Author Topic: [IC] GMK MTNU Skyriter (Read 10763 times)

cijanzen · « **on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 12:00:39 »

GMK MTNU Skyriter

In partnership with NovelKeys, I am pleased to bring back the Skyriter keycap set in the MTNU profile. This vintage inspired, deep forest green, olive, and seafoam colourway is based on the early 50s typewriter “Skyriter” from Smith-Corona.

For this round 2, Skyriter is moving from SA to MTNU, and I’m really excited to bring this colourful set to this profile as it exhibits many retro-inspired characteristics that will make it an excellent match for this keycap set.

Not only is round 2 switching to MTNU, but the novelties have expanded with even more mid-century breezeblock patterns that can fill macro columns as well as entire function and number rows. Other favourites from round 1 will make a return as well.

Kits
Base Kit

40s Kit

Novelties

International

Updates
Oct 13, 2024
Based on community feedback, I've decided to split up the base kit and 40s kit. While having 40s support in the base kit is a nice idea, it ultimately created too much compromise for both kits. With that said, 40s support has been moved into its own expanded 40s kit and the base kit has received a few additional keys based on your feedback. In addition to the existing kits and new 40s kit, based on numerous requests, I'm hoping to run the group buy with an international kit!

Here's a full breakdown of changes to kitting:
Base

Add R2 Up Arrow
Add R3 Pg Up
Add R4 Pg Dn
Add R2 Mod color Pipe/backslash key
Add second 3u Spacekey
Move R2 1u Esc to 40s kit
Move R2 1u Tab to 40s kit
Move R2 1u BS to 40s kit
Move R2 1.75u Backspace to 40s kit
Move R3 1u Esc to 40s kit
Move R3 1.25u Tab to 40s kit
Move R3 1u Tab to 40s kit
Move R3 1u Enter to 40s kit
Move R3 1.5u Enter to 40s kit
Move R3 1.75u Enter to 40s kit
Move R4 1u Shift to 40s kit
Move R4 2.00u Shift to 40s kit
Move R4 1u Meta to 40s kit
Move one 2u Spacekey to 40s kit

40s

Add R3 1u Ctrl to 40s kit
Add R3 1.25u Enter to 40s kit
Add additional R4 1u Shift to 40s kit
Add R4 1u LWR to 40s kit
Add R4 1u RSE to 40s kit
Add R4 1u Enter to 40s kit
Add 2x 1u Convex spacekeys

International Kit

Add international kit pending support from vendors

Novelties

Fix render of ISO novelty key to reflect accurate row span

Original IC text

More

For the base kit, and the primary reason in creating this interest check, I want to guage the community’s reception to the idea of combining 40% support into the base kit. The kit I’ve created strives to find a balance of coverage that would support as many boards as possible with the least amount of compromises. I believe that 60% and up is well supported, and certainly Alice and other similar split layouts should be well covered too.

40% layouts should see good coverage here as well, but I want to get feedback on whether we should run a base kit with 40% support built in, or offer a smaller base kit with a separate 40% kit that may allow for more flexibility in support.

The benefits in bringing 40% support to the base kit are:

Fewer kits need to be purchased to cover a wider range of keyboards. If you find yourself, in time, purchasing a board with more obscure keycap requirements, you’ll likely be covered.
Pricing may work in our favor as we can price at a higher MOQ than a separate 40% kit might normally allow. This means by combining kits, you’d end up spending less than you’d otherwise have to pay to cover 40% with two kits.

With that said, I’d love to hear your feedback on these kitting options. If you are interested in this keycap set, does this base kit cover your board? If you’re a 40% user, would you purchase this kit and feel like it supports the 40% community?

Please fill out this interest check form and feel free to comment on this thread so we can discuss!

Further details regarding group buy date and vendors will follow at a later date but I can’t wait to get MTNU Skyriter in your hands!

Huge shoutout to Mike from NovelKeys for all his work in coordinating and supporting this comeback, FreshFromTheGrave for the beautiful renders, and Nephlock for all the sage advise on kitting.

Interest Check Form

Renders

Additional Renders

More

Thanks for the renders go to FreshFromTheGrave

Details
Specifications
Designed by Christopher Janzen (cijanzen)
Manufactured by GMK
GMK MTNU Profile (112344)
Doubleshot PBT Keycaps
Compatible with Cherry MX switches and clones

Group Buy Date
TBD

Vendors
USA/Americas - NovelKeys
Other vendors/locations TBD

Pricing
Pricing TBD

Colours
Alphas: Pantone 627 C
Legends: Pantone 2260 C
Modifiers: Custom match to typewriter sample

Next Steps

~~Collect feedback regarding kitting~~
Determine group buy date and pricing
Determine additional vendors

Forum Signature Banner
If you feel like supporting this set and rocking a forum signature banner like it’s the early 00’s, go ahead and copy this code and paste it into your forum profile signature.

