Coincidently in 2017/18 I inherited 9 Normarks in varying conditions from used to pristine including two each of the Microlite Match 12ft RNMM144-3, Microlite Match 13ft NMMT 1563 and Titan Match 13ft RNTM1563-13. Kept one of each and sold the "duplicates" and the other Multi Tip Normarks for a tidy sum which went to a relevant charity.
I wasn't aware of the "MK2 variants" you were interested in. When were those versions produced and how do they compare to the earlier versions?
Thanks.
The models you have sound like the original Normark Microlite/Titan/Avenger range (sliding reel bands etc). Confusingly, there were versions of the originals marked as being "Mk2" but I've never got to the bottom of differences between the two types, if there were any.
Next came the much vaunted Team 2000 models, the ones that people pay top dollar for. Fuji screw winch reels seats and top notch Fuji rings were a feature. Somewhere along the line, Team 1000 and Team 3000 versions were produced at a similar time to the 2000s.
The next in line were the Mk2 versions that this thread is concerned with. These pretty much fell between the cracks of the Normark brand being sold to Masterline. Some say they are definitely Masterline rods others are less sure. One suggestion is that they started as a genuine Normark project that Masterline inherited with the sale. Many do believe that they have updated Diamura blanks that made the 2000s so well regarded. I couldn't vouch for that, but they are quality blanks and have top of the range Fuji fittings.
To confuse things even more, Masterline introduced another Mk2 variant once they got rid of stocks of the earlier version. These weren't quite so well endowed with the fittings. They are easily distinguished by the inclusion of a dolly piece that made them 13/14' rods. Rightly or not, these rods often aren't that highly regarded. Unfortunately, as many are unaware that the previous Mk2s even exist, they get lumped into the prevailing poor opinion of Mk2 Normarks.
