Leonardo Momento Zero Figboot on Pens Carolina Midnight: A Closer Look

Introduction

The Momento Zero Figboot on Pens Carolina Midnight is the second collaboration between Leonardo, Jonathan Brooks, and the Figboot on Pens project. After a first run that reportedly sold out in roughly half a minute, this new Momento Zero takes a different approach: instead of a hard cap, there is a two-day pre-sale window, and everything sold gets made.

The pen itself is the headline. Carolina Midnight is a deep blue material with a quietly impressive depth that rewards real-world handling more than photography, and it is offered in two trims and a wide range of nibs. Prices start at $235 for a stainless steel nib version and reach $475 with a 14k gold nib.

Who This Pen Is For

This is a project pen with a very specific appeal. If you missed the first Figboot on Pens collaboration and wished you had moved faster, this one exists precisely to fix that problem. The pre-sale model with no purchase limit means nobody needs to race a checkout clock.

It also suits collectors who appreciate Leonardo’s Momento Zero platform: the tiered section, the refined trim work, and the option to pair a dark Ruthenium trim with a black coated nib. And since every gold nib pen ships with a bottle of Leonardo ink, it doubles as a ready-to-ink gift, though the pens will not arrive until after the holiday shipping season.

The Material: A Subtler Kind of Blue

Carolina Midnight is a mix of lighter and darker blues with subtle gray shimmering highlights. Where the first project’s turquoise acrylic had an immediate, camera-friendly wow factor, this material plays a longer game. Under natural sunlight the different shades of blue become more visible as the light hits the barrel at different angles, and the depth is genuinely there.

It is harder to capture in photographs than the previous collaboration’s material, which is worth knowing if you buy purely from product shots. In hand, the shimmer and tonal variation are what sell it.

Two Trims: Rhodium vs Ruthenium

You get your choice of two trims. The rhodium version uses rhodium trim with a matching rhodium-plated nib, while the Ruthenium trim is a darker, gunmetal gray finish.

The difference between the two trims looks subtle at a glance, but it shows most clearly on the nib itself. The Ruthenium option pairs the dark gunmetal furniture with a black coated nib, a combination that reads as sharp and slightly understated compared with the classic rhodium look.

On the Ruthenium model, the gray tones around the three cap rings echo the shimmer in the acrylic, which ties the whole pen together nicely.

Details Worth Noticing

Leonardo’s attention to small touches shows up in the places you only see when filling the pen. On the Ruthenium model, the converter piston knob is plated, and the inner housing of the section is plated as well, so the two areas you glimpse during inking match the rest of the trim. That cohesion is a nice touch.

The barrel ends in a blind cap ring that looks good, though many users will simply unscrew the barrel when filling since Leonardo’s converters are pleasant to watch fill. Engraving on the barrel reads Leonardo Officina Italiana, followed by the pen number and the project name.

Nib sizes run from extra fine, fine, and medium through broad and 1.1 stub. The stub in particular has proven popular with this writer’s style: smooth, with a feed that keeps up comfortably.

Writing Impressions

The writing experience on the Momento Zero platform is familiar territory for Leonardo fans. The tiered section sits naturally in the grip without a flare at the end, and there is no struggle to maintain a hold or any tendency for fingers to slip off the section.

Paired with a blue-black ink, the 1.1 stub nib delivers a satisfying line variation and encourages slow, deliberate writing. For a pen at this price, the overall writing feel punches above its weight, and the stub option makes a strong case for trying something outside your usual nib choice.

Buying Advice and Pre-Sale Details

Here is how the purchase works. The sale opens December 4th at 9:00 am Eastern and runs through midnight Eastern on December 5th, exclusively at figboot.com. There is no purchase limit, and however many pens sell during that window is exactly how many get produced.

The trade-off is turnaround time: instead of the near-instant shipping of the first project, expect roughly 90 days from pre-sale to shipment. That is still far shorter than a typical crowd-funded wait. Shipping is $10 within the US and $35 internationally, handled via UPS, and international shipping is priced below cost to keep delivery reliable.

A few practical notes: specific pen numbers cannot be requested, pens will not ship until after the holiday season, and the creator plans to offer a printable flyer so gift givers still have something to hand over during the holidays. Gold nib buyers also receive a bottle of Leonardo ink in a color chosen to suit the pen.

Conclusion

The Carolina Midnight is a thoughtful second act: a subtler but genuinely attractive material, a smart choice between rhodium and Ruthenium trim, and a buying model that trades a slightly longer wait for guaranteed availability. If the Momento Zero platform and a deep blue shimmer acrylic appeal to you, the two-day pre-sale window in early December is the only way to get one.