[GB] KAT Napoleonic | Shipping / Shipped | Some Extras Available

[NoPunIn10Did]

KAT Napoleonic
Inspired by early 19th century history.
Optimized for affordable language compatibility.

Home Page: https://katnapoleonic.com/kat-napoleonic/

Group Buy Preorders Open Until December 9th

The Group Buy is now closed.

• United States: MKUltra
• Europe: mykeyboard.eu
• Canada: Ashkeebs
• Southeast Asia: Hex Keyboards
• South America: Fancy Customs
• China / Rest of World: zFrontier
• Additional Peripherals: Keeb Nerd

Prices
Check out the prices on Wordpress or in the tables below.

Quick Summary


Full Table of All Prices

Code: [Select]

                                       | zFrontier | MKUltra  | myKeyboard | Ashkeebs |HEX Keyboards|Fancy Customs|
---------------------------------------| (China)   | (USA)    | (Europe)   | (Canada) |   (SE Asia) | (S. America)|
ALPHAS                                 |       USD |      USD |        EUR |      CAD |         SGD |         CLP |
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
Default US English - Jefferson         |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |     $ 44.00 |    $ 27.290 |

Belgian & Apple French - Marie Louise  |   $ 38.00 |  $ 36.00 |    € 40,00 |  $ 48.00 |             |             |
BÉPO - Bépoleon Nonaparte              |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |
Canadian French - Chateauguay          |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |
Cherokee - Sequoyah                    |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |     $ 44.00 |             |
Colemak - Jonathan Strange             |   $ 42.00 |  $ 40.00 |    € 44,00 |  $ 54.00 |     $ 58.00 |             |

Dvorak - Mr Norrell                    |   $ 38.00 |  $ 36.00 |    € 40,00 |  $ 48.00 |     $ 51.00 |             |
EurKEY - Blücher                       |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |
French for Windows - Joséphine         |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |
German - Metternich                    |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |    $ 27.290 |
Hungarian & South Slavic - Doppelkaiser|   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |

Japanese - Nagasaki                    |   $ 42.00 |  $ 40.00 |    € 44,00 |  $ 54.00 |     $ 58.00 |    $ 33.690 |
Nordic - Bernadotte                    |   $ 38.00 |  $ 36.00 |    € 40,00 |  $ 48.00 |             |             |
Polish & Lithuanian - Uhlan            |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |    $ 27.290 |
Russian - Alexander                    |   $ 38.00 |  $ 36.00 |    € 40,00 |  $ 48.00 |     $ 51.00 |    $ 30.490 |
South Slavic Cyrillic - Karađorđe      |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |

Spanish - Agustina                     |   $ 38.00 |  $ 36.00 |    € 40,00 |  $ 48.00 |             |    $ 30.490 |
Swiss - Act of Mediation               |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |             |
Tamil - Pondicherry                    |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |     $ 44.00 |    $ 27.290 |
UK English & Irish - Wellington        |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |     $ 44.00 |             |
US Int'l & Netherlands - Waterloo      |   $ 34.00 |  $ 32.00 |    € 36,00 |  $ 42.00 |             |    $ 27.290 |
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
CORE MODS
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
TKL Mods - French Indigo               |   $ 72.00 |  $ 67.00 |    € 73,00 |  $ 90.00 |     $ 98.00 |    $ 57.690 |
TKL Mods - Russian Green               |   $ 72.00 |  $ 67.00 |    € 73,00 |  $ 90.00 |     $ 98.00 |    $ 57.690 |
TKL Mods - Austrian White              |   $ 72.00 |  $ 67.00 |    € 73,00 |  $ 90.00 |     $ 98.00 |    $ 57.690 |
TKL Alt Mods - British Navy            |   $ 52.00 |  $ 48.00 |    € 54,00 |  $ 65.00 |     $ 70.00 |    $ 41.690 |

Numpad - French Indigo                 |   $ 23.00 |  $ 22.00 |    € 25,00 |  $ 28.00 |     $ 30.00 |    $ 18.490 |
Numpad - Russian Green                 |   $ 23.00 |  $ 22.00 |    € 25,00 |  $ 28.00 |     $ 30.00 |    $ 18.490 |
Numpad - Austrian White                |   $ 23.00 |  $ 22.00 |    € 25,00 |  $ 28.00 |     $ 30.00 |    $ 18.490 |

Ortho Mods - French Indigo             |   $ 42.00 |  $ 39.00 |    € 44,00 |  $ 52.00 |     $ 58.00 |    $ 33.690 |
Ortho Mods - Russian Green             |   $ 42.00 |  $ 39.00 |    € 44,00 |  $ 52.00 |     $ 58.00 |    $ 33.690 |
Ortho Mods - Austrian White            |   $ 42.00 |  $ 39.00 |    € 44,00 |  $ 52.00 |     $ 58.00 |    $ 33.690 |

Forties Mods - French Indigo           |   $ 51.00 |  $ 47.00 |    € 52,00 |  $ 64.00 |     $ 70.00 |    $ 40.790 |
Forties Mods - Russian Green           |   $ 51.00 |  $ 47.00 |    € 52,00 |  $ 64.00 |     $ 70.00 |    $ 40.790 |

Ergo Mods - French Indigo              |   $ 58.00 |  $ 55.00 |    € 59,00 |  $ 74.00 |     $ 80.00 |    $ 46.390 |
Ergo Mods - Russian Green              |   $ 58.00 |  $ 55.00 |    € 59,00 |  $ 74.00 |     $ 80.00 |    $ 46.390 |
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
MISC
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
Spacebars                              |   $ 30.00 |  $ 28.00 |    € 32,00 |  $ 37.00 |     $ 40.00 |    $ 24.090 |
Novelties                              |   $ 38.00 |  $ 35.00 |    € 39,00 |  $ 47.00 |     $ 51.00 |    $ 30.490 |
Mac Kit                                |   $ 21.00 |  $ 20.00 |    € 23,00 |  $ 26.00 |     $ 28.00 |    $ 16.890 |
Blank Ergo Ortho Kit                   |   $ 56.00 |  $ 52.00 |    € 57,00 |  $ 70.00 |             |             |

Madness Kit                            |   $ 47.00 |  $ 44.00 |    € 49,00 |  $ 60.00 |             |             |
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
PERIPHERALS
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|
Minard Deskmat (900x400x4m)            |   $ 20.00 |  $ 19.00 |    € 19,00 |  $ 27.00 |     $ 28.00 |    $ 15.990 |
Tolstoy Deskmat (700x300x4m)           |   $ 18.00 |  $ 17.50 |    € 17,00 |  $ 24.50 |     $ 25.50 |    $ 14.390 |
Tolstoy Deskmat (900x400x4m)           |   $ 20.00 |  $ 19.00 |    € 19,00 |  $ 27.00 |     $ 28.00 |    $ 15.990 |
Tolstoy Deskmat (700x300x4m)           |   $ 18.00 |  $ 17.50 |    € 17,00 |  $ 24.50 |     $ 25.50 |    $ 14.390 |