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[url=https://bit.ly/3ZG1ghe][img width=480 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/0GAULHV.png[/img][/url]
Interest Check Form

Koniotaur · « **Reply #1 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 12:31:44 »

Can't wait, huge thanks for bringing my favorite set of all time to PBT!

IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES · « **Reply #2 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 12:38:27 »

Will rebuy in MTNU just on the back of the new novs

Caps nov?

Woovie · « **Reply #3 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 13:38:00 »

2 3u or no 3u. 3u-1u-3u is a common layout for people who do split space on boards like 60% (See the SST60 PCB).

packman86 · « **Reply #4 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 13:47:03 »

Great use of green with MTNU

Kokaloo · « **Reply #5 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 16:40:10 »

triple play with ohtani on deck type of ic
in so hard for the base kit, always felt dumb for missing out on the sa run
one thing i'd recommend is maybe another 3u spacebar as double 3us are pretty common in custom builds, but that might be pushing it to have to put all the bars in their own kit, either way i would prefer to have two of them

XiXora · « **Reply #6 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 17:11:25 »

Render seems to have the 1.75 enter rendered as 2.25.
I do enjoy having the 1u bs and 1.75u 40s added to the 40s in base though!

thelaughingman · « **Reply #7 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 20:03:39 »

Give me them greeeeeeennnnn

mcmcmc · « **Reply #8 on:** Sat, 28 September 2024, 22:08:17 »

greeen

kajahtaa · « **Reply #9 on:** Sun, 29 September 2024, 00:09:28 »

Love SA, KAT and mt3

Can't wait for this. Looks awesome

konstantin · « **Reply #10 on:** Sun, 29 September 2024, 00:34:59 »

I saw SA Skyriter at a meetup, it sure is a lovely set, so it's nice to see that you're bringing it back! Maybe it's time to try out MTNU

Please consider including R3 PgUp, R4 PgDn in the base kit. Surely those keys are more commonly used than 2u/1u Shift, R3 1u Esc/Tab/Enter, second 2u space etc. I'd also be cool with R3 1u Esc, Tab and PgUp being merged into a single key with a generic legend; that would make it usable with multiple layouts, both ortho and otherwise.

Edit:
Here's a concrete suggestion: merge R2 Esc+Tab, R3 Esc+Tab+PgUp as well as R4 Shift+PgDn into single keys with generic legends (e.g. Code, Prev, Next or something similar — depending on mold availability). That way you can cover ortho, 65% and GK64 layouts without adding any extra keys. I would even argue that the R4 1u Shift key is wholly unnecessary at this point, since the existing Meta key can cover both R4 1u Shift and PgDn without too many issues.

Edit 2:
It seems that there's a duplicate R3 2.25u Enter key in the base kit render; the second one is mislabeled as 1.75u.
Also, the novelty ISO Enter spans rows R3/R4 instead of R2/R3 in the novelties kit render, which I believe is a mistake.

cijanzen · « **Reply #11 on:** Tue, 01 October 2024, 17:24:30 »

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far! I want to take this opportunity to respond to some feedback and give some newcomers to the design a few photos of Skyriter from its past group buy in Signature Plastic’s SA profile for an accurate representation of the colours.

Firstly, thanks for pointing out a few errors:
1. The 1.75u “Enter” key is labelled correctly but was not rendered correctly. It should be a 1.75u “Enter” key for 40% support.
2. Novelty ISO enter will of course appropriately span R2 and R3.

Every vote or comment is helpful, so even if you see that someone else has made a recommendation, feel free to second it. The more responses we get, the clearer the direction becomes in terms of kitting and coverage! I’ve received a number of suggestions related to 40% coverage that I’m considering in addition to international language support and general kitting preferences. Keep it coming!

Photos of original typewriter and SA Skyriter for colour reference

caap · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 04 October 2024, 21:23:15 »

great idea and great kitting, probably gonna snag one

cijanzen · « **Reply #13 on:** Sun, 13 October 2024, 13:21:20 »

Based on community feedback, I've decided to split up the base kit and 40s kit. While having 40s support in the base kit is a nice idea, it ultimately created too much compromise for both kits. With that said, 40s support has been moved into its own expanded 40s kit and the base kit has received a few additional keys based on your feedback. In addition to the existing kits and new 40s kit, based on numerous requests, I'm hoping to run the group buy with an international kit!

