Not sure why you went with mao. Everyone knows what light gray looks like, and if there is any variation in what is expected in comparison to what is produced then it's typically only a matter of contrast (ie. Darker or lighter than expected).
Other colors like purple or blue can vary significantly more than mao. Look at the kbdfans dark blue 5 degree case for example, it looks purple....
No offense, but I think you went with the easiest option, something you know that can't really be screwed up by the factory. Mao can't be screwed up, because there is no standard expectation for mao. The only way mao could be screwed up is if it came out black or another pigmented color. I feel that by not getting it anodized and then promising 95% similarity (what does this even mean? 95% on what scale of measure?) is a shady way to get everyone on board only for them to be disappointed me they receive their boards.
Good luck with everything, I was excited for this, but I'm definitely sitting it out now.
Edit: spelling
I disagree with you. Whether he went with Mao because some people (me included) asked for it or because he wanted it, is no reason to call it the easy choice.
I do agree on the fact that, in a perfect world, every color should be shown before the GB, and he will do that on Alu sampler as he said it. I actually wanted to see Mao because the render in the OP showed a white board, like, way too white to be Mao, but I had a hard time picturing the board in Mao. I would have been fine with any board color for the prototype, of course, as I'm more hyped by the layout than the colors themselves, but my first choice when ordering would be Mao and my lack of imagination is really grateful he picked that one.
Hopefully you'll change your mind and still join when this launches :-)
I agree, maybe my use of "easy" was a bit rash and too forward. You're absolutely right in saying others wanted to see mao instead, so there definitely was interest in seeing it.
I also agree that it's definitely not feasible to have every color shown on a prototype board before the GB; its just not financially feasible. You're right, the render did show a white board, and I also think that's misleading because as you yourself indicated, it was way too white to be mao. From that I think I can extrapolate that it is relatively common knowledge within the community that mao cannot produce a perfect white. In fact, I think the only way to get a perfect white is powdercoat or cerakote.
When I said "easy" I meant more along the lines of that there are less degrees of freedom in which mao can be "screwed up" compared to anodization, with the critical consideration being towards color hue. We all have come to expect from past GBs that mao white is typically gray. On some customs it is a lighter or darker gray than others. Anodization, however, can not only vary by tint/shade (lighter/darker), but the hue can vary as well. The kbdfans dark blue case which was actually a purple hue was the example I used. Having anodization chips helps mitigate my worries that I'm not gonna get a completely different hue, but it doesn't speak towards anod quality, which I briefly touch upon in a reply above.
Either way, this is just my perspective, i appreciate everyone else's, and am open to discussion. I will also say that I have been burned one too many times in the past in IRL on arbitrary promises such as 95% accurate (which again is completely subjective). I will continue to follow this IC and see what comes out of everything because I too like the layout, but I figured as someone who is trying to become an active member of the community that I should voice my concern.