USB-Micro Keyboard Cable (Navy)        |           |  $ 59.00 |    € 60,00 |  $ 84.00 |             |    $ 56.090 |
USB-Micro Keyboard Cable (Green)       |           |  $ 59.00 |    € 60,00 |  $ 84.00 |             |    $ 56.090 |
USB-C Keyboard Cable (Navy)            |           |  $ 59.00 |    € 60,00 |  $ 84.00 |             |    $ 56.090 |
USB-C Keyboard Cable (Green)           |           |  $ 59.00 |    € 60,00 |  $ 84.00 |             |    $ 56.090 |
---------------------------------------|-----------|----------|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|

NOTES

- Shipping & Handling charged separately for all vendors, except for zFrontier (orders over 100 USD).
- Prices for myKeyboard & Fancy Customs include VAT.  Prices for HEX Keyboards include GST.
- Prices for MKUltra, zFrontier, and Ashkeebs exclude sales tax (where applicable).
- Ashkeebs allows customers to pay in USD or CAD.  USD prices for Ashkeebs match those from MKUltra.
- Fancy Customs allows customers to pay in USD or CLP.  USD prices for Fancy Customs match those from zFrontier.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Other Links

• Main KAT Napoleonic Site on Wordpress
• Discord Server
• Geekhack Interest Check Post
• Renders & Kits on imgur:
  • All Renders
  • All Alpha Kits
  • All Mod & Miscellaneous Kits

Updates
2020 Nov 30 - MOQ reached! All keycap kits will be made.

More

2020 Nov 10 - Transitioned to Group Buy thread. Multiple updates throughout post.
2020 Oct 28 - Added Pricing Table
2020 Oct 08 - Updated vendor list.
2020 Sep 30 - Added the British Navy alternative TKL Mods kit along with renders.  Updated the French Indigo Ortho mods to use icons only. Updated vendor list.
2020 Sep 24 - Posted news regarding collabs: artisans, deskmats, mousepads, clothing, et cetera. Announced partnerships with Keeb Nerb and Divine Studios.

2020 Sep 15 - Added new and updated renders. Added three new alpha kits. Details available on Wordpress.

2020 Sep 08 - Added HEX Keyboards as new Southeast Asia vendor.  Multiple kit updates. Details available on Wordpress.
2020 Aug 24 - Official Launch of Geekhack IC

US English on KBD19X by KBDfans. Renders by Manzel.

Background

Tactician.
Tyrant.
Modernizer.
Murderer.

On the Ninth of November, 1799 (18 Brumaire in the Revolutionary calendar), a coup d’etat overthrew the French Directorate and replaced it with a new government: a Consulate to be led by General Napoleon Bonaparte. Just a few short years later, he would be crowned Emperor.

To say his rise to power ruffled a few feathers across Europe would be a gross understatement. While he is credited with bringing about positive reforms to the legal and governmental systems of France, his legacy is one tainted by costly, bloody wars across the continent.

Those early decades of the nineteenth century, from Napoleon’s rise to his death, roughly mark the Napoleonic Period, an era that left indelible marks upon the face of Europe and the world.

KAT Napoleonic is a keycap set in the KAT profile that explores the history and artistic depictions of the Napoleonic Period.


US International on Mech27-TKL by Mech27. Render by Manzel.

Neoclassical Typeface
KAT Napoleonic utilizes a modified form of Playfair Display for most of its alpha keys and legend text. It is a serif-based typeface (uncommon in keycaps), and it is inspired by the Transitional and Neoclassical typefaces of the nineteenth century: Baskerville, Bodoni, and Didot.

Wide Affordable Localization
Because of the global nature of Napoleon’s impact on history, a primary goal for KAT Napoleonic has always been wide localization support. While it may not always be practical for manufacturers to support a wider array of languages and layouts in a cost-effective manner, the KAT profile does provide that flexibility.

While this keyset cannot feasibly provide support for every language worldwide, KAT Napoleonic supports more than twenty-one locales in base alpha kits. Kits available include many that are rarely (if ever) seen in the Mechanical Keyboard hobby: Swiss, BÉPO, South Slavic, Tamil, Cherokee, and Canadian French.

Colors & Uniforms
KAT Napoleonic’s primary alpha legends present dark indigo text upon a warm, ivory-like white background. A lower-contrast yellow-gold color is used for alpha key sublegends.

KAT Napoleonic’s modifier keys come in three “uniforms” of color, each inspired by the military uniforms of the era, with particular attention to the Battle of Austerlitz (1805). Austerlitz was a clash of three empires: France, Russia, and Austria. For KAT Napoleonic, you are likewise given a choice of three uniforms: French Indigo, Russian Green, and Austrian White.

Read more about the Colors & Uniforms on Wordpress.
Renders
Only a subset of renders are shown here (to keep the page from taking forever to load).
Please visit the Wordpress site to view all renders in full resolution. Alternatively, check out the Renders album on imgur.


Conone by kindakeyboards. Wellington alphas with British Navy Alt TKL Mods. Render by manzel.


S7-Elephant by jacky. Metternich alphas with TKL mods in Austrian White & Novelties. Render by manzel.


Mech27-TKL by Mech27. Waterloo alphas with TKL mods in French Indigo. Render by manzel.


Boardrun CNC by Shensmobile. Uhlan alphas with Ergo mods in Russian Green & Novelties. Render by manzel.


Neuron by walletburner. Pondicherry alphas with Forties mods in French Indigo. Render by manzel.


Abacus by SomeGreekGuy (unreleased). Austrian White numpad kit. Render by manzel.

Kits
As is typical for KAT, customers will need to choose a selection of "kits" that together will cover their chosen keyboard(s). For KAT Napoleonic, kits are broken into three major categories:

• Alpha Kits
• Core Mod Kits
• Miscellaneous Kits

Kit Details
Imgur Albums

• All Alpha Kits
• All Mod & Miscellaneous Kits

Alpha Kits
There are 21 different base Alpha kits.

Alpha Kits Table

More

Alpha kits that provide standard US QWERTY characters either in legends or sublegends are noted in bold in the rightmost column.

Except where noted, all Alpha kits use Windows 10 as the basis for all legends.  Not all characters produced by AltGr or Shift+AltGr are provided in sublegends, with some omitted to keep kit sizes and prices from ballooning while maintaining compatibility.

The latest images are currently provided in this album:
KAT Napoleonic Alpha Kits

Alpha Kit	Languages / Locales
Default US English – Jefferson	US English
Belgian & Apple French – Marie Louise	Belgian French & French for MacOS / iOS
BÉPO – Bépoleon Nonaparte	French BÉPO
Canadian French – Chateauguay	Combined Canadian Multilingual & Canadian French
Cherokee – Sequoyah	Cherokee Nation layout with US sublegends
Colemak – Jonathan Strange	Colemak, Mod-DH, Mod-DHm, Asset, Norman, Qwpr, & Workman
Dvorak – Mr Norrell	US & UK Dvorak
EurKEY – Blücher	EurKEY versions 1.2 & 1.3 (US primary legends)
French for Windows – Joséphine	French for Windows (Legacy standard AZERTY)
German – Metternich	German / Austrian QWERTZ
Hungarian & South Slavic – Doppelkaiser	Combined South Slavic Latin & Hungarian QWERTZ
Japanese – Nagasaki	Japanese (JIS & ANSI-JP) with Katakana (US primary legends for ANSI-JP layout)
Nordic – Bernadotte	Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Faroese, & Estonian
Polish & Lithuanian – Uhlan	Combined US English, Polish Programmers’ layout, & Lithuanian QWERTY
Russian – Alexander	Russian, Ukrainian, & Belarusian with US sublegends
South Slavic Cyrillic – Karađorđe	South Slavic Cyrillic with South Slavic Latin QWERTZ sublegends
Spanish – Agustina	Spanish (European & Latin American)
Swiss – Act of Mediation	Swiss French & Swiss German QWERTZ
Tamil – Pondicherry	Indian Tamil 99
UK English & Irish – Wellington	Standard UK English QWERTY with Irish vowel sublegends
US Int’l & Netherlands – Waterloo	US International (also the official layout of the Netherlands)

Core Modifier Kits
There are five core modifier kits for KAT Napoleonic, each provided with two-or-three colored “uniform” options: French Indigo, Russian Green, or Austrian White. Each core modifier kit also comes with a custom set of military-themed novelty keys: Retreat, Attack, Support, and Hold.

