I have also opted for this "combo", mainly due to the fact that you have several people saying that Dakota leather over the F3x has far less quality then it had on previous generations.
You also have many pics of Merino over the forum.. i don't recall seeing 1 example that is prematurely aged ( with the F3x gen.)
I think if you take care of it (clean and hydrate) it will age with a nice Patina..