Review by Andy Martin for Way Out Of This World by Dick Zimmerman
2 out of 5
I personally will stick with Paul Curry’s version over Mr. Zimmerman’s version. There are other versions including Harry Loryane’s Out of this Universe that I might use, but the problem I have with this version is the move occurs as the two packets are placed together after the spectator has dealt them – well talk about the worst time to do a move that is when the spectator’s are looking most closely. I first read about Out of This World in Paul Clive’s excellent book Card Tricks Without Skill and it has served me very well over decades, without the need for any tricky moves at the worst time.
Review by Magic Vincent for Don't Lie Spirit Bell by Pangu Magic
2 out of 5
Sometimes you pay for what you get. In this instance it is true. To enter this form of entertainment, you have to think like a spectator. Anticipate what they will think. First of all, everyone is familiar with remote control car door openers. Remote control toy cars and planes. Authenticity is the key. This works fine but looks like a remote control toy. It is no Wenger Spirit Bell which I own. Also, there are other fine Bells on the market that look old and authentic.The base on this is too thick and the way the bell rings looks very fishy. If you are doing a young children’s party, this will be fine. However if you want to be taken seriously by an adult audience, my advice is to save up and spend more and get a Spirit bell which can be examined, looks very old and realistic and can be put together right in front of your audience. This is one product that you do not want to cheap out on. The spectator will see nothing. The Wenger Spirit Bell is also hand crafted. I highly recommend it.
Review by Amazing Corbin for Antique Haunted Timber (Telekinetic Timber) by Dave Powell
2 out of 5
Slow to move, Was that the wind?
I was very disappointed in this product, and would not recommend it at all.
First off, I should say this looks great. It does look like an old timber, the aging and distressing is perfect. However that’s about it, a great looking piece of wood.
There are two "phases" to it’s movement one has you balance it on a bottle or other object and the second phase has you lean it up against an object at least as tall as it is long. The first major problem is it takes forever to move/topple. Definitely not a tv trick, this is something you have to set up, then tell a long story before it moves. Trying not to give the method away, the temperature affects it as well. if it’s a cold room you could be waiting a lot longer. when it eventually toppled over It left my audiences thinking it was the wind or something knocked the table. When you balance it on top of something you have to balance it very carefully, even with practice it looks like you are just setting it up to fall over when the wind blows. Very unimpressive to the audience.
I used this in close up performances and library shows perhaps 20 times over the winter season 2013. The timber never got a good reaction and was a poor effect in my show. It would be way better if you could determine when it would fall over. Most of the time after my rehearsed story was over I had to add lib until the dang thing toppled. A few times it fell over before my story was done and once the wind actually did knock it over!
Review by Amazing Corbin for Fraidy Cat Rabbit by Abbott's, Bill Paul
2 out of 5
Great trick but Who painted the rabbit?
I owned this effect for a year. did not use it much at all
It’s a standard effect, and I’ve performed the trick many times with other versions. The effect always gets a great reaction I liked the well made quality of this one and the size made it great. Unfortunately the bunny is scary as Heck! I remember a child in one show called it my demon bunny trick. Needs a better paint job.
Review by AmazingCorbin for Treasure Box by Mikame Craft
2 out of 5
Treasure Box
I’ve had this treasure chest for a few years now. I can recall using it maybe two times. This is an item that looks good in the pictures, but is just not practical for a performing magician. A hobbyist may like it for his shelves though.
I have three main challenges with this item. A -it’s very small and the load chamber is even smaller with restrictive sides B- It’s very fragile C Can’t be viewed from below and needs to be lifted carefully. D- it’s a little pricey.
The size of this item is good for fitting into your magic case, but it’s too small to produce much more than loose coins or necklaces from. I tried to get jumbo coins in there, but they just wont fit. the load chamber has restrictive sides. Not like a normal "tip over" The sides help to hold things in and the angle of the sides make the audience viewing angles better ( people sitting beside you won’t be able to view the load when the box is tipped over ) but the price of a tiny load chamber was too high a cost for the better viewing angles if you know what I mean.
This is one prop you do not want banging around in your magic case. A special foam lined box is what you need. It’s a very thin walled chest and fragile. In the past few years I’ve only used it carefully in a couple of shows, and It already has scratches on the finished sides.
