibility:

• R3/R4 PgUp/PgDn
• 2u Shift
• MacOS support
• 40s support
• Alice support

Spacebars

Alice support being moved to the new Extension kit made room for some more accents here.



Novelties

Accent arrows have been added here. The 1.25u and 1.5u novelty artworks have been swapped.





Render Gallery



























Deskmat





Collaborations

Red by Monokei
- R1 1u
- Anodized aluminum
- Engraved sashiko design w/ enamel infill





Continuity by Salvun
- R1 1u
- Copper w/ antique patina
- Laser engraved mitsudomoe design
- Clear coated







Impermanence by HIBI
- R3 2.25u
- Raw brass (no coating, will patina over time)
- Machine engraved crack w/ 2 through holes
- Mirror polished





Stitched Denim Straight Cable by RnCables

NOTE: This is a sample. There will be another round of color matching after the GB to ensure the colors are correct for the final product.





Two-Tone Cerakoted Aviator Cable by Space Cables







Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Kingk22, konstantin, and NathanAlphaMan.



Signature

If you'd like to support this project, please use the signature banner below:

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[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=114461.0][img]https://i.imgur.com/o7PwjLD.png[/img][/url]

[Fredington]

Reserved.

[of_sam]

I'm not gonna lie this triggers my fight or flight response. Subs are super hard to read as well. GLWC though.

[dallman5]

Interested, really digging the colors, but not digging on the centered icons. GLWIC 

[sourmk]

Please consider OG icon mods, and subs on numpad. Base is lovely, like the colors a lot!

[Dinerenblanc]

Interesting, but not for me GLWIC

[hali]

actually like this a lot more than i thought i would. +1 for numpad subs and og alignment

[Kokaloo]

i remember the good ol days of not being forced into getting nonsensical sublegends in a base kit, rather them being offered in an alt it

[geohammy]

I really like the colors, but would definitely prefer OG icon mods as well
also the sublegends are kind of hard to read

[sup3r170va]

I really like the colours, and I like the low contrast of the hiragana sub-legends. Tbh it being difficult to read is not a problem for most users, I believe.

[nvh2092]

Overall I like it 

[Fredington]

I'm not gonna lie this triggers my fight or flight response. Subs are super hard to read as well. GLWC though.

Tryptophobia? Gotta say I wasn't expecting that!

Interested, really digging the colors, but not digging on the centered icons. GLWIC 

I really like the colors, but would definitely prefer OG icon mods as well
also the sublegends are kind of hard to read

Please consider OG icon mods, and subs on numpad. Base is lovely, like the colors a lot!

actually like this a lot more than i thought i would. +1 for numpad subs and og alignment

Not really a fan of OG icon alignment. If anything, OG icon-text could be on the table, depending on interest. Numpad sublegends, not so much.

[Havattack]

FINALLY! A keyset to match my Sugarcane Okinawa's... The keyset i never knew i needed.

[Havattack]

i remember the good ol days of not being forced into getting nonsensical sublegends in a base kit, rather them being offered in an alt it

Those were the horrible, old, bad times, when evil walked the land and rubber domes ruled all..
SUB-LEGENDS! ALWAYS, AND FOREVER!!!!!!

(I want each of my key-caps to look like the god damn Rosetta Stone!)

[AstralYT]

Ooof I absolutely dig the colour choices here, would really love a complete latin base kit like the hazakura had.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

[sourmk]

Icon + text would be nice also, would like. Personal opinion, when the alphas are busy, it's nice for the numpad to match imho. Hope you might consider

[noahf]

ive been deep into the raw denim + japanese denim scene for 13ish years now and have a decent wardrobe of raw denim from brands like roy, momotaro, ironheart, sugarcane, oni, warehouse. So this feedback is coming from a person that wears 21oz  ironheart double knee overalls in the middle of summer:

i wish it were more based around either raw denim or the fade of the raw denim and a lot less on the repair of the denim. The novelties are almost exclusively repairs. I would consider double arches, red tags, some type of random cuff artisan. theres just so much more then the thread repair pattern to raw denim that i want to be more excited for this set.

also i would really love if latin were in the base and the "rosetta" stone version was the alt.

[Fredington]

i remember the good ol days of not being forced into getting nonsensical sublegends in a base kit, rather them being offered in an alt it

Ooof I absolutely dig the colour choices here, would really love a complete latin base kit like the hazakura had.

Depending on interest, perhaps a 2nd Latin base kit could be offered, as well.

ive been deep into the raw denim + japanese denim scene for 13ish years now and have a decent wardrobe of raw denim from brands like roy, momotaro, ironheart, sugarcane, oni, warehouse. So this feedback is coming from a person that wears 21oz  ironheart double knee overalls in the middle of summer:

i wish it were more based around either raw denim or the fade of the raw denim and a lot less on the repair of the denim. The novelties are almost exclusively repairs. I would consider double arches, red tags, some type of random cuff artisan. theres just so much more then the thread repair pattern to raw denim that i want to be more excited for this set.

also i would really love if latin were in the base and the "rosetta" stone version was the alt.