Additionally, a "British Navy" TKL Mods kit is available. The British Navy kit provides a lower-cost alternative TKL Mods kit using the same primary mod color as French Indigo, but with a more mainstream approach to modifier legends. Its primary mod colors are the same as French Indigo, and it is fully compatible with the French Indigo Numpad kit for 1800 & full-size boards. 

The three core TKL Mods kits (French Indigo, Russian Green & Austrian White) provide wide-ranging compatibility and include enough modifier keys to potentially cover an additional 60% board. The British Navy kit is intentionally slimmer than the other TKL mods kits on offer and does not provide the same range of compatibility.

Core Mod Kits on Wordpress

Some boards require one of the additional Miscellaneous Kits (e.g. Spacebars) for complete coverage. See the shopping list for examples.

Core Mod Kits Table

TKL Mods	TKL in Indigo	TKL in Green	TKL in White
Alt TKL Mods	British Navy TKL
Numpad	Numpad in Indigo / Navy	Numpad in Green	Numpad in White
Ortho Mods	Ortho in Indigo	Ortho in Green	Ortho in White
Forties Mods	Forties in Indigo	Forties in Green
Ergo Mods	Ergo in Indigo	Ergo in Green

Miscellaneous Kits

• Spacebars
• Novelties
• Mac Kit
• Blank Ergo Ortho Kit
• Madness Kit

Miscellaneous Kits on Wordpress
Further Information
As has been noted several times, complete information about this keyset can be found on the KAT Napoleonic Home Page on Wordpress: (https://tinyurl.com/kat-napoleonic).

Physical Color Standards

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KAT-Nap colors: RAL 5011, RAL 9010, Pantone 7403 U, RAL 6005, & RAL 3031

Colors shown in keyboard renders and diagrams should not be treated as accurate representations of final keycap colors. Manufacturer samples will be checked against physical color decks of the RAL and Pantone standards above. Be aware that some variation is always possible, and these colors are not guaranteed to be exact.

Existing Set Comparison

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Early concept diagrams for KAT Napoleonic drew comparisons to GMK Rudy by Warrenified. Because the keycap designer community tends to frown on overly-similar colorways, Warrenified was consulted so as to double-check that we were in fact using different colors.


GMK Rudy (left) comparison to KAT Napoleonic French Indigo mods (right). Render by Ulliam.

Deskmats & Peripherals (WIP)

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Visit the Wordpress site for more details.



Minard Deskmats



Tolstoy Deskmats



Custom USB Cables by KustomKeys (available in USB-Micro & USB-C)



Coffee Mugs & Neck Gaiters (available on Keeb Nerd)

Copyright & Citations

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Creative Commons Derivative Works
The following component designs and icons are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3 (full license text):

Austrian Shield Outline. Derivative work based on “Imperial Coat of Arms of the Empire of Austria.svg” by Sodacan @ Wikimedia Commons (https://tinyurl.com/omvdoy9).
Bee Monogram. Derivative work based on “Imperial Coat of Arms of France (1804-1815).svg” by Katepanomegas @ Wikimedia Commons (https://tinyurl.com/yd8ezb7p).
French Shield Outline. Derivative work based on “Imperial Coat of Arms of France (1804-1815).svg” by Katepanomegas @ Wikimedia Commons (https://tinyurl.com/yd8ezb7p).
Minard Chart. Derivative work based on “Minard’s Map (vectorized).svg” by Martin Grandjean @ Wikimedia Commons (https://tinyurl.com/yacwdyvt).
Russian Shield Outline. Derivative work based on “Imperial Standard of the Emperor of Russia (1858–1917).svg” by TRAJAN 117 @ Wikimedia Commons (https://tinyurl.com/y7fryjn4).

Public Domain Works Cited
Bellangé, Hippolyte. “Light Infantry: Voltigeur and Carabinier from the Grande Armée.” From Histoire de Napoleon by P.-M. Laurent de L`Ardeche. 1843. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/yymvd5qe
David, Jacques-Louis. Napoleon Crossing the Alps. First version, painted 1800. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/yycndry3
David, Jacques-Louis. Napoleon Crossing the Alps. Third version, painted 1802. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/y36vvhg8
Gérard, François. The Battle of Austerlitz, 2nd December 1805. Painted 1810. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/y6zsvxk9
Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg. Painting in the Castle Gallery at Český Krumlov. Unidentified painter, 19th century. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/yxafg7gg
Knotel, Richard. Uniformenkunde, Lose Blatter zur Geschihte der Entwicklung der militarischen Tracht. Berlin, 1890. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/y39cw53g
Louis-François, Baron Lejeune. Battle of Borodino 1812. Painted 1822. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Borodino_1812.png
Moshkov, Vladimir Ivanovich. Battle of Leipzig. Painted 1815. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/y364sppl
Neumann, Fritz. The charge of the 19th Hungarian infantry regiment in the Battle of Leipzig (1813) against the French. Painted 19th century. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/y3gwv9e7
Philippoteaux, Henri Félix Emmanuel. The Battle of Waterloo: The British Squares Receiving the Charge of the French Cuirassiers. Painted 1874. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://tinyurl.com/y57saukc
Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace. Excerpt from the original Russian text. Published 1869. Accessed via Master Russian. URL: http://masterrussian.com/war_and_peace.shtml
Vernet, Horace. The Battle of Hanau. Painted 1824. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons. URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vernet-Battle_of_Hanau.jpg

Further Notes
All historical blurbs appearing in kit diagrams are paraphrased from various Wikipedia articles, except for a few selected quotes from:

Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Bloomsbury, copyright 2004. Goodreads URL: https://tinyurl.com/yxps4uaf
No intellectual property from the above was used in the design of the actual keycaps or deskmats. Quotes and names used from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in kit diagrams are intended as an homage. No endorsement of KAT Napoleonic by Susanna Clarke or Bloomsbury has been given nor should be implied.

All other designs are copyright 2020 by W. Alex Ronke (a.k.a. NoPunIn10Did). All Rights Reserved.