This chest is built in such a way that you can not just pick it up. As soon as you pick it up off the table the load chamber drops out if you are not careful. Everytime you lift it off your table you need to tilt it forward a bit and slip your pinky finger under the chest to hold the load chamber in place. it looks awkward.
From the bottom looking up you can also see the load chamber and two large holes into the chest. Your audience must be seated on chairs. Kids on the floor will see everything.
I think this was poorly thought out and not representative of most of the Mikame products. Definitely something I wish I passed on. It would look good on a shelf somewhere, but it’s not a performer.
Review by David A Seebach for Imperial Rice, Orange and Checkers by Mak Magic
2 out of 5
Tepid Imitation
The original Thayer Rice, Orange & Checkers has spawned some imitations. This one is weak. The elegant beauty of the original design is not reproduced in the cheap MAK Magic version. And, the clever vase for vanishing the rice has been replaced by something less effective and much less beautiful. I’m all for bright, showy —even gaudy— props. Some might take offense at the yellow faces, but my distaste for this is NOT based on that. If Hollywood was making a motion picture that featured a young, bumbling wanna-be magician, this is the gear the prop man would furnish to set the sequence. Compare this to the original Rings’N’Things’ Mandarin Transformation (now a multi-thousand dollar collectors’ item) and its much simpler —and much better— look. Or, invest in either the too-small traditional Rice, Orange & Checkers still produced by California’s Owen Magic Supreme or their terrific stage-sized Rice, Grapefruit & Checkers (you’ll be taking out a 2nd mortgage for this one!). I own all three and use the Mandarin Transformation and Rice, Grapefruit & Checkers frequently.
Review by Joey Butler for Nest of Boxes – Brass by Viking Mfg.
2 out of 5
Love the Plot But …
I love this trick. I have a plastic version that Tenyo put out. I think it was Tenyo. I always thought this would be great in brass. When I got mine, though, the lids are so tight that the spectator is going to lose interest in opening all five – especially if she breaks a nail doing it! Perhaps constant usage would loosen them a bit.
Martin’s Magic Comment – I have had two sets of this beautiful trick and have not seen the problems Joey’s having. I also should comment that there are only 4 boxes, not 5, so I wonder if joey even has the same set? I still love it!
Here are some notes from George Robinson at Viking Magic:
Our brass Nest of Boxes are made to exacting standards and tolerances. The room where the lathe work is done must be kept at a constant 72 degrees while working on the boxes as any deviation will cause the metal to expand or contract, causing a ‘fit problem’. In making a run which generally consists of 500 to 600 sets (3,600 individual pieces) some variation is expected. We dry-fit every set and test them but even at that some boxes get by us that are either too tight or too loose. If you receive a set that is too loose, we will replace it without question; same goes for too tight. (The cheap copies out there do NOT use this quality control and those boxes are literally junk).
Polishing the OUTSIDE of the boxes with most brass polish is O.K. but note that Brasso removes metal and is NOT recommended for any of our brass products. We recommend Never-dul which uses a mild chemical reaction that cleans the brass. Then rub the brass with a light oil until the oil is virtually gone.
NEVER use Brasso on the sliding parts or locking parts of any of our products. NEVER try to fix one of our item without first consulting us.
Review by Andy Martin for Run Rabbit Run – Metal Copy by Unknown
2 out of 5
Looks can be deceptive!
Run Rabbit Run and all of its copies is still one of the finest kids tricks around. This version looks almost the same as a metal one that I purchased from Ron MacMillan at International Magic in the UK back in the 70’s. I loved that version. It was the perfect size for kids parties. Most of the ones that I see today are much bigger which is great for larger audiences, but they are harder to manipulate.
Unfortunately, this version is so cheaply made that you have to really work with it to ensure the doors don’t jam, open unexpectedly, or the rabbit doesn’t get stuck.
This really looks fine on the web, but I would not recommend this particular version at all. Just too flimsy and frustrating!
Review by Andy Martin for Disintegration Tube by Elite Magic Mfg.
2 out of 5
What a piece of Crap!
This idea of the effect holds great promise, but as it arrives it just does not work. The gimmick – which is a very well known friend of the magician – is too big for the rings and I don’t see how you can perform this the way it explains in the instructions.
The rings could be used for something else, just don’t raise your hopes that you will be doing the Disintegration Vanish anytime soon!
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