Thanks for feedback. This set was definitely inspired heavily by sashiko repairs, specifically the moyōzashi style of sashiko with its simple and practical stitches. Why? Simply put, because they look better on a keycap. The hitomezashi style in comparison, with its intricate patterns and shapes, needs more real estate to pull off successfully. This is why for example, I did not consider something like the shippō-tsunagi pattern that Sugar Cane employs on its back pockets. Also, I'd like to avoid any IP issues that might arise from using these brands' trademark imagery (i.e. Evisu's double arches, Momotaro's double stripes, etc.). Regarding more use of the red, I would also like to avoid any more similarities with GMK Denim, out of respect for t0mb3ry, which is why it is limited to the selvedge novelties.

[JohnYYZ]

Was thinking of the Indigo book store from NA when I saw Indigo looool.

Anyway, I really like the blues on this set. Novs are not my taste, but definitely getting a base kit + latin.

GLWIC

[Ustinj]

very very nice work.

[denibhoxha]

The subs are kinda hard to see and uv prnting drives the price way way up, so they're should at least be more visible. Novelties are super nice tho, deskmat too. GLWIC brah!

[dandruff]

Not everything HAS to contrast! Fan of the set with the current sublegend (or heavy fade if you do want to try more visibility, I love that blue). If you like how the sublegends look right now, I'd vote to keep it.

The only thing you should really look for is $$$ of UV print. Besides that, love the set!

[thestrayed]

Pretty noice. Instant buy especially desk mat 

[CookieFlow]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

[sup3r170va]

Not really a fan of OG icon alignment. If anything, OG icon-text could be on the table, depending on interest. Numpad sublegends, not so much.

Icon only mods please. I like the set as it is.

[sup3r170va]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

I’ve tried JTK and Domikey. It’s really not the same quality of ABS caps as GMK. I’ve not seen other PBT makers able to do this range of colour vibrancy as yet, although I’m waiting for Wuque Studio’s Kraken.

[Kinesiologist]

jeans

[dallman5]

icon + text would also be welcome, may also help differentiate it from GMK Denim a little bit more too (not like it really needs it)

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

My ratio of sets w Asian language sublegends sans Latin alpha kits to sets to purchased is under 1:100 (Striker). Keep those subs as you have em.

[Anorexious]

I really dig the colorway, love the icon mods also!
Personally, I would go with non-sub legend alphas for the base kit because UV printed sub legend might not for everyone

Anyway GLWIC

[kraiztmatte]

i really like the color, but sublegend pretty off, would be better in doubleshot and white sublegend, otherwise just put latin alpha in basekit.

[sudou915]

Would like to see a latin base kit.

And because of the theme I thought it be neat to see an add-on kit akin to how GMK Panels uses sporadic colors to replicate darning denim using shades of blue and white.(or any colors really)

[Fredington]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

I’ve tried JTK and Domikey. It’s really not the same quality of ABS caps as GMK. I’ve not seen other PBT makers able to do this range of colour vibrancy as yet, although I’m waiting for Wuque Studio’s Kraken.

Yeah, unfortunately GMK is still a cut above others in terms of the quality I'm looking for. They're also much easier to work with than say, JTK.

[Ustinj]

just want to chime in - i LOVE the subtlety / low contrast of the sublegends, and it's probably my favorite part about the set.

[Fredington]

I really dig the colorway, love the icon mods also!
Personally, I would go with non-sub legend alphas for the base kit because UV printed sub legend might not for everyone

Anyway GLWIC

Not everything HAS to contrast! Fan of the set with the current sublegend (or heavy fade if you do want to try more visibility, I love that blue). If you like how the sublegends look right now, I'd vote to keep it.

The only thing you should really look for is $$$ of UV print. Besides that, love the set!

My ratio of sets w Asian language sublegends sans Latin alpha kits to sets to purchased is under 1:100 (Striker). Keep those subs as you have em.

i really like the color, but sublegend pretty off, would be better in doubleshot and white sublegend, otherwise just put latin alpha in basekit.

The subs are kinda hard to see and uv prnting drives the price way way up, so they're should at least be more visible. Novelties are super nice tho, deskmat too. GLWIC brah!

just want to chime in - i LOVE the subtlety / low contrast of the sublegends, and it's probably my favorite part about the set.

Sublegend color will not be changing. Having the physical standards in front of me, I am confident that there will not be any legibility issues with these two blues.

[Puddsy]

we have moved past the need for pad print sublegends

but otherwise this looks nice

[HappyB0T]

Latin Alphas not in base doesn't make sense to me. Sublegends are hard to read. Colors are solid. Novelties are pretty sweet.