Thanks

More

• Thanks to my wife, the love of my life, who has been very patient and supportive of all my creative endeavors.
• Thanks to my daughter, who is an absolutely adorable four-year-old and brings so much joy to my life.
• Thanks to Erik (a.k.a. MK Ultra), who believed in this project while it was still a germ of an idea.
• Huge thanks to manzel for his amazing and punctual render work.
• Thanks to Konstantin for all the advice on the particulars of punctuation positioning in legends as well as for drawing the correct Cyrillic J for the Karađorđe alpha kit.
• Thanks to myKeyboard.eu for committing to be a vendor for this set, and for helping with French conjugation & translation.
• Thanks to onecreativemind for early advice on the modifier icons.
• Thanks to Alex Lin at zFrontier for answering my KAT questions and committing to a Group Buy date early in this process.
• Thanks to Ulliam for providing renders for the J02, the Prime_E, and the GMK Rudy comparison.
• Thanks to shensmobile for sharing the Boardrun CNC file and for being a good creative sounding-board.
• Thanks to walletburner for giving permission to render the Neuron keyboard.
• Thanks to SomeGreekGuy for sharing the Abacus CNC file and giving permission to render it.
• Thanks to the members and moderators of the many Discord servers where I’ve solicited feedback for this and other projects, with particular thanks to:
  
  • 40% Keyboards
  • Keycap Designers
  • Carolina Keyboards
  • Keyboard Atelier

Geekhack Banner Code
Copy the following to your forum profile signature if you’d like to help spread the word about KAT Napoleonic!

Code: [Select]

[url=https://tinyurl.com/kat-napoleonic][img width=360 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/73UjvEA.png[/img][/url]

[konstantin]

This set has a lot going for it, I'm hoping to see some good numbers. GLWGB!

[TJScalzo]

I saw this set in IC and wasn't sure if it would ever make it to GB! I'm amazed at the diversity you've achieved. It's so unique to base a keyset on an entire historical period. The font you've chosen looks awesome. I hope your Group Buy goes well!

[NoPunIn10Did]

I saw this set in IC and wasn't sure if it would ever make it to GB! I'm amazed at the diversity you've achieved. It's so unique to base a keyset on an entire historical period. The font you've chosen looks awesome. I hope your Group Buy goes well!

Thanks!

[NoPunIn10Did]

This set has a lot going for it, I'm hoping to see some good numbers. GLWGB!

For those who haven’t met him yet, Konstantin is a brilliant and endless resource for help with typography and kitting details. He was an enormous help in making KAT Napoleonic what it is today.

[Neodeus]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

[NoPunIn10Did]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Which site is that?  And where are you shipping to?

[Neodeus]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Which site is that?  And where are you shipping to?

I am going to MKUltra Corporation's site. I am in the US and am having it shipped to PA.

[NoPunIn10Did]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Which site is that?  And where are you shipping to?

I am going to MKUltra Corporation's site. I am in the US and am having it shipped to PA.

Yikes!  That seems like a bug with one of the SKUs.  It probably has a bad weight value or something.  I will let MKU know immediately.

[Neodeus]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Which site is that?  And where are you shipping to?

I am going to MKUltra Corporation's site. I am in the US and am having it shipped to PA.

Yikes!  That seems like a bug with one of the SKUs.  It probably has a bad weight value or something.  I will let MKU know immediately.

Thanks a lot. I will check back on it later.

[sangfroid]

This is the first keycap group buy I'm joining and I'm quite excited! Seems like it'll also be a great lesson in patience.

[xwind]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Yup I just went and ordered it from zFrontier because of that. 50$ USPS priority mail CONUS is no bueno

[NoPunIn10Did]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Which site is that?  And where are you shipping to?

I am going to MKUltra Corporation's site. I am in the US and am having it shipped to PA.

Yikes!  That seems like a bug with one of the SKUs.  It probably has a bad weight value or something.  I will let MKU know immediately.

Thanks a lot. I will check back on it later.

That bug is now resolved.

[NoPunIn10Did]

50$ shipping? Is that right? I was going to pull the trigger, but can't do that....

Yup I just went and ordered it from zFrontier because of that. 50$ USPS priority mail CONUS is no bueno

Note that this was a temporary bug and is now fixed.

[xwind]

Note that this was a temporary bug and is now fixed.

Stupid question from me: should I cancel the order with zFrontier, and reorder it on MKU? Or there is no difference really? (Location CONUS)

[NoPunIn10Did]

Note that this was a temporary bug and is now fixed.

Stupid question from me: should I cancel the order with zFrontier, and reorder it on MKU? Or there is no difference really? (Location CONUS)

I don't think you can cancel a GB order.

Depending on the size of your cart, you might break even in terms of amount paid, assuming you got the free shipping from ZFrontier.  Since the factory is in China, ZF will likely be the ones to ship first, but it's anyone's guess as to how long your package gets stuck in Chinese customs hell en route to the US.

[xwind]

you might break even in terms of amount paid

That sounds about right. In any case couple of dollar difference is not a big deal.

ZF will likely be the ones to ship first

That is nice, I have been getting good results with shipping from China. And if it gets stuck, oh well, it will make it sooner or later

[konstantin]

Just picked up a few kits.

In case it's not immediately obvious, you can easily cover two small to medium-sized boards with one core mods kit and two alpha kits

Thanks to a few extra keys that are included in the mod kits (excluding British Navy), you can cover one full 60%/65%/75%/TKL and have enough keys left over for another 60% or 65%, given that you use a slightly different layout (6.25u space on one, 7u on the other, which should be easy enough to do). You can even build both boards with 1.5u Backspace, which I really like.

[mwaan]

On MKultra, TKL Mods - British Navy are $54 but the group buy post says $48.
https://mkultra.click/collections/gb-kat-napoleonic/products/gb-kat-napoleonic?variant=37523644416197

[MKUltraCorp]

Fixed, thank you for letting us know. Any previous purchases will have the difference refunded.

[dvorcol]

Edit: typo

[NoPunIn10Did]

One Week Update
Factory Samples & USB Cables Album

Since Dvorcol's last graph (which, as always, is beautiful), we recorded more up-to-date sales figures from Europe, and we are now at 63% of MOQ! We have also sold ~33% of the available USB cables from Kustom Keys so far.

On Friday, I received the first round of samples from Keyreative. The timing was very lucky, as they arrived on my doorstep shortly before I was headed out to get official product photos made for the custom USB cables. The legends are very crisp, and I'm quite happy with the quality of the printing.

Note that the samples photographed are not exact matches to the eventual final product. I have fully approved one of the five colors: the white (RAL 9010).

The three other RAL colors (red, blue, green) were in the right ballpark but could each stand to be a little more saturated and a little darker. This was communicated to Keyreative.

The yellow is much, much trickier. The sample looks to my eyes quite good, but I have asked the factory to take another stab at it. To the naked eye, it seems to match the renders more closely than the Pantone book, yet my colorimeter found the sample to be almost exactly the same as the book standard. It is possible that we will use this color, but I want to compare to 1-2 alternative attempts first.

[Domantas]

Just picked up a few kits.

In case it's not immediately obvious, you can easily cover two small to medium-sized boards with one core mods kit and two alpha kits

Thanks to a few extra keys that are included in the mod kits (excluding British Navy), you can cover one full 60%/65%/75%/TKL and have enough keys left over for another 60% or 65%, given that you use a slightly different layout (6.25u space on one, 7u on the other, which should be easy enough to do). You can even build both boards with 1.5u Backspace, which I really like.

