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Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens






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About the Retro 51 Tornado
The Retro 51 Tornado fountain pen comes with a German stainless steel nib, an ink converter and two standard international ink cartridges (black). The pen arrives in a Retro graphic gift box tube that doubles as a pen stand.
The Tornado fountain pen comes with a metal cap and barrel.
Retro 51 is launching 2022 with the new Escape Tornado fountain pen release. Leaving planet Earth is a rare achievement. Few have accomplished the marvelous feat, but it may be possible for the masses in the near future. Non-astronauts like you and me are closer than ever to joining the ranks of those who have gone beyond the reaches of our atmosphere, and the latest Tornado Fountain Pen brings you even closer to space by putting the ACES (Advanced Crew Escape Suit) suit in your hands. The Retro 51 Tornado Escape fountain pen is lacquered in "International Orange" and then printed with the iconic NASA "meatball" logo plus Commander and Space Shuttle Patches. It is finished with matte black accents and an astronaut helmet on the finial. Finally, it's packaged in a black tube with a graphic orange label. Pick one up and prepare for take-off!
The Retro 51 Aged Raw Brass Tornado fountain pen has a polished brass barrel with NO coating, so it ages with use. The pen also features a green top disc, matching polished brass trim, and a black contour grip section.
Product Specifications
Capped Length: 5.4 in.(137.2mm)
Posted Length: 6.14 in.(156.0mm)
Length of Body: 4.96 in.(126.0mm)
Length of Cap: 2.27 in.(57.7mm)
Diameter of Body: 0.46 in.(11.7mm)
Diameter of Cap: 0.51 in.(13.0mm)
Diameter of Grip: 0.36 in.(9.1mm)
Weight: 1.2 oz.(34.02g)
Body Material: Metal
Trim Material: Chrome Plated
Section Material: Metal
Nib Material: Stainless Steel
Fill Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter
Cartridge Type: Standard International
Cap Rotations: 1.5
Cap Type: Threaded
Postable: Yes
Demonstrator: No
Clip Style: Spring Metal
Available Sizes & Colors
* Special orders typically ship in 5-14 business days. However, occasionally due to manufacturer inventory, items can take up to 1-3 months. For a specific shipping estimate on your special order contact Customer Care.
Guaranteed Quality
Each Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens we sell is guaranteed to be genuine, authentic and will arrive brand new & unused!
*Limit per customer and/or household. We reserve the right to cancel any and all orders that are in violation of this policy.
The Tornado fountain pen comes with a metal cap and barrel.
Retro 51 is launching 2022 with the new Escape Tornado fountain pen release. Leaving planet Earth is a rare achievement. Few have accomplished the marvelous feat, but it may be possible for the masses in the near future. Non-astronauts like you and me are closer than ever to joining the ranks of those who have gone beyond the reaches of our atmosphere, and the latest Tornado Fountain Pen brings you even closer to space by putting the ACES (Advanced Crew Escape Suit) suit in your hands. The Retro 51 Tornado Escape fountain pen is lacquered in "International Orange" and then printed with the iconic NASA "meatball" logo plus Commander and Space Shuttle Patches. It is finished with matte black accents and an astronaut helmet on the finial. Finally, it's packaged in a black tube with a graphic orange label. Pick one up and prepare for take-off!
The Retro 51 Aged Raw Brass Tornado fountain pen has a polished brass barrel with NO coating, so it ages with use. The pen also features a green top disc, matching polished brass trim, and a black contour grip section.
Product Specifications
Capped Length: 5.4 in.(137.2mm)
Posted Length: 6.14 in.(156.0mm)
Length of Body: 4.96 in.(126.0mm)
Length of Cap: 2.27 in.(57.7mm)
Diameter of Body: 0.46 in.(11.7mm)
Diameter of Cap: 0.51 in.(13.0mm)
Diameter of Grip: 0.36 in.(9.1mm)
Weight: 1.2 oz.(34.02g)
Body Material: Metal
Trim Material: Chrome Plated
Section Material: Metal
Nib Material: Stainless Steel
Fill Mechanism: Cartridge/Converter
Cartridge Type: Standard International
Cap Rotations: 1.5
Cap Type: Threaded
Postable: Yes
Demonstrator: No
Clip Style: Spring Metal
Available Sizes & Colors
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Aged Raw Brass - Extra Fine (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Aged Raw Brass - Fine (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Aged Raw Brass - Medium (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Aged Raw Brass - Stub (Stainless Steel nib) *
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Escape - Extra Fine (Stainless Steel nib) *
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Escape - Fine (Stainless Steel nib) *
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Escape - Medium (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Escape - Stub (Stainless Steel nib) *
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Jefferson - Extra Fine (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Jefferson - Fine (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Jefferson - Medium (Stainless Steel nib)
- Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens - Jefferson - Stub (Stainless Steel nib)
* Special orders typically ship in 5-14 business days. However, occasionally due to manufacturer inventory, items can take up to 1-3 months. For a specific shipping estimate on your special order contact Customer Care.