[JohnYYZ]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

I’ve tried JTK and Domikey. It’s really not the same quality of ABS caps as GMK. I’ve not seen other PBT makers able to do this range of colour vibrancy as yet, although I’m waiting for Wuque Studio’s Kraken.

Your set is not even close to being vibrant......The only vibrant color I see here is white and I am sure most manu will get that right.

[kbrick]

the colors and patterns really make me think of indigo denim pants

will definitely pick up the deskmat, maybe more (gmk lead times got mek  ).

good luck with IC / GB !

[darthcapn]

Me likey!!

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[HungHingDaiLo]

Nice! One thing I wished that may be a long shot is that the JIS in the base (non-JIS as extension).
Also I can imagine the F5-8 would look best in alpha color if there's any way you can include it on the Latin Alphas kit.

Can't wait to see the pricings 

[aerospice]

I'm curious to see how the sublegends will look in the red color; might help it pop a little more since some people here have been talking about the visibility of the text. I also feel it would match well with the enter novelties too, with the red/white stitching and all (would be cool to see something similar for the R1 esc key, maybe a stitched Japanese flag shown in the deskmat). Anyway, definitely looking forward to seeing more of this since I'm a fan of the overall concept!

[RelativeChance]

The sublegends need to be doubleshot in white imo the dark blue is illegible and doesn't look good and it causes it to be uv printed which kind of defeats the purpose of the gmk price tag. If you want it to look that way so bad at least switch the alphas in the alpha kit with the ones in the base kit

[AstralYT]

Off-topic but what are the keyboards you used for renders? One seem to be Vanquish, what are the other two?

[unusuaL_]

Colours are nice. Not too big fan of the subs though, would possibly like to have 2 base kits

[Fredington]

Off-topic but what are the keyboards you used for renders? One seem to be Vanquish, what are the other two?

F2-84 and Hyphen

[CookieFlow]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

I’ve tried JTK and Domikey. It’s really not the same quality of ABS caps as GMK. I’ve not seen other PBT makers able to do this range of colour vibrancy as yet, although I’m waiting for Wuque Studio’s Kraken.

Yeah, unfortunately GMK is still a cut above others in terms of the quality I'm looking for. They're also much easier to work with than say, JTK.

What about Domikeys?
As somebody mentioned this set isn't really about the vibrancy of the colors.

But if you are 100% set on GMK I understand, it's just I can't see myself joining a set that I will get mid 2023, but I'm sure plenty of people will. It looks great 

[Fredington]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

I’ve tried JTK and Domikey. It’s really not the same quality of ABS caps as GMK. I’ve not seen other PBT makers able to do this range of colour vibrancy as yet, although I’m waiting for Wuque Studio’s Kraken.

Yeah, unfortunately GMK is still a cut above others in terms of the quality I'm looking for. They're also much easier to work with than say, JTK.

What about Domikeys?
As somebody mentioned this set isn't really about the vibrancy of the colors.

But if you are 100% set on GMK I understand, it's just I can't see myself joining a set that I will get mid 2023, but I'm sure plenty of people will. It looks great 

It’s not about the color. ABS is ABS as far as color vibrancy goes. After going through color matching with GMK Red Devils, I don’t think GMK is all that great at color matching anyway.

I’m more concerned about legend consistency and alignment. I understand GMK has had some QC issues in recent sets, but they’re still a relatively known quantity whereas I have no experience with Domikey. I saw that they can do tripleshot, which is attractive. If someone could vouch for their quality, then I’m open to considering it.

[asciisii]

Good work on the initial IC! As a formerish raw denim-head who still wears his faded raws, this is clearly intriguing to me. Some comments:

-love the colours, I like this a lot more than GMK denim's colour scheme and the inclusion of novelties

-Although denim has heavy heavy Japanese influence and that's the overall theme of the set, I hope you'll consider making the base kit Latin Alphas and making the Japanese subs the additional kit. Two base kits is probably too risky I imagine, especially considering the several failed secondary base kits of the last six months

-Although I respect the novelties, I'm not a big fan of the sashiko theme. It's much too specific, niche, and I think there's more from the denim world (or Japanese denim world if you wish) that you could incorporate. For example (of course need to watch out for copy right and C+Ds but):

*Pure Blue Japan's leaf emblem
*Various Selvedge ID's
*Leather patch designs
*Metal buttons

I think some of the sashiko novelties are cool but not sure I'd purchase in its current state.

-Regarding kitting/legending again, F13 in base is nice. Don't care much for subs so I won't comment more on their visibility like others have. Bars in base would also be nice too I guess.

Overall, GLWIC will strongly consider buying if there are some revisions.
 

[sup3r170va]

Although I don't wear this style of Japanese sashiko denim anymore, I still really enjoy the aesthetics of it and it makes for a surprisingly awesome set.