But i has only one 2u backspace :/ btw I like that red, sadly there are no mods kit for that one

[dvorcol]

Edit: typo

[NoPunIn10Did]

But i has only one 2u backspace :/ btw I like that red, sadly there are no mods kit for that one

Yes, but many/most keyboards support the 1.5u backspace alternative.  The goal with the kit wasn't to offer a duplicate of every size of every key.  It was to cover every common TKL, 60%, 75%, etc. while leaving enough mod keys behind to assemble an extra 60% keyboard of some kind.  It doesn't guarantee which kind that second board will be, and the assumption is that for keys like Backspace you're using 2u for one board and 1.5u for the other.

If you really need an inexpensive 2u in that row, grab the Mac Kit.

[patpro]

Hi,

Can you confirm it's possible to create a BÉPO keyboard with KAT Napoleonic on top of an ANSI keyboard?
I'm pretty sure it is, but just in case...

And I think it should cover it all:
KAT Napoleonic Alphas - BÉPO (Bépoleon Nonaparte)
KAT Napoleonic Numpad - French Indigo
KAT Napoleonic TKL Alt Mods - British Navy

thanks

[NoPunIn10Did]

Hi,

Can you confirm it's possible to create a BÉPO keyboard with KAT Napoleonic on top of an ANSI keyboard?
I'm pretty sure it is, but just in case...

And I think it should cover it all:
KAT Napoleonic Alphas - BÉPO (Bépoleon Nonaparte)
KAT Napoleonic Numpad - French Indigo
KAT Napoleonic TKL Alt Mods - British Navy

thanks

Yes, that should all be possible. The one thing in question would be the Ê key, which would normally be to the right of left Shift. So long as your keyboard is configurable in some fashion, there are many ways to get that key working, but standard ANSI doesn’t have an equivalent spot for that 105th key.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Quick note: due to some personal issues, g Heavy Industries will not be able to sell the Madness Kit during the GB period as planned.

[dvorcol]

Edit: typo

[zakazak]

I just bought 7 sets to be able to make my 2 Filco Minila's sexy.
7 sets... and I am still missing that 1.75 CTRL key :/

[NoPunIn10Did]

I just bought 7 sets to be able to make my 2 Filco Minila's sexy.
7 sets... and I am still missing that 1.75 CTRL key :/

I believe this user is the one I’ve been chatting with via Discord. There isn’t a 1.75u Control key for the bottom row. That wasn’t a form factor I was aware of. The best options for that use case are either (1) to use the R2 control on the bottom row or (2) to get a 40s kit and use the 1.75u novelty included there.

[NoPunIn10Did]

As of the sales data received this morning, I can confirm that KAT Napoleonic has reached MOQ!  All keycap kits will be made.

We're a little under MOQ for the USB cables, but I'm confident we'll reach that.  As for the deskmats, the MOQ is actually pretty flexible, so I'm confident we'll be able to supply those as well.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this set and helped get the word out about KAT Napoleonic!

[dvorcol]

[browntosaurus]

As someone who love classical typography, this is a epic. I smile ear to ear after reading the history and depiction. The ampersand alone justify the reason to buy it.
I never use KAT profile before, so finger cross that it would not that much different with typing in Cherry.

[NoPunIn10Did]

As someone who love classical typography, this is a epic. I smile ear to ear after reading the history and depiction. The ampersand alone justify the reason to buy it.
I never use KAT profile before, so finger cross that it would not that much different with typing in Cherry.

Lots of good reviews for KAT profile out there. It won’t feel exactly like Cherry (spherical versus cylindrical surface) though the overall angles of the sculpt strongly resemble Cherry. The whole profile is like a hybrid of SA and Cherry.

[konstantin]

MOQ reached, love to see it! One more week to go, Russian Green needs more love

[Mr_Quaternions]

About to pull the trigger but do we have any sort of ETA for the kit ? I haven't seen one on MyKeyboard nor on the dedicated website.

[NoPunIn10Did]

About to pull the trigger but do we have any sort of ETA for the kit ? I haven't seen one on MyKeyboard nor on the dedicated website.

That’s partly deliberate. Keyreative’s pipeline has gotten so backed up that I didn’t want to overpromise on that front. My current guess is October 2021 based on how other KAT sets are going.

[dvorcol]

[fatboycarney]

Congrats on the set and reaching MOQ, somehow I had missed the truly unbelievable effort that obviously went into this set to make this happe, so impressive, and also saw your note about Konstantin, no surprise there, either. Great work!!

[NoPunIn10Did]

Currently running a giveaway via Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/k8j0lw/gb_giveaway_kat_napoleonic_preorders_end_dec_9/

Prizes include a Napoleonic USB Micro Cable and an ortholinear keyboard prototype.

[beerafffe1]

Never imagined there will be alphas in my mother tongue! Thanks for the set 

[NoPunIn10Did]

Never imagined there will be alphas in my mother tongue! Thanks for the set 

Glad to be of service! Out of curiosity, which language?

[beerafffe1]

Never imagined there will be alphas in my mother tongue! Thanks for the set 

Glad to be of service! Out of curiosity, which language?

Should have mentioned that, Tamil.

[saltimate]

omg i nearly slept on this

the pictures show ortho indigo and white as icons only but green with text? is this accurate?
im hoping green will also be icons only...

[NoPunIn10Did]

omg i nearly slept on this

the pictures show ortho indigo and white as icons only but green with text? is this accurate?
im hoping green will also be icons only...

Green is a text-with-icons option for Ortho. In retrospect I should have made it a text-only option, but it’s too late to make changes like that now.

[dvorcol]

[saltimate]

omg i nearly slept on this : P

the pictures show ortho indigo and white as icons only but green with text? is this accurate?
im hoping green will also be icons only...

Green is a text-with-icons option for Ortho. In retrospect I should have made it a text-only option, but it’s too late to make changes like that now.

damn, i hate text mods but the green is so nice
also i cant find blank ergo ortho on hex so i guess i have to go through zf? feels bad man...

[NoPunIn10Did]

omg i nearly slept on this : P

the pictures show ortho indigo and white as icons only but green with text? is this accurate?
im hoping green will also be icons only...

Green is a text-with-icons option for Ortho. In retrospect I should have made it a text-only option, but it’s too late to make changes like that now.

damn, i hate text mods but the green is so nice
also i cant find blank ergo ortho on hex so i guess i have to go through zf? feels bad man...

/shrug

[NoPunIn10Did]

[NoPunIn10Did]

LAST MINUTE BONUS RENDERS
Huge thanks to manzel for sharing these; he'd made them to inform his own shopping decisions!  Keyboard featured is the Polaris by ai03 and kevinplus.





Waterloo alphas alongside TKL mods in French Indigo, Austrian White, & British Navy.

[dvorcol]

Final without extras

[dvorcol]

Final with extras

[yuejia]

Wow! Nice!!!

[NoPunIn10Did]

Round 2 of KAT Napoleonic color samples came in.

- White - approved in round 1
- Yellow - approved in round 2
- Others - the samples are still too bright and desaturated, though saturation has improved somewhat. The extent of this difference varies, but I especially need a better green.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Update 08 March 2021

1) Keyreative Invoices for manufacturing the keycaps have been sent to all vendors.  Another round of invoices will go out at shipping time.

2) I have begun converting the customer-facing kit diagrams into SVG usable by Keyreative.  I have converted one kit so far and am waiting for the OK from ZF before I convert the rest.

