As usual Magic Wagon have no problems creating a beautiful looking prop. This one seems to have had mixed reactions which I think might be a little unfair based on my first impressions at least. I think the mechanism that makes this work is very clever and works reliably. The fact that you can choose any six symbols and have six outs is pretty neat for sure. It would be quite easy to expand that number with the right routine. Also you can freely show the device from all sides and even give it to the spectator without fear of them seeing anything, both before and after the work is done.
The problem is that the unit is a little contrived. It is not a whiteboard, but a whiteboard with a drawer at the bottom – it looks great but may not be that logical. Also, there are some angle issues when you do the actual work and it is a little tricky to get ready in plain sight. I think this is another example of a good idea not fully fleshed out.
I’ve seen it compared to T.A. Waters’ Box Office but the big difference is that although many versions of Box Office have the drawer below where the prediction is, they work because the items are displayed in a box or tray above. If you wanted to make this be very convincing with the whiteboard, the whiteboard would need to be very thin or transparent.
But to be fair with nearly all Magic Wagon items you have to accept the fact that they are going to be creating fairly large, cool looking magical boxes which if you like wooden boxes (as I do) you will love, but if you trying to convince an audience you are performing real magic with, it might be a stretch. But this is pretty much true with any box or prop that is designed for magic – the second you get a way from basic non-prop items such as cards, coins, paper, pens, ropes, etc. there is always going to be more suspicion on the prop. And props that Magic Collector’s and hobbyists like tend to be much more ornate than you really need and Magic Wagon excel and filling that space. So you end up with props that look kind of large and contrived. But they are giving the people what they want 🙂
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