My only question would be did you consider other manu than GMK?
JTK does triple shot and are cheaper than GMK.
I know JTK isn't that fast either, but with GMK if this was entering GB in a couple of months we would probably look at Q2 2023 which personally I would have a hard time joining.

I am not sure if some newer manufacturer like MW can do pad/UV printing, but if yes that would be pretty awesome for the cost and delivery time.

I’ve tried JTK and Domikey. It’s really not the same quality of ABS caps as GMK. I’ve not seen other PBT makers able to do this range of colour vibrancy as yet, although I’m waiting for Wuque Studio’s Kraken.

Yeah, unfortunately GMK is still a cut above others in terms of the quality I'm looking for. They're also much easier to work with than say, JTK.

What about Domikeys?
As somebody mentioned this set isn't really about the vibrancy of the colors.

But if you are 100% set on GMK I understand, it's just I can't see myself joining a set that I will get mid 2023, but I'm sure plenty of people will. It looks great 

It’s not about the color. ABS is ABS as far as color vibrancy goes. After going through color matching with GMK Red Devils, I don’t think GMK is all that great at color matching anyway.

I’m more concerned about legend consistency and alignment. I understand GMK has had some QC issues in recent sets, but they’re still a relatively known quantity whereas I have no experience with Domikey. I saw that they can do tripleshot, which is attractive. If someone could vouch for their quality, then I’m open to considering it.

Domikey’s legends are off. The spacing of the lettering of the mods aren’t great (“shif t”), the numbers for the hiragana are too small (compared to GMK), the texture of the keycaps aren’t as great.
I would pass if this becomes a Domikey set.

[Fredington]

Domikey’s legends are off. The spacing of the lettering of the mods aren’t great (“shif t”), the numbers for the hiragana are too small (compared to GMK), the texture of the keycaps aren’t as great.

This is what I suspected. Manufacturing will remain with GMK. Hopefully, we can have a GB sooner rather than later, although GMK has been rather slow with providing quotes lately.

Given the feedback so far, I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take the kitting. Metal artisan collabs are also forthcoming.

[HelloThisIsDog]

Really love the color combo! Not a huge fan of (yet another set with) Japanese sublegends

[nvh2092]

Domikey’s legends are off. The spacing of the lettering of the mods aren’t great (“shif t”), the numbers for the hiragana are too small (compared to GMK), the texture of the keycaps aren’t as great.

This is what I suspected. Manufacturing will remain with GMK. Hopefully, we can have a GB sooner rather than later, although GMK has been rather slow with providing quotes lately.

Given the feedback so far, I have a pretty good idea of where I want to take the kitting. Metal artisan collabs are also forthcoming.

Beside sub and non sub legend, are there any problems with the current kitting? I think base kit and novelty are good

[Puddsy]

JTK's tripleshot legend plates are a lot better than the latin single legend plates, i helped them fix a lot of them

i think they either just redid or are redoing the mod legends right now, i haven't really been in contact with them much the last few months cause ive been busy

personally i wouldn't take the quality hit of pad print subs, especially when combined with having to wait probably over a year for a set to get made

[gihrenzabi]

OMG..... denim is my favourite colour.....

[Bitdrive]

Absolutely love it! If this becomes a real set I will 100% pick one up!

[Meletrix2021]

 GLWIC 

[Serval]

Would love this even more if it wasn't a GMK set. 1 1/2 to 2 years wait time is too long. GLWIC tho

[konstantin]

Deskmat

Show Image

That deskmat is nothing short of awesome!

[IMZO]

This hits the spot, idk about the novelties tho

[morerudder]

instabuy for me!

[qnnoa]

I wish there was a latin alpha base...

[d3stiny]

I prefer the latin based alphas as well. I dont think the hiragana subs are clearly visible. It looks too messy with it.

GL!

[RoyalOak88]

Really digging this set! The colours, novelties and deskmat are awesome.
But like many others, would also prefer the Latin alphas as base. Not a big fan of the hiragana subs.

[sagarsiddhpura]

I am very interested. Please have latin base kit and work on novelties a bit more. Thanks

[Mr Chrome]

Those novelties are top tier. I love how they're faithful to the stitching while still looking like symbols (for functions).

That said, they make a good case for latin-only basekit. The novelties being mostly white and a very similar thickness to the latin legends make them a much better fit for plain latin legends than with subs IMO. I just think it matches the design of the novelties better.

[CookieFlow]

I guess I'll voice my vote for keeping the hiragana subs as I like them, and they feel adequate for the theme of the set.

[treeleaf64]

Even if it doesn't match Denim colors... it's still Denim in my eyes. A darker version

[sup3r170va]

I guess I'll voice my vote for keeping the hiragana subs as I like them, and they feel adequate for the theme of the set.