3) Round 3 of color-matching complete.  Samples have been approved for four of the five colors; only the green remains. 
Note that some slight fading of ink color is to be expected near the base edges of the keys and may be noticeable particularly on the blue, green, and red keycaps.  This is a manufacturer limitation that I have no control over.

[Bub]

I still can't get over how fantastic the different options are on this set. Most underrated set of last year. Can't wait for this to arrive.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Napoleon faces an uphill battle against the army of the “cool kids.” Come to the aid of the empire! Vote via @mech.madness ‘s story on Instagram!

https://instagram.com/mech.madness?igshid=pkdc301rh7wi

[Adriano]

Hey. Did you plan to to another GB?

[NoPunIn10Did]

Hey. Did you plan to to another GB?

Of this specific set? Nothing planned yet. But I’m currently running a different GB:
https://nopunin10did.com/dss-late-harvest/

[NoPunIn10Did]

As shared in my Discord, I received Round 4 of the color-matching.  The only color remaining was the green, and they did an excellent job this time.

All colors for the set are now approved.

I am in the midst of the painstaking process of converting all my key legends to a template the factory can use, and that is about 40% complete so far.

[patpro]

Hello, any update on fabrication / delivery?
Thanks!

[Mr_Quaternions]

According to the Discord updates, the queue is moving veery slowly and the caps should be expected for Feb-22. That being said, color matching has been confirmed.

[hiddensong]

Wow, from May all the way until October no one asked how it was going. Either everyone is in discord or are used to the two year long process by now.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Latest news:

Last I heard from ZFrontier & Keyreative, we’re going into production in December in all likelihood. Preorders are still available at MK Ultra if you’d prefer not to fight over extras.

One bit of cruel irony, for those of us waiting on other KAT sets, is that we’re going to be produced earlier than several KAT sets that ran prior to Napoleonic, since KAT Nap is still dyesub.

[MacSurfy]

Latest news:

Last I heard from ZFrontier & Keyreative, we’re going into production in December in all likelihood. Preorders are still available at MK Ultra if you’d prefer not to fight over extras.

One bit of cruel irony, for those of us waiting on other KAT sets, is that we’re going to be produced earlier than several KAT sets that ran prior to Napoleonic, since KAT Nap is still dyesub.

Don't jinx it 

[NoPunIn10Did]

Update from ZFrontier / Keyreative (08 Dec 2021)

KAT Iron is currently in production and they should finish production this month. Ideally production [for KAT Napoleonic] would begin in Dec, but I assume it would be safer to say Jan

[NoPunIn10Did]

So, update from Keyreative (that came in the form of a public blog post).  The estimate that I received last month must have been bogus.  Napoleonic is behind a few more sets in the queue, and it's not due to start production until March.

I'm frustrated; you're probably frustrated too.  It will be a long haul, but this set will happen.

[dvorcol]

So, update from Keyreative (that came in the form of a public blog post).  The estimate that I received last month must have been bogus.  Napoleonic is behind a few more sets in the queue, and it's not due to start production until March.

I'm frustrated; you're probably frustrated too.  It will be a long haul, but this set will happen.

Keyreative's post - https://en.zfrontier.com/blogs/project-updates/keyreative-keyset-progress-report

[NoPunIn10Did]

I have no updates to share at this time.  The only thing is that I'm having to redo the box art, as Keyreative changed the banderole template.

I'll check back in with ZFrontier by the end of the month, and hopefully I'll have something more to share in March.

[NoPunIn10Did]

March update for Napoleonic: the two dyesub KAT sets currently in production are taking longer than anticipated, so I wouldn’t hold your breath for Napoleonic to enter production any time soon.

[Luna]

Wonderful classy set.
Couldn't resist and pre-ordered two full sets with extras: one in French Indigo and one in Russian Green.

[NoPunIn10Did]

April update for KAT Napoleonic
- Yeah, that Keyreative calendar from earlier in the year was far too optimistic.
- KAT Napoleonic, to my knowledge, has not started production.
- I have gotten a promise from ZFrontier that I’ll receive a copy of every kit to inspect before they go out to customers.

[Luna]

April update for KAT Napoleonic
- Yeah, that Keyreative calendar from earlier in the year was far too optimistic.
- KAT Napoleonic, to my knowledge, has not started production.
- I have gotten a promise from ZFrontier that I’ll receive a copy of every kit to inspect before they go out to customers.

@NoPunIn10Did

I noticed from the pictures that the ANSI Alphas kit "Default US English - Jefferson" and "US Int'l & Netherlands - Waterloo" kit have exactly the same keys, is that right?
I need an ANSI US layout but ordered "US Int'l & Netherlands - Waterloo" because I like the gold sublegends and it looks like ANSI US in your pictures.
I don't want true Netherlands layout like where the @ comes in place of the ~ and a few other keys in different places.

[NoPunIn10Did]

April update for KAT Napoleonic
- Yeah, that Keyreative calendar from earlier in the year was far too optimistic.
- KAT Napoleonic, to my knowledge, has not started production.
- I have gotten a promise from ZFrontier that I’ll receive a copy of every kit to inspect before they go out to customers.

@NoPunIn10Did

I noticed from the pictures that the ANSI Alphas kit "Default US English - Jefferson" and "US Int'l & Netherlands - Waterloo" kit have exactly the same keys, is that right?
I need an ANSI US layout but ordered "US Int'l & Netherlands - Waterloo" because I like the gold sublegends and it looks like ANSI US in your pictures.
I don't want true Netherlands layout like where the @ comes in place of the ~ and a few other keys in different places.

US International was adopted by the Netherlands as its official language layout, replacing the earlier layout (that was more similar to German QWERTZ and such).

[Luna]

Ok, thanks!

[NoPunIn10Did]

May Update:

I've been trying to get in touch with ZFrontier or Keyreative for an update as to production schedules and such, and I've gotten no communication back since late March.  Very irritating, but "it is how it is," as they say.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Factory samples have been received, and I have several notes on them that I've written up on my homepage.

https://nopunin10did.com/2022/05/25/kat-napoleonic-factory-samples-may-2022/

Overall I'm pleased in the direction the process is going now.

[NoPunIn10Did]

June / July update:

I got a second round of samples in the mail that included the Cherokee alphas and the US International alphas.

They appear to have corrected the legend alignment issues that I was worried about from their last samples.  I have provided feedback to them on this set of samples but haven't heard anything further.

[firstworldproblems]

June / July update:

I got a second round of samples in the mail that included the Cherokee alphas and the US International alphas.

They appear to have corrected the legend alignment issues that I was worried about from their last samples.  I have provided feedback to them on this set of samples but haven't heard anything further.

Show Image

Thanks for the update and your attention to detail!

[Luna]

I got me a full Irish Green set with extras and the same for French Indigo. Can't wait to get my hands on this gorgeous set!

[NoPunIn10Did]

KAT Napoleonic August Update
01 Aug 2022
Keyreative sent me a set of clarification requests this morning for some of the alpha legends that might not have printed properly in their current form (specifically, legends using "broken bar" characters ¦ as opposed to solid pipes |).  I have already made the necessary updates to the files impacted and uploaded them for Keyreative to use.

The current plan, as I understand it, is to make samples of each and every kit in the set and send me high-resolution photographs of them.  I have requested several kits to also be sent to me in person for personal inspection; I will let you know as these arrive.