Guaranteed Quality
Each Retro 51 Tornado Fountain Pens we sell is guaranteed to be genuine, authentic and will arrive brand new & unused!
*Limit per customer and/or household. We reserve the right to cancel any and all orders that are in violation of this policy.

Retro 51 Tornado Reviews
I love this pen. Initially I bought as a display piece but it turned into my daily use pen. People regularly Comment on its design. It's smooth and consistent. The weight is perfect for holding and carrying in pocket.
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Friendly and efficient customer service. The pen is very cool; 1.1 mm stub with huge line variation and a juicy flow of ink. Yummy.
5
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I purchased the Escape with an Extra Fine nib. The extra fine point nib writes fairy smoothly. This nib writes better than my earlier Retro extra fine point nib pens. I think my earlier Retro pens came with a Schmidt nib and this pen has a Jowo. I think Retro did a good job of staying true to history with the design of this Escape "Suit" pen. Also, it reminds me of an episode of Dr Who - "The Waters of Mars". It's a great pen to have in anyone's collection for both the nostalgia and because it is a good writing pen at a good value.
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Lovely pen. Arrived quickly in Canada. Good feel in the hand and a very nice look.
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Since Retro 51 re-designed their fountain pen sections and switched to Jowo nibs, the Tornado has become an incredible value for money. Perfectly balanced in the hand/grip—and with a smooth, wet nib—this solid, reliable Retro 51 is the perfect every day carry pen.
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This is my first fountain pen and I really enjoy the experience writing with this pen. The Retro 51 is well weighted, extremely comfortable to hold and the ink nib is quite smooth. I am learning about fountain pen ink and how it differs from roller ball and ball point pen ink. Additionally writing with a fountain pen fell more like painting then writing and I feel like using this pen will help me return to what use to be my very polished penmanship prior to querty keyboards. Excellent first experience with using a fountain pen with the Retro 51 Brand.
5
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The Retro 51 Tornado in Lincoln Copper is a beautiful pen, but it has its issues. The build quality is not top tier as reflected by a couple of issues. The cap/barrel threads are not finished well. The cap threads are plastic and the barrel are metal, which on mine were poorly finished, causing mis-threading. I was able to clean and re-thread the barrel using a sharp blade and a microscope, but that highlighted the metal used to fabricate the barrel.
The nib is another source of frustration. This uses Schmidt nibs, which are supposedly decent quality. I got a dud. My friend purchased a Retro 51 with the same nib and it writes smoothly, whereas mine is scratchy as, well, fingernails on a chalk board. Looking at it under a microscope shows a very rough contact patch on the nib, but the tines are aligned. Polishing may cure this.
The converter isn't the best quality, either. I swapped it with a Jinhao, which was a step up.
A great looking pen that looks great and posts well, but the build quality is second-tier.
The nib is another source of frustration. This uses Schmidt nibs, which are supposedly decent quality. I got a dud. My friend purchased a Retro 51 with the same nib and it writes smoothly, whereas mine is scratchy as, well, fingernails on a chalk board. Looking at it under a microscope shows a very rough contact patch on the nib, but the tines are aligned. Polishing may cure this.
The converter isn't the best quality, either. I swapped it with a Jinhao, which was a step up.
A great looking pen that looks great and posts well, but the build quality is second-tier.
3
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Very pleased with all aspects of purchase.
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Initial thought of this pen was too heavy.. and that is a right statement if capped. However, uncapped it fits nicely in the hands. I used Noodler's rome burning ink and it writes very smoothly.. I would recommend this pen for people who like a decent weighted pen.
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Just a really good pen, lovely to write with
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