I second this.

[microCuts]

Prefer base alpha without sublegends.

[Fredington]

OK let's gather some data. I created a poll so you can vote for your preference of base kit (Hiragana vs. Latin). I'll leave it open for a week or so.

[geonworks]

im down the Latin base

[Puddsy]

im down the Latin base

im with geon on this one

[loopaddiction]

I'm hoping Latin base wins out. I understand the justifications for Hiragana to go with the theme...but it just doesn't look good to me.

I'm not a deskmat person either and I think 99% of the deskmat designs in this hobby are tacky AF, but this one is actually good.

Great work as usual Fred!

[kameron]

the colors are nice but the subs seem hard to read glwic tho.

[Fredington]

Bump for poll, which will be open for a few more days.

[azack]

Voted in the poll! Hoping for latin base too 

[haesbaert]

Voted in the poll! Hoping for latin base too 

Me too ! Latin base is instant buy for me.

[AstralYT]

Latin ez win

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

[Hyphen]

Latin for me, as well. Just adding my hope for a Canadian vendor, as well.

[Fredington]

Latin ez win

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

Pretty much:



This breakdown has pretty much stayed constant throughout the entirety of the poll, so I think the results are pretty definitive.

Poll is now closed. Thank you to everyone who voted.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below are the new proposed kits, as well as a new IC form. Please have a look and let me know what you think! Updated renders are pending.



NEW IC Form



NEW Kits

Base

The updated Base kit now features Latin-only legends with support for 60% boards and up. Terminal-style ISO and F13 are included.



JIS

Here, Hiragana sublegends have been combined with the original JIS kit. As Hiragana has now been confined to a child kit, coupled with the increased key count for proper ANSI and JIS support, the extra cost for UV-printed sublegends could no longer be justified. Thus, they are now doubleshot.



Extension - NEW

The new Extension kit features a wealth of additional compatibility:

• R3/R4 PgUp/PgDn
• 660 support
• 2u Shift
• MacOS support (both ANSI and JIS)
• 40s support
• Alice support
• Filco Minila Air/GH60 Minila JIS support

Novelties

Accent arrows have been added here. The 1.25u and 1.5u novelty artworks have been swapped.



Spacebars

Alice support being moved to the new Extension kit made room for some more accents here.

[Puddsy]

excellent update, i like all these changes

[sup3r170va]

Damn. I was looking forward to the low contrast hiragana sublegends. Sad that they aren’t even in the JIS kit will it be too prohibitive to offer that?

By the way the link for the new IC form is broken. It now shows the Imgur for the results of the last form.

[Fredington]

Damn. I was looking forward to the low contrast hiragana sublegends. Sad that they aren’t even in the JIS kit will it be too prohibitive to offer that?

By the way the link for the new IC form is broken. It now shows the Imgur for the results of the last form.

Thanks, it's been fixed. I think given that alternate legend child kits have a historical attachment rate of less than 15%, price is going to be a major factor for this kit to make its MOQ.

[_rubik]

Those updates look really good -- I'm excited to see the new renders

Sad to see the low contrast jis legends go, but I understand that the pricing is prohibitive on a set of that size.

[CookieFlow]

Hopefully the people that voted Latin will show up when it comes to buying.

Having a Japanese themed set with latin alphas in the base kit makes 0 sense to me.
And afaik almost all (if not all) the Japanese oriented sets recently that offered 2 base kits, the base kit with hiragana sublegends did better.

[sup3r170va]

Damn. I was looking forward to the low contrast hiragana sublegends. Sad that they aren’t even in the JIS kit will it be too prohibitive to offer that?

By the way the link for the new IC form is broken. It now shows the Imgur for the results of the last form.

Thanks, it's been fixed. I think given that alternate legend child kits have a historical attachment rate of less than 15%, price is going to be a major factor for this kit to make its MOQ.

Please reconsider low constrast UV sub legends for the JIS kit. Think of the 1/3 of the folks that voted for that kit earlier! I’ll buy 2 child kits towards your MOQ if you run it.

[XiXora]

I'll miss the low contrast Japanese legends. I was excited to have a nice (ISO) Japanese set.
Could you add the R3 |\ and R4 >< key that is now missing please?

[Fredington]

I'll miss the low contrast Japanese legends. I was excited to have a nice (ISO) Japanese set.
Could you add the R3 |\ and R4 >< key that is now missing please?

[sudou915]

Yea, I did prefer the Latin base but was still looking forward to the low contrast sublegends in the child set.

[Vibex]

Oooof yeah thats a huge bummer. Was really looking forward to those low contrast keys. Hope those latin voters come out when its time to buy, because this unfortunately will stop me (and I'm betting a lot of others) from joining. :/

[azack]

Nice latin base! Thank you for listening to the community! Definitely in for most kits now!