I have faith that Keyreative are indeed working on the set, as the questions that they are asking me most recently show that they are paying attention to details and preparing to do actual printing.  However, the pace is *very* slow.  Based on this experience, I cannot give an updated ETA for the set, but I am at least encouraged that progress is being made.

[NoPunIn10Did]

KAT Napoleonic September Update
07 Sep 2022
Back in early August, after my last update, Keyreative supplied a set of proposed alignment changes for a handful of homing keycaps. These changes were very minor and will only affect lower alpha positioning for barred homing keys in eight of the alpha kits. Scooped homing keys are unaffected.

I have sent Keyreative updated banderoles for the set. Each box will have a checklist printed on the back that customers may choose to mark in order to assist with identifying what kit is what.

I have not heard anything since approving the homing key legend tweaks.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Someone in my Discord server just mentioned that they received a shipping notification for this set from ZFrontier. If this is indeed the case, I want to state publicly that I have NOT finished approving samples yet. I have NOT even seen all the kits.

I have communicated this with ZF and Keyreative and am awaiting a response.

UPDATE:
This does appear to be a miscommunication due to ZF beginning to ship deskmats, not keycaps.  However, they do appear to have sent shipping notifications for at least one order that included both a deskmat and caps, which is atypical for most vendors.

[msting]

Yup. I received a shipping notification from zFrontier 4 hours ago. I was quite surprised. But it did say "One item in your order is on the way. Minard-Large" That's just the deskmat I believe. Forgot I even ordered that! 

[Ranker2]

How many KAT sets are before us in production? Any ideas on when we'll possibly get our sets?

[NoPunIn10Did]

How many KAT sets are before us in production? Any ideas on when we'll possibly get our sets?

We’re at the front of the dyesub line, sort of. Our set is being actively worked on, at least as far as I’ve been told. However, kit samples have not all been approved, so it’s possible we won’t go into mass production until after some other set.

I know everyone is anxious to get their keycaps, but this is the part that I don’t want them to rush. I just wish it had not have been such an absurd wait to get to this point.

[NoPunIn10Did]

October Update
(one day early)

So we have good news and bad news. 

The good news is that ZFrontier has started shipping to customers, and that Keyreative has reported that they've finished production!

The bad news is that ZFrontier has started shipping to customers without letting me approve the kits first.  I received photos of production samples for (nearly) every kit only about 24-48 hours ago, and I've spent a long time combing through them.

Overall, the quality looks good, but I have already identified six kits (out of the 39 I've seen) with errors.  And because I've only seen top-down photos, I cannot properly confirm that every key is indeed printed to the correct row.  I may find further errors as the days progress.

Additionally, because Keyreative would rather do a rush job rather than contact a designer or vendor, the packaging art was done without my involvement or approval.  I didn't hear about this until after I submitted my own revised packaging design, at which point I discovered that they'd not only created their own packaging but had gone ahead and printed it.  Completely and utterly annoying, and a totally avoidable issue, but this goes on the pile of "things I will complain about, but not high priority enough to demand change."

I have communicated the six kits with known errors to Keyreative and am waiting on a response.  I have also asked for further photos of a few kits with nonstandard row assignments (Colemak, Dvorak, and a few others) to confirm that legend placement is indeed correct.

Some of the kitting errors may be due to keys being sorted incorrectly, so it's possible that some errors will not be consistent across an entire kit.  One such error is the inclusion of French-language accented keys in kits that were specified as English-language legends.

SUMMARY OF KNOWN ISSUES:

• Keyreative will ship this set in unapproved packaging art. Highly unlikely to be corrected.
• Russian Green TKL Mods kit contains French-language legend accent keys instead of their English-language counterparts.
  10 October - Keyreative has supplied a photo of a corrected kit.
• Russian Green Ergo Mods kit contains one French-language novelty (Retirer instead of Retreat).
  10 October - Keyreative has supplied a photo of a corrected kit.
• French Indigo Ortho kit is missing three keys.
  10 October - Keyreative has supplied a photo of a corrected kit.
• Mac Kit has French/English legends backwards for the 1.5u Commande / Command keys.
  04 October - Keyreative has supplied a photo of a corrected kit.
• Madness Kit currently includes scooped FJ and non-homing FJ; it should instead contain scooped and barred FJ keys.
  04 October - Keyreative has supplied a photo of a corrected kit.
• Tamil Alphas Kit currently is missing its =+ key and includes the wrong mod-colored keys (legend centering inconsistent with other alphas in that kit).
  10 October - Keyreative has supplied a photo of a corrected kit.

That all being said, here are some photos of what I think are good-looking keycaps.

Updated 10 October

I have received photos of corrections to all kit issues.  The only remaining known issue is the incorrect artwork for the packaging which unfortunately won't be corrected.

[treeleaf64]

Sorry to hear Mr Intended. Best of luck in the future : (

[NoPunIn10Did]

04 October Update:

Keyreative has supplied photos of corrected kits for two of the kits listed as a known issue. They have also claimed that one kit issue was the photographer's mistake.

I'm awaiting further updates on the other errors.

[firstworldproblems]

Thank you for the updates and your attention to detail.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Corrected photos of all kits have been received. I have given Keyreative approval to start officially shipping KAT Napoleonic kits to vendors and customers (though it's already confirmed they've shipped *some* sets to customers anyway, though so far those were of previously approved kits).

Please let me know if you find any errors in your kits when you receive them so that I can collect these issues and discuss them with Keyreative.  I've seen one customer photo so far; their default alphas and French Indigo TKL mods apparently turned out really well.

[NoPunIn10Did]

A quick clarification:

ZFrontier has already begun shipping some kits to customers, but other vendors are still waiting to hear from Keyreative & ZF in order to make factory shipping arrangements. We have asked ZF & Keyreative for clarification.

[msting]

Really appreciate the updates NoPun! I am really excited to get these. But asking Keyreative for clarification is a bit like asking your dog to speak Spanish. 

[msting]

I did get a shipping notification last week! I ordered from Keyreative so will likely take a few weeks to arrive in Chicago, but super excited to see these. I have about 6 kits coming.

[Luna]

MKUltra started shipping yet?

[NoPunIn10Did]

MKUltra started shipping yet?

We are currently awaiting a quote from Keyreative/ZF for sea shipping.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Brief update:

I have confirmed that keycaps should be making their way to these vendors now:
MKUltra
Ashkeebs
Hex.KB
MyKeyboard

I am still waiting for confirmation from MyKeyboard, but it's highly likely that their shipment is in progress as well.

ZFrontier is already shipping caps to customers.

I anticipate that US orders may begin shipping to customers at some point in mid-to-late December based on the ETA of the ship carrying the stock, but there are a number of factors that could delay that further (particularly if caps get held at customs again for an unreasonable amount of time, as occurred with at least one other set).

I have received my own personal order direct from the factory and have been sharing pictures of it mounted on several boards on Reddit and Instagram.  I will have a post on my wordpress site with the entire photo series after it has completed.

[firstworldproblems]

Thanks for updating the GB thread.

Brief update:

I have confirmed that keycaps should be making their way to these vendors now:
MKUltra
Ashkeebs
Hex.KB

I am still waiting for confirmation from MyKeyboard, but it's highly likely that their shipment is in progress as well.

ZFrontier is already shipping caps to customers.

