Year: 2004

Very nice Color Cube!

Sometimes the old and simple effects are the best. This version of the Color Cube by George Robinson is wonderful. In fact, I’ve been trying to think of a routine with two of them so that I can justify buying another!

The size of this is bigger than the kids toy version which lends itself to some very real miracles. The box is Asian mahogany with a hand-rubbed finish and even the cube is hand-crafted with inset acrylic spots, so it can be seen quite easily for close-up and parlor work.

Time to revive this old chestnut, with some imagination! If you spend half of the effort and time that George put into making this, I’m sure you’ll have a very pleasant experience.

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Grab these while you can!

As I look at all the magic I’ve puchased over the last 32 years it becomes very clear to me that there are very few real craftsmen around still making quality magic. Craftsmen like Alan Warner, Mel Babcock, and Richard Gerlitz are all on my list of course. But sometimes I forget to add to that same list: George Robinson of Viking Mfg./Collector’s Workshop. When I look at the quality that he consistently pumps out it is quite amazing, and then you factor in the price – there is noone else in the industry, period, that produces the same quality at the same price.

This little bottle is a wonderful piece that you will be proud to own. It is easy to do and comes with some great ideas. I suggest you snap these up because I don’t know how George is able to offer these at such low prices. For the amount of work involved they are a huge deal!

In fact I would say the same thing about a lot of Viking pieces – George has kept his prices very low for a long time. You can get some of the same effects for less from the rip-off guys, but if you want the real deal pay a fraction more and you will be much happier. Viking quality really shines when you take the time to appreciate it.

I suggest you point your browser to the Viking site and load up on many of the cool effects that George has to offer – I have owned nearly all of the pieces from the current Viking catalog, and only now am really starting to appreciate how much better they are than so much of the other dross out there.

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Finally a Book Test that is Entertaining!

I have owned five different book tests and only performed one of them. The reason is that, with the exception of Lee Woodside’s Dream Revelation, I’ve never really felt that there was much point to them – the methods are often clever (hence their appeal to magicians), but they really lack in entertainment value.

Brad Henderson has come up with a very funny and amazing book test that draws value and entertainment from the books themselves as well as the final revelation. The Satanic Book Test is clearly a performance piece – you can’t just roll it out the afternoon you receive it, and it does require some careful practice and talent to do it justice. The mechanics are easy to grasp, with plenty of tips and subtleties to handle various situations, but you will need to be confident in your acting abilities to pull it off.

This is a "good thing" – if more magicians spent time actually rehearsing their shows we would see better performances. I think in the right hands this could easily become the greatest eight minutes of your act. I plan on spending a long time before I roll this out in my act, but I am confident that I will in fact roll it out, which will make it a very good book test indeed!

As it arrives you get a very well produced 25 page booklet with numerous photos, tips, patter, and subtleties. You will need to purchase the actual books required for the test, but these are readily available.

Highly recommended if you really want to entertain your audiences, rather than just show a few tricks to your friends.

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Ready for a Heart Attack?

Mephisto of Belguim have a fine line of quality magic – this fall apart table and the matching Fall Apart Chair are no exception. This table is so solid you could stand on it if you desired. There is no sign of gimmicks or anything and its radio controlled. So you can use it quite normally throughout your show, moving it around without fear. But when you press that button, watch out! It comes crashing down to the ground with a thunderous sound! This is how fall apart props should be made. Wonderful to play with and a real surprise for the audience.

This table is so solid I had my 21", 75 lb computer monitor on for a three month period when I was moving last year. I can even stand on it (I’m 215 lbs!).

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Wow! These are beautiful!

Ok so Howie and Bob spent some time with less worthy craftsman – that glue and pencil guy, that tricky shamrock guy, … now finally they are working with a real pro. If you saw the old Jack and Jill that Howie sold these are so much better its like a whole new trick.

They are very thin and beautifully finished. The cards are expertly made and the effect is just so clean now. You place the jack in one holder and the queen in the other and instantly they swap places. Even though they can see the cards at all times.

If you are a medium to high high-end collector that appreciates the fine Magic of craftsmen like Alan Warner and Mel Babcock, you will surely appreciate the workmanship in this new release.

You can only buy them from Howie and Bob over at the Trickery – do so now before the run is over. They are exquisite!

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Strong, Direct Mentalism with no funny business!

This is more than just predicting 1 out of 3 choices – which is not that magical on a good day – you provide a prediction, of which there is just one, that predicts 3 out of 3 choices.

You predict what goes in the bag, what goes in the spectators hand and what goes in your hand. Every time. The other cool thing about this effect is that it is always ready to work. No set-up at all. Just put the prediction and the wooden disks back in the bag and you are ready to roll. Everything can be examined too!

In fact, it almost sounds too perfect to be true. But it is true. You will like this effect for its clever method and the impact it has on your audience. And I’m sure you will use it often because of its simple requirements and set-up. Highly recommended!

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Clean and Convincing, but practice required.

This is a very clean prediction effect. Performed well, it is hard to beat for cleanness in fact.

It has shades of Ultissimo in its method – but without the stand or extra deck, which is a big difference! To do it effectively a sleight is required (the Cull). This is a fairly standard sleight, but if you buy packet tricks and gaffed decks because you don’t like doing any sleights then this might not be for you. It does come with an alternate method that requires less sleight of hand, but it is not as strong.

I can think of at least one way that all sleights could be removed, and to the lay person I’m not convinced they would notice any difference in the effect.

Having said all this the Cull is a very useful one if you don’t already know it, and if you can just break your rules once you will not only have a hugely clean prediction, you will also have a great sleight that you will be able to use for all sorts of things.

As much as the purists like to keep all gaffed cards out of their lives, and the gaffers like to keep all sleights out their lives, sometimes a beautiful mystery comes from the combination of both worlds.

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Beautiful Wood and Funny Routine!

This is my sort of magic these days. It’s made with very nice props that are small and pretty much indestructable. There are no electronics or things to remember or any real set up. And the price is very reasonable.

The routine has great comedy potential and no tricky moves. Instead of just handing out 5 envelopes and you win the one with the $20 bill in as with the usual Bank Night type effect, you have some fun with it. You show these 5 "Turned Discs" that you give the audience the chance to win some cash with. Through a seemingly fair sequence of eliminations you end up with the last remaining disk. It uses a known technique that I have personally never seen or used before, and it works very well.

What makes this different is the way in which you first reveal what each specator won and then what you finally have won. You’re entertaining them with these lines directly related to the words written on each disc, and then wow them at the end as you split open your Disc and pocket the cash!

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Now for the truth about magic and entertainment …

"Magic, as exhibited by the majority, is the indulgence in a hobby which rarely instructs, seldom amuses and almost never entertains." Dariel Fitzkee, Showmanship for Magicians, 1944.

If you want to take the warm fuzzy feeling away from what many magicians, both professional and amateur, have with regards to their performance and their magic, then Fitzkee is your man. The first book of this trilogy changed my life, well at least that aspect that is devoted to magic. He makes you really think about the entertainment value of a typical magic performance.

I think everyone wanting to be a "Magician" should read Fitzkee’s words. Highly recommended!

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