[asciisii]

Yay latin base. I'm in. Will think on the novelties, it seems sashiko theme is for sure

[XiXora]

I'll miss the low contrast Japanese legends. I was excited to have a nice (ISO) Japanese set.
Could you add the R3 |\ and R4 >< key that is now missing please?

<cut picture to not make thread massive>

Ah, I must have missed that R3 scurrying to find the old R4 [><]… so one key needed?

[CookieFlow]

Being about 60/40% I think you should also consider the option of 2 base kits one for latin alphas and one for hiragana sublegends.

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

Being about 60/40% I think you should also consider the option of 2 base kits one for latin alphas and one for hiragana sublegends.

I wanted something like this in the survey

I want Latin base and but will buy hiragana base, not child Latin alphas
I want Latin base but will buy Latin child kit and hiragana base (I was here)
I want Latin base and if it’s not there I’m out
Along with the other 3.

I think from there you get the data for child kit or not. Experienced designers like Fredington might know they’re unreliable though…

[Evasive]

Nice, latin base kit works better here imo.

[konstantin]

Ah, I must have missed that R3 scurrying to find the old R4 [><]… so one key needed?

The R4 <>ろ key is not needed since there is already a R4 \_ろ key (as circled in the image that Fredington posted).

Base

The updated Base kit now features Latin-only legends with support for 60% boards and up. Terminal-style ISO and F13 are included.

Show Image

I would move the generic R4 1u Meta key to the Extension kit. I think that's about the only change I'd make, for now.

[Fredington]

Being about 60/40% I think you should also consider the option of 2 base kits one for latin alphas and one for hiragana sublegends.

I wanted something like this in the survey

I want Latin base and but will buy hiragana base, not child Latin alphas
I want Latin base but will buy Latin child kit and hiragana base (I was here)
I want Latin base and if it’s not there I’m out
Along with the other 3.

I think from there you get the data for child kit or not. Experienced designers like Fredington might know they’re unreliable though…

Being about 60/40% I think you should also consider the option of 2 base kits one for latin alphas and one for hiragana sublegends.

Like I said, the poll breakdown really didn't change much throughout the course of the poll. Moreover, the number of poll participants was very nearly equal to the number of IC form responses, so I consider the results to be pretty definitive. Also, where we ended up (almost 66/33) is statistically pretty different from 60/40 or even something closer that would legitimately give doubt to the results, so let's not fudge the numbers.

Regarding the possibility of 2 base kits, I'm personally not a fan of how they essentially cannibalize each other's sales. To be honest, this is something that would only happen if this set got a much bigger response. This is also why there weren't more options in the poll.

Base

The updated Base kit now features Latin-only legends with support for 60% boards and up. Terminal-style ISO and F13 are included.

Show Image

I would move the generic R4 1u Meta key to the Extension kit. I think that's about the only change I'd make, for now.

That'll probably happen, yeah.

[CookieFlow]

I understand the reasoning, I just hope the Latin buyers will come through.

But from looking at recent sales for Japanese inspired sets that had 2 base kits, afaik the base kit with Japanese subs always did better:
Hazakura, Origami, A, Harvest, Awaken and some were fairly close like Fuji and Shashin but the sub legends kits still did better.

Anyways it is 100% your decision and I will respect it, but I feel it is also something to consider since not everybody participates in the polls.

[sourmk]

Agree with the few others about the original kitting. It's what attracted me to the set, low contrast looked so nice. Happy to see folks like the updates though! GL!

[XiXora]

The R4 <>ろ key is not needed since there is already a R4 \_ろ key (as circled in the image that Fredington posted).

I can see red circles, the original R4 [><ろ] key is still missing which is what I was hinting at…

[sup3r170va]

I understand the reasoning, I just hope the Latin buyers will come through.

But from looking at recent sales for Japanese inspired sets that had 2 base kits, afaik the base kit with Japanese subs always did better:
Hazakura, Origami, A, Harvest, Awaken and some were fairly close like Fuji and Shashin but the sub legends kits still did better.

Anyways it is 100% your decision and I will respect it, but I feel it is also something to consider since not everybody participates in the polls.

I concur with this observation.

[Fredington]

Agree with the few others about the original kitting. It's what attracted me to the set, low contrast looked so nice. Happy to see folks like the updates though! GL!

We will submit both versions for costing and see how it shakes out. Given the size of the kit, I would guess that it might be around $85-90 for doubleshot and possibly approaching $95-100 for UV printed, which is fairly undesirable to me and I'm sure to many others.

[sup3r170va]

Agree with the few others about the original kitting. It's what attracted me to the set, low contrast looked so nice. Happy to see folks like the updates though! GL!

We will submit both versions for costing and see how it shakes out. Given the size of the kit, I would guess that it might be around $85-90 for doubleshot and possibly approaching $95-100 for UV printed, which is fairly undesirable to me and I'm sure to many others.