I anticipate that US orders may begin shipping to customers at some point in mid-to-late December based on the ETA of the ship carrying the stock, but there are a number of factors that could delay that further (particularly if caps get held at customs again for an unreasonable amount of time, as occurred with at least one other set).

I have received my own personal order direct from the factory and have been sharing pictures of it mounted on several boards on Reddit and Instagram.  I will have a post on my wordpress site with the entire photo series after it has completed.

[NoPunIn10Did]

December Update

Not a lot to update here for December. Some vendors will probably be shipping units soon if they haven't started already. To my understanding, the US vendor (MKUltra) is still waiting for the caps to arrive by ocean freight.

So we play the waiting game.

[NoPunIn10Did]

January update: most vendors should be shipping KAT Napoleonic by now.

[NoPunIn10Did]

I think all vendors have begun shipping KAT Napoleonic.

If you're an MK Ultra customer, and you haven't gotten yours yet, check your spam folder for the address confirmation email. MK Ultra won't ship GBs to customers without that confirmation. If you can't find the email, get in touch with customer support:
https://mkultra.click/contact-us/

[Luna]

Anyone else got scammed by MKUltra?
No refund for an order not received, no replies to emails in 2 months.

[firstworldproblems]

Anyone else got scammed by MKUltra?
No refund for an order not received, no replies to emails in 2 months.

I cannot say I've had the same experience with MKULTRA. I am a repeat customer, my most recent purchase was some Napoleonic alphas that were delivered within 2 weeks.

I've only sent one message to MKUltra, but was replied to within a few days. Try another message to shake the tree.

Edited..

[Luna]

Anyone else got scammed by MKUltra?
No refund for an order not received, no replies to emails in 2 months.

I cannot say I've NOT had the same experience with MKULTRA. I am a repeat customer, my most recent purchase was some Napoleonic alphas that were delivered within 2 weeks.

I've only sent one message to MKUltra, but was replied to within a few days. Try another message to shake the tree.

If you cannot say you have not had the same experience that would mean you DID have the same experience.

7 mails in the past two months to Erik Johnson and Stefaan (a Dutch speaking guy working there) on the email addresses secrets@mkultra.click and erik@mkultra.click .
They just don't give a crap and I'm not the only one not getting his refund, Reddit can give you a lot of info.
So in my book these guys are scammers.

[firstworldproblems]

Anyone else got scammed by MKUltra?
No refund for an order not received, no replies to emails in 2 months.

I cannot say I've NOT had the same experience with MKULTRA. I am a repeat customer, my most recent purchase was some Napoleonic alphas that were delivered within 2 weeks.

I've only sent one message to MKUltra, but was replied to within a few days. Try another message to shake the tree.

If you cannot say you have not had the same experience that would mean you DID have the same experience.

7 mails in the past two months to Erik Johnson and Stefaan (a Dutch speaking guy working there) on the email addresses secrets@mkultra.click and erik@mkultra.click .
They just don't give a crap and I'm not the only one not getting his refund, Reddit can give you a lot of info.
So in my book these guys are scammers.

Yes, I made an error in my previous post. Corrected my earlier comment. 

I still stand by my statement, I've had zero issues with MKUltra, but I appreciate that the situation with this vendor may have changed.

[Luna]

We both have difference experiences with this vendor and you're of course entitled to your own opinion.

As I said, I sent 7 mails already and since the refund is not even that big of a refund they now have to face the consequences of their actions.Negative publicity will hopefully prevent other users from being scammed.Even more so when I see they're posting on Reddit they have a sale-out because they're closing down due to "health issues".I have seen that excuse/practice from vendors before after which customers quickly try to grab a bargain and a bunch of people never see their goods or money back.

[ForestFairyForestFun]

i'm pretty put out that these keycaps are being sold for 50% on MK ultra's site.  I paid full price and waited 2 years, and now it feels like the slowest scam in history.

[NoPunIn10Did]

i'm pretty put out that these keycaps are being sold for 50% on MK ultra's site.  I paid full price and waited 2 years, and now it feels like the slowest scam in history.

It's not a scam. MK Ultra is just liquidating all his inventory and getting out of most, if not all, keyboard business. His pricing is insanely low at this point, so much so that he's taking losses on everything. But when you liquidate, that's kind of how it goes.

I understand your frustration, but I really don't care for this project being called a scam.

[Luna]

And what about the people who didn’t get their goods from MKUltra and aren’t getting replies from support for over 2 months?
In my book these those guys are scammers and I’d advise people not to buy from their sale out, I’ve seen this too many times before and a lot of people aren’t going to get the goods they buy and won’t be able to get a refund.
It’s a company going bankrupt, never a good idea to buy from those.

[NoPunIn10Did]

And what about the people who didn’t get their goods from MKUltra and aren’t getting replies from support for over 2 months?
In my book these those guys are scammers and I’d advise people not to buy from their sale out, I’ve seen this too many times before and a lot of people aren’t going to get the goods they buy and won’t be able to get a refund.
It’s a company going bankrupt, never a good idea to buy from those.

I can’t speak to your specific situation, but if you really can’t get in touch with MKU, you probably need to just start the chargeback process. I’m not going to defend his business when he doesn’t properly communicate, but the idea that selling something for a lower price later is a “scam” is nonsense.

[Luna]

I didn't buy at a lower price, my order is from almost a year ago. That also means I can't start a PP complaint anymore. And 7 mails over 2 months to two of their email addresses without reply means I lost the goods and the money. That is a scam and I'm not alone.

And I didn't say "selling something for a lower price later is a “scam”", I'm saying having a sale out for "health reasons" as they posted on Reddit turned out to be a scam in the past from other companies so potential buyers should beware and not be blinded by the half price, it's a company in problems that doesn't offer support anymore.

[NoPunIn10Did]

I didn't buy at a lower price, my order is from almost a year ago. That also means I can't start a PP complaint anymore. And 7 mails over 2 months to two of their email addresses without reply means I lost the goods and the money. That is a scam and I'm not alone.

And I didn't say "selling something for a lower price later is a “scam”", I'm saying having a sale out for "health reasons" as they posted on Reddit turned out to be a scam in the past from other companies so potential buyers should beware and not be blinded by the half price, it's a company in problems that doesn't offer support anymore.

What exactly are you waiting on? KAT Napoleonic should have shipped to all preorders by now. Many people who had delays later found they had missed their address confirmation email.

This is not to excuse MKU; they absolutely need to get in touch with you. But their health reasons are real. The store is liquidating, and he’s going to have family members help with the fulfillment of remaining preorders (particularly GMK Nord).

[Luna]

Did the confirmation in January when you posted it here : https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=109526.msg3153189#msg3153189Never got a confirmation email from them as well.

And what I'm waiting for? Caps? Money back? Reply to emails? But no, nothing.And this is not directed at you or about the set, it's about MKultra.

[NoPunIn10Did]

Did the confirmation in January when you posted it here : https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=109526.msg3153189#msg3153189Never got a confirmation email from them as well.

And what I'm waiting for? Caps? Money back? Reply to emails? But no, nothing.And this is not directed at you or about the set, it's about MKultra.

I don’t know what to tell you. Clearly there’s been a miscommunication for your order somehow, and I don’t know why MKU hasn’t resolved it by now. Unfortunately the health issues are indeed real, so that’s made him more unreliable with email, and he no longer has a second employee handling customer service.