Here's a full breakdown of changes to kitting:
Base

Add R2 Up Arrow
Add R3 Pg Up
Add R4 Pg Dn
Add R2 Mod color Pipe/backslash key
Add second 3u Spacekey
Move R2 1u Esc to 40s kit
Move R2 1u Tab to 40s kit
Move R2 1u BS to 40s kit
Move R2 1.75u Backspace to 40s kit
Move R3 1u Esc to 40s kit
Move R3 1.25u Tab to 40s kit
Move R3 1u Tab to 40s kit
Move R3 1u Enter to 40s kit
Move R3 1.5u Enter to 40s kit
Move R3 1.75u Enter to 40s kit
Move R4 1u Shift to 40s kit
Move R4 2.00u Shift to 40s kit
Move R4 1u Meta to 40s kit
Move one 2u Spacekey to 40s kit

40s

Add R3 1u Ctrl to 40s kit
Add R3 1.25u Enter to 40s kit
Add additional R4 1u Shift to 40s kit
Add R4 1u LWR to 40s kit
Add R4 1u RSE to 40s kit
Add R4 1u Enter to 40s kit
Add 2x 1u Convex spacekeys

International Kit

Add international kit pending support from vendors

Novelties

Fix render of ISO novelty key to reflect accurate row span

See updated kits in first post!

white_rabbit · « **Reply #14 on:** Sun, 13 October 2024, 16:34:09 »

R3 125u Enter to support a 12.5u 40% requires an additional R4 175u Shift key from base (often given the 'Lock' text legend).

Can't think of what the 2u Shift in that kit is for other than those cursed 60% with arrows layouts.

Anyway, love the colorway, might be the first set I buy in this profile. Great work

rgo · « **Reply #15 on:** Mon, 14 October 2024, 01:40:55 »

Looks great! Is there any chance we could get alt mods? Would love an all dark green MTNU set.

lazaret · « **Reply #16 on:** Tue, 15 October 2024, 11:22:34 »

Dark mods would be awesome!

kyumamon · « **Reply #17 on:** Tue, 15 October 2024, 12:48:09 »

Another +1 for dark mods to make a full mono colour set

IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES · « **Reply #18 on:** Tue, 15 October 2024, 13:09:49 »

Long as we’re all aware about alt mod pricing given current group buy numbers: that kit is 100$+. Alt alpha alt mod kits didn’t sell super well back when group buy numbers were 5-10x where they are now.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d buy alt alphas alt mods, I bought gmk umka mods for 160$ during carbon r2, but getting 99 other people is going to be challenging. When we get 249 other people past me we might actually get it.

krautcat · « **Reply #19 on:** Thu, 28 November 2024, 21:47:12 »

I'm 100% in.

GMK_Andy · « **Reply #20 on:** Fri, 29 November 2024, 10:59:53 »

I'm always a sucker for a good green. Definitely digging this set.

Koniotaur · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 29 November 2024, 14:38:42 »

I think my only wish at this point was mtnu offering barred / nippled homing but as far as I know these do not exist yet

c0d3r · « **Reply #22 on:** Sat, 30 November 2024, 13:01:12 »

very surprised that there was a SP SA profile and now MTNU profile for the set, but no GMK CYL?!

LbLepus · « **Reply #23 on:** Sat, 30 November 2024, 19:26:46 »

Very cool, love this idea, and the colors.

It would be even cooler with that Jet/plane as an alternant "enter" novelty key.
It would also be cool to have more R4 1.25 novelty keys. My TKL 80% keyboards all have three pairs of 1.25 keys, and a single fn 1.25, all R4.

rrdaud · « **Reply #24 on:** Tue, 03 December 2024, 21:55:37 »

I don't think there's any chance this is getting a colevrak kit, is there? It would look so fantastic on my vanguard65! Where are my Dvorak homies at?

Koniotaur · « **Reply #25 on:** Wed, 11 December 2024, 00:03:02 »

According to Mike this set is scheduled for March 2025 (he told that during one of novelkeys twitch streams)

phinix · « **Reply #26 on:** Wed, 11 December 2024, 03:12:05 »

Why all those green sets lack of proper deep dark green color? All previous (like SA skyriter) and this one doesn't have really deep dark green color found on old typewriters.
SA Nuclear also was just grass green, not that nice deep dark, like all factory/nuclear plant keyboards

cijanzen · « **Reply #27 on:** Wed, 11 December 2024, 07:21:09 »

Quote from: phinix on Wed, 11 December 2024, 03:12:05

Why all those green sets lack of proper deep dark green color? All previous (like SA skyriter) and this one doesn't have really deep dark green color found on old typewriters.
SA Nuclear also was just grass green, not that nice deep dark, like all factory/nuclear plant keyboards

Show Image

I'm not quite sure what to make of this post, but if you're worried about MTNU Skyriter not being "dark green" enough for you, let me assure you it will be! Here's a couple shots of SA Skyriter to help you get a better idea:

My own shot colour and light corrected using X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

One of my favourite shots from u/Shpet_onkumen on Reddit

Still nothing new to share at this moment otherwise, but believe me, I'm just as excited as all of you for MTNU Skyriter to run, and I appreciate all of the support and enthusiasm for the set!

IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 11 December 2024, 11:04:52 »

Cijanzen: need to get a board coated for Skyriter-do you have one of the original typewriters?

cijanzen · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 11 December 2024, 14:18:46 »

Quote from: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Wed, 11 December 2024, 11:04:52

Cijanzen: need to get a board coated for Skyriter-do you have one of the original typewriters?

Sadly I do not anymore!

IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 11 December 2024, 16:13:59 »

Ever happen to put a ral or Pantone deck next to one to see what color it was? Was my goal to get a color standard and then bring that to the cerakote shop.

cijanzen · « **Reply #31 on:** Thu, 12 December 2024, 09:44:58 »

Quote from: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Wed, 11 December 2024, 16:13:59

Ever happen to put a ral or Pantone deck next to one to see what color it was? Was my goal to get a color standard and then bring that to the cerakote shop.

Combining my previous matches plus taking the average samples from my colour and light corrected images, the closest I get, and based on memory, the best match would be somewhere between Pantone 4230 C and Pantone 4245 C. Leaning slightly closer to Pantone 4245 C.

dvorcol · « **Reply #32 on:** Thu, 12 December 2024, 16:29:14 »

Quote from: cijanzen on Thu, 12 December 2024, 09:44:58

Quote from: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Wed, 11 December 2024, 16:13:59
Ever happen to put a ral or Pantone deck next to one to see what color it was? Was my goal to get a color standard and then bring that to the cerakote shop.

Combining my previous matches plus taking the average samples from my colour and light corrected images, the closest I get, and based on memory, the best match would be somewhere between Pantone 4230 C and Pantone 4245 C. Leaning slightly closer to Pantone 4245 C.

Is all cerakote gritty like the Smith-Corona in phinix's photo?

Quote from: phinix on Wed, 11 December 2024, 03:12:05

Show Image

cijanzen · « **Reply #33 on:** Thu, 12 December 2024, 17:02:13 »

Quote from: dvorcol on Thu, 12 December 2024, 16:29:14

Quote from: cijanzen on Thu, 12 December 2024, 09:44:58
Quote from: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Wed, 11 December 2024, 16:13:59
Ever happen to put a ral or Pantone deck next to one to see what color it was? Was my goal to get a color standard and then bring that to the cerakote shop.

Combining my previous matches plus taking the average samples from my colour and light corrected images, the closest I get, and based on memory, the best match would be somewhere between Pantone 4230 C and Pantone 4245 C. Leaning slightly closer to Pantone 4245 C.

Is all cerakote gritty like the Smith-Corona in phinix's photo?

Quote from: phinix on Wed, 11 December 2024, 03:12:05
Show Image

That’s actually my photo that Phinix posted, but my understanding is that no. Just like powder coating can have different textures, so can cerakoting and it depends on many factors. I have no idea how the finish on the original Smith-Corona was done, but it felt like a very fine sandpaper grit.

Koniotaur · « **Reply #34 on:** Fri, 13 December 2024, 03:30:38 »

Quote from: cijanzen on Thu, 12 December 2024, 17:02:13

Quote from: dvorcol on Thu, 12 December 2024, 16:29:14
Quote from: cijanzen on Thu, 12 December 2024, 09:44:58
Quote from: IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES on Wed, 11 December 2024, 16:13:59
Ever happen to put a ral or Pantone deck next to one to see what color it was? Was my goal to get a color standard and then bring that to the cerakote shop.

Combining my previous matches plus taking the average samples from my colour and light corrected images, the closest I get, and based on memory, the best match would be somewhere between Pantone 4230 C and Pantone 4245 C. Leaning slightly closer to Pantone 4245 C.

Is all cerakote gritty like the Smith-Corona in phinix's photo?

Quote from: phinix on Wed, 11 December 2024, 03:12:05
Show Image

That’s actually my photo that Phinix posted, but my understanding is that no. Just like powder coating can have different textures, so can cerakoting and it depends on many factors. I have no idea how the finish on the original Smith-Corona was done, but it felt like a very fine sandpaper grit.

As former owner of many cerakote swatches i agree with what Chris said. There are different finishes to different cerakote colors. I've had a keyboard in titanium color cerakote which was not as smooth as some other colors and it had sort of "sparkle" that makes it more reminiscent of some gritty metal. Here are couple of pictures of it:

News:

Author Topic: [IC] GMK MTNU Skyriter (Read 10763 times)