To be honest, I think dual base kits may be the most cost effective. And if it’s definitely a JIS kit, between the two prices I would say if someone wants in it won’t make a difference to the decision process.

[dallman5]

+1 low contrast, UV printed hiragana (why are people complaining about being able to read it? its not like most of y'all are typing in hiragana anyway. plus legends are superfluous, especially secondary ones)

+1 og icons or text+icon

+1 dual base kits (feels like it could be a good compromise, esp when youre talking about paying close to the price of a base kit for just the hiragana kit)

[loopaddiction]

I think the changes are great, this went from an EZ-skip to a buy for me. I also think the sublegends look much better now.

Preference also goes towards text+icon but not a dealbreaker for me.

Going in all kits.

[vladimir108]

Hello, in thread "GMK Beta" was published update of basic Latin/Hiragana GMK keycaps from Zambumon:
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=108290.msg3009840#msg3009840
Zambumon_GMK_Hiragana_Latin_RFC.pdf  https://geekhack.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=108290.0;attach=261369

[Fredington]

Today, I'm pleased to reveal the first artisan I have planned for this project. The following Kei Cap will be made from aluminum that is anodized, engraved, and infilled.

[alevyish]

Today, I'm pleased to reveal the first artisan I have planned for this project. The following Kei Cap will be made from aluminum that is anodized, engraved, and infilled.

That is, as they say, POGGERS

[jagger27]

GMK Jeans

nice kitting

[Fredington]

Hi all,

This set is slated for a February 2022 GB window with the following vendors:

Worldwide: KBDFans
US: Space Cables
CA: Desk[H]ero
UK: Proto[Typist]
EU: Salvun
SEA: iLumkb
OC: Daily Clack

We actually got a rather quick turnaround from GMK for the 1st round of quotes. I submitted several options, including JIS base and extension kits in both doubleshot and UV printing versions. Unfortunately, the costs were completely unworkable for full JIS support in any form other than in a base kit, and even then, the pricing would be pretty challenging for anything less than 1000 MOQ. Now, I have no intentions of going back on the poll results, so the choice that makes the most sense economically is to drop JIS support and just have ANSI Hiragana. I've also gone back to UV-printed sublegends, since without all the extra JIS keys, I think it could be workable and I prefer the look.

Below are the kits that will be affected by this change. Before I submitted for 2nd round quotes, I wanted to get your feedback on this, so please let me know what you think:

Hiragana



Extension

[XiXora]

I'm looking forward to February!

[sudou915]

Would you consider going back to the UV print low contrast white sublegends?  I think it adds to the theme of the set seeing the sublegends slowly fade away.

[sup3r170va]

Thanks for reverting to low contrast UV sub legends. JIS was a good to have but not critical, so I’m happy with the change.

For the 40s kit, I think an additional R2 1u mod coloured Esc key would be nice. It’s not critical, but there aren’t that many R2 1u keys to use, and since you are going beyond a 3 key 40s kit that would be a nice addition. If you need to take out the key, one way is to drop the R4 1u Alt key.

I’m looking forward to Feb!

[hiddensong]

Personally I wont pay for kits this small. Whereas F13 is a nice add, newer kits have stepped control and Alice for under $100. I'm sure a GMK set wont be under $100 and with one of the smallest kits out recently. I feel if we as a group stop buying small kits then they will get either more robust or move to a more reasonable price.  GMK's $130 GB price for a base kit is just far behind in modern times. I love the color and the whole Japan denim scene idea. The kits have got to get better for me to spend my money. Either way, sincerely good luck!

[Mr Chrome]

The changes to this set look good! I’m glad kit pricing is a big consideration of yours, especially since so many good sets have run.

Latin looks clean. Way I see it, sets that do better with sublegend base kits do so because they have less emphasis on the novelties, where Latin-only makes the set look empty. With novelties that take up the entire top of the cap, I think subs get a little noisy. ANSI Hiragana kit looks like a great compromise. GL with this one!

[MOON]

I am freaking PUMPED that you brought back the UV subs. It is what makes the set unique in the first place. If they fade a bit over time, they will just fit the faded denim theme that much more. Excited for Feb.

[Hyperdimension]

what’s the point of the extra tab in the hiragana kit?

[Fredington]

what’s the point of the extra tab in the hiragana kit?

It’s so you can use the alphas on a 2nd board with the leftover mods from the base kit. I actually need to move the 2nd 2.25u Shift from the Extension kit to the Base kit to allow this to work, which will be made in the next update.

