GMK MTNU SelectresqueSTATUS: Canceled (December 8, 2024)After some consideration, I've decided not to move forward with the MTNU Selectresque group buy. The economics of MTNU are difficult to make work, and it's been a learning experience.
To make the set viable, we were looking at having to strip out all 40's and 6u coverage, alternate 65/75 column keys, most of the Selectric novelties, and possibly switch to a stock blue that didn't match the Selectric well. An international kit was doubtful. In addition, Space Cadet just came out in a similar blue, which would have made the set an even harder sell.
I didn't feel enthusiastic about the project given all that, and moving forward didn't seem like the right thing to do.
Selectresque will return, however. I'll be launching a new interest check in SA profile once my work on A History of Violets is complete.
I really hope I'm not being some petulant creative diva here. I just think that if I'm not excited by a design, it will show, and buyers won't be excited by it either. I'd rather focus on projects that I feel more confident will make people happy.
Original IC below:
Introduction and InspirationThis is GMK MTNU Selectresque. It's an IBM Selectric-
esque design, inspired by the famous blue-key IBM Selectric colorway from the 1960's. The Selectric series of typewriters was extremely popular; at one point, 75% of the typewriters used in the business market were Selectrics. They were also innovative, in that they used interchangeable rotating font balls instead of individual bars for each key, and thus weren't prone to jamming when two keys were struck simultaneously.
The Selectric's keyboard was also used in computer terminals of the era, such as the IBM 2740. Its caps were interchangeable with those on IBM's later beamspring keyboards.
Legend says the blue caps were discontinued because the cheerful color was just too distracting for office workers. But now they're back, in pog MTNU form!
The IBM Selectric I, in its blue colorway.
(Photo credit)Manufacturer and VendorsManufactured by GMK, in doubleshot PBT
Prototypist has offered to work with me on this! More info coming soon.
PricingTBD, but I'm hoping for $120-150 for the base; ideally on the lower end of that range, in line with other MTNU base kits.
Quantity will largely determine the price. For reference, MTNU Susu's small base kit sold for $125, the much larger MTNU Dolch monokit was $135, and the "limited stock" MTNU R&D 1973 monokit was $180-189.
There are a handful of new novelty legends, but they're just text, and I want the molds to be available to anyone to use going forward. The generic diamond OS mods may be pretty useful.
DatesGroup Buy aiming for Spring 2025
ColorsGMK XW1 white legends. The blue base is rendered as RAL Meissen blue, but there's some leeway since there were minor variations in shades of blue on the Selectric. GMK's ABS N5 is a pretty good stock match, if they can approximate that in PBT.
Renders, Part IMore
KittingMore
Base Kit
This is a 60-80% kit with terminal ISO, Tsangan, and HHKB support; plus some weirdo keys like 2u Shift and 1.5u OS mods that often get shunted off to an extras kit. I didn't want to have a separate extras kit that would make purchasing more confusing.
It's as accurate as I could make it to the Selectric series of typewriters while fitting today's boards. Featured are unique mod and alpha legends mostly drawn from the Selectric III, but also from the I, II, 96-character, and Composer typewriters.
The monotone color scheme is clean, fairly neutral, and pairs well with almost anything.
40% and Spacebars Kit
Basic 40's support, an Alice B, and an assortment of small spacebars. Larger bars are already in the base.
Number Pad Kit
For folks who need a number pad, here you go! 1800 R1 keys are included here.
Examples of some Selectric legends in their original context.
Renders, Part II: Selectric BoogalooMore
Questions and AnswersMore
1. Why MTNU? Wasn't this originally supposed to be an SA set?
I had originally designed this for SA profile, because I thought the height and glossiness was a good approximation of the original Selectric aesthetic (Selectsthetic?). But a couple factors changed my mind.
First, I know Signature Plastics' prices aren't popular, and I already have two sets at varying stages of production or development through them that I'm still waiting to hear about. I don't want to launch a third before those pan out.
Second, but more importantly, I think MTNU is a great fit for this! MTNU was designed in part as an homage to IBM's scooped 70's beamspring caps, the same as the Selectrics used. It's a curvy profile with a retro typeface strongly inspired by the legends you'd find on Selectric I and II typewriters. At the same time, it's shorter and potentially comfier than SA to type on, as well as being made from durable doubleshot PBT, rather than ABS. GMK's production times are also faster than SP's.
There have only been a handful of MTNU sets so far, and while GMK is definitely capable of producing bright-colored PBT keys (see their sample color packs), so far many have been shades of brown and grey. A bright sky blue set would be entirely new in MTNU, whereas it'd just be another among many blue SA sets.
2. Why all the funky legends?
Part of drawing inspiration from the Selectric is embracing its weirdness - it was a typewriter first and foremost, not a computer keyboard, even if it was sometimes integrated into terminals. Typewriters before the mid-80's had a variety of non-standardized layouts across brands and locales. Untying the legends from the keys they sit on makes the set more region-neutral, accurate to the original Selectrics, and frankly just looks cool.
At one point I did plan to include "normie" versions of the alpha keys, but it felt redundant and costly.
3. No non-scooped F, J, and 5 keys?
If it's a huge dealbreaker for a lot of people, I can add them. There are no barred or nubbed homing keys in MTNU, just scooped. Given most folks want homing keys of some variety, I went with scooped, and left unscooped out to cut costs where I can. I'd rather include different keys that help cover more boards than variants of keys that are already there. There's precedent for leaving them out - they're not in MNTU Beige, or MTNU Rascals.
4. At one point recently, this was going to be 40's and 60's-oriented with small board coverage in the base. Why the change?
I did the math, and there are just way more TKL users than 40s users. To make this set more viable, I put TKL in the base and moved 40's support to a child kit. Having both in the base together seemed like it'd be too expensive, and affordability for the majority was part of the decision to go with MTNU over SA.
There have been a LOT of changes to this set as it's evolved, and I've tried to make the process as transparent as I could by posting major changes in the "Custom Keycap Ideas Thread" here on GeekHack, both as a sort of pre-IC, and so there's a breadcrumb trail in case anyone pops up claiming I stole their design. This began life as a black and grey SA set with icon mods, before turning blue, losing the icons, and becoming much more accurate to real Selectrics. I've toyed with literally dozens of kitting variations in recent weeks, and this is the one that felt like it would sell the best at the lowest cost.
6. I thought of this idea back in 1988, and swear I was going to get around to posting my own IC three hours from now. I demand you put this set on hold!
No.
6. But x is slightly different than on an actual Selectric!
This is an amalgam of three generations of Selectrics spanning 25 years, and multiple minor variants across those. It's Selectric-ESQUE, not a real Selectric. You should really just relax.
Next StepsI'll be meeting with Prototypist soon to discuss the color, any potential kitting changes (international support?), and getting other regional vendors onboard. Once we have enough details nailed down, we can reach out to GMK for quotes, and organize a group buy.
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Changelog9/14/24: IC Created
9/15/24: Working with Prototypist to prep for a group buy
9/16/24: Set very preliminary GB date. Working on kitting refinement now. Next up: getting quote from GMK.