[Hyperdimension]

oh, this is actually awesome

[vishydesigns]

probably my computer screen, but im looking at physical ral color book, and colors appear to be way off, RAL 5000 looks closer to the mods than the alphas. All the other blues are pretty far off in the renders, still a dope looking set anyway

[sagarsiddhpura]

Can you please add rectangles.store as Indian vendor

[JumboFriedShrimp]

as a Japanese, I strongly want you to add the Japanese vendor since it is inspired by Japanese denim culture

[Fredington]

Hello!
I have an exciting update today: new artisans and a small kit update. Salvun and HIBI have graciously contributed a metal artisan each to this project. These were inspired by the details on one of my favorite denim brands, Samurai.


In collaboration with Salvun: Continuity
- R1 1u
- Copper w/ antique patina
- Laser engraved mitsudomoe design
- Clear coated








In collaboration with HIBI: Impermanence
- R3 2.25u
- Raw brass (no coating, will patina over time)
- Machine engraved crack w/ 2 through holes
- Mirror polished

HIBI is currently making a sample of this, so a photo should be coming shortly!








As for the kit update, the duplicate 2.25u SHIFT has been moved from the Extension kit into the Base kit to allow for a greater utility of the duplicate TAB in the Hiragana kit:

[sup3r170va]

The new artisans look good! Think I have to get at least one 

For the extension kit, Since the 3-key 40s support is moved there, can u consider also adding a R2 1u Esc key? Thanks.

[clayclws]

Looking really good! Hope the Hibi Enter has the same rugged outlook at Salvun’s artisan.

[Ustinj]

already commented on this once, but definitely in on this set's theme, NOVELTIES, and now with that new hibi enter ..

[Fredington]

As promised, here are a couple of photos of the HIBI artisan:





Being mirror-polished raw brass, it will pick up micro scratches over time that lend it additional character and you can already see the oxidation happening in the crack. Inspired by the Japanese phrase 諸行無常 – shogyō mujō – or the impermanence of worldly things, along with the sculptures of artist Daniel Arsham, this artisan will bring some wabi-sabi vibes to your keyboard.

[bert039]

Told myself no more gmk gb's until the queue times improve but this set is ridiculously good. Love the artisans and everything, definitely a must buy

[Fredington]

RnCables will be contributing an amazing cable to this project. Sample images are below:





NOTE: Please forgive the colors, which I know are not a perfect match. They have been busy moving studios and will go through another round of color matching after the GB to ensure the colors are correct for the final product.

Due to the nature of the sleeve fabric, this cable will only be offered in a straight variant. Space Cables will be offering a 2nd cable with a coiled option, which is currently being sampled. Stay tuned!

[MOON]

Just checked SpaceCables and it doesn't look like it's live yet. KBDfans is up so I just wanted to check if they are going live on different days?

[Fredington]

Just checked SpaceCables and it doesn't look like it's live yet. KBDfans is up so I just wanted to check if they are going live on different days?

Hey there, thanks for the interest! Yeah, KBDFans launched earlier than they were supposed to. We are waiting for some updated renders that will more accurately portray the colors chosen for this set. I'm expecting these on Monday, after which I'll post some pricing. The rest of the vendors will likely launch on Friday, February 11. Sorry for the confusion!

[oscdawg]

Is there a spacebar in the dark blue rinse color? Or only the two lighter shades of blue ?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Fredington]

Hi all,

Unfortunately, updated renders are taking longer than anticipated. We're hoping to be able to launch officially on Monday. Thanks for your patience.

Is there a spacebar in the dark blue rinse color? Or only the two lighter shades of blue ?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

There will be no spacebars in the darkest blue.

[x-x-eternity-x-x]

I need this set.
will it be live this week?

[Fredington]

Hi all,

New renders are finally here--a big thank you to NathanAlphaMan for banging these out! Please see the OP for all updated images (there's a lot).

We will be officially launching the GB this Friday, February 18 on all vendors. Thank you very much for your patience!

[VXQN]

Holy moly, those new renders are amazing, they make the set look absolutely fantastic — I'm tempted to buy now where I wasn't before (GMK queues etc.). I have to say that this set more than most looks like it'll be made or broken by the colour matching, which is sort of what's putting me off purchasing.

[Fredington]

Holy moly, those new renders are amazing, they make the set look absolutely fantastic — I'm tempted to buy now where I wasn't before (GMK queues etc.). I have to say that this set more than most looks like it'll be made or broken by the colour matching, which is sort of what's putting me off purchasing.

Well, these being renders, they come with the usual disclaimer that they can only go so far as to representing the final product, which will be matched to the RALs chosen. If you want to know what a set will look like, I suggest purchasing a RAL fan deck. For the RAL Classic line, the K5 semi matte deck is a good resource and won't set you back too much.

In other news, Space has finished its cable prototype. It will be offered in both coiled and straight variants during the GB. The connector will be cerakoted and then wiped off while still wet to achieve a two-toned effect evident in the knurling and other crevices/corners.

[7]

Another great set from the man himself

[Fredington]

GB thread: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=116307.0