Review by Andy Martin for Chip Trick by Willi Wessel
5 out of 5
Good old Willi! This is a wonderful routine with beautiful props from the amazing Willi Wessel! What I really like in the routine is how clean everything looks and how much Willi makes out of some relatively simple props. Also in the routine he ends up 100% ready to roll again. The beautiful box that houses the chips is also designed such that they are securely held in place during transport so you could comfortably use this for multiple tables at a close-up event.
Review by Andy Martin for Sewell Block on Rod and Norman Block Vanish by Paul Lembo
5 out of 5
Wow what an impressive piece of magic from Paul Lembo’s private collection! Only 4 of these were made and it is large and gorgeous and amazing to see. The Sewell Block on Rod appearance defies explanation because you can really see all around and through and there are no signs of the box. And yet a really solid and heavy block arrives magically on the solid brass rod after vanishing just as cleanly on the other pedestal without any explanation! This is one of Paul’s great reproductions and there are very few craftsmen left who pay this much attention to detail on this larger stage size scale. Really wonderful Paul!
Review by Andy Martin for Eye of Isis by Alan Warner
5 out of 5
To see is to believe! I have repurchased a few of the Alan Warner teak items over the years since selling off my huge collection more than ten years ago, and this is one of my favorites. To see and touch Alan’s magic is really the only way to appreciate the time and effort he spends on every intricate detail of design and construction.
This is certainly one of his finer pieces of craftsmanship and the effect is also very clean and surprising. It blends in very nicely with his other Egyptian effects.
If you have never seen Alan’s magic up close he is still selling his beautiful magic and you can see what is available and purchase from Alan directly by going to this site. You will not be disappointed!
Review by Andy Martin for Pagoda Mystery by Magic Wagon
5 out of 5
Wow a very clean and convincing penetration beautifully created by Magic Wagon. You know if it is based on a Jack Hughes idea it has to be gold, and this one certainly is. There are no funny moves and it could not look more realistic if you tried – show the solid glass, place on the squares and stand it on the frame then start penetrating! Really works smoothly.
Another beauty from those amazing craftsmen at Magic Wagon!
Review by Andy Martin for Tutan’s Tomb by Magic Wagon, Simon Corneille
5 out of 5
Lovely ornate chest and cubes for a simple, but effective detection system. There are no electronics, nothing is added or taken away and you don’t need to touch the box to divine which cube was taken. It is always ready to go and can be used multiple times. In fact you can ask them to take out 1, 2, or 3 blocks and you can always tell which ones are removed. Very difficult to detect the method.
Review by Andy Martin for Ultimate Block Penetration by Magic Wagon
5 out of 5
Those Magic Wagon cats love penetration effects and I know why, they do them so well. This beauty offers two penetrations for the price of one! The first time you place the sword in and drop the block inside the top and the block stops. Then after a tap the block appears to penetrate the sword and drops right through to the bottom. The second time you try it, it appears to fail, but only to be found securely locked onto the sword itself. A great surprise beautifully made. Similar to the beautiful Lok Block released by Delben.
Review by Andy Martin for Horus Escape by Magic Wagon
5 out of 5
A wonderful clean penetration using the classic “Block Release” method beautifully crafted by Magic Wagon. It really looks impossible and clean with nothing added or taken away. I have seen a few versions using the same method in recent years the most obvious comparison being the Chinese Cube Mystery from Thomas Pohle but also The Ultimate Die Penetration and I’m sure there are others. This is easily the prettiest version I have seen!
Review by Andy Martin for HWallet by Henri Beaumont
5 out of 5
New magic wallets are almost as plentiful as custom decks of cards, almost. So I was keen to try out this new wallet designed by Henri Beaumont and produced by Marchand de Trucs (www.marchanddetrucs.com)
It turns out the HWallet is a wonderful multi-purpose wallet that is made of a fine, top-quality leather and is easily strong enough to be used as your everyday wallet. It has plenty of spaces for credit cards and cash and won’t look out of place like some magic wallets do. It has pretty much all the magical and mentalist features you can imagine including: card to wallet (palm and no-palm), out-to-lunch, shogun, multiple outs, peeks and some clever loading and unloading features. On the DVD (which is in French and English) there are five particularly good routines included too.
If you still have not found your “perfect” magic wallet, then this bad boy could be just what you have been waiting for.
Review by Andy Martin for Huitzilopochtli (2015) by Thomas Pohle
5 out of 5
I must say these are the best of the series so far. Huitzilopochtli is the Aztec God of War and this effect involves a very clean and clearly impossible penetration of the figure of Huitzilopochtli (conveniently stored in the base of the unit) through a disk held securely in the frame.
You show the beautiful and colorful disk in the frame and cover it with two bars that each have a channel through which the figure will eventually be passed. Using some cleverly designed clips the bars attach easily onto the frame and the set-up looks quite amazing. The spectator can try to push the figure through the channel with no luck. The magician can show the unit all around – there is nothing to hide, add or take away, and then with a magic wave of the hand the magician or the spectator is able to slowly but surely push Huitzilopochtli all the way through the disk. It really looks quite magical to behold. If you desire you can show the disk again at the end.
Please Note: In the photo you will see a hairline crack along the disk this is because of the high resolution close-up photos I take with my camera, for only a few feet this will not be noticed. The penetration really looks quite impossible.
A wonderful addition to the Aztec Series, that I know collector’s will quickly jump to!
Review by Andy Martin for The Golden Coin of The Aztecs (2015) by Thomas Pohle
5 out of 5
This is the fifth effect in the Aztec Series and my personal favorite so far. In fact this is one of my all time favorites of all the beautiful items Thomas has created. Firstly the outer box looks amazing – with very intricate patterns throughout. Thomas never spares any expense on creating the right atmosphere for his magic. This is reminiscent of one of Thomas’ classic effects: the Witch Boxes. However, the boxes are much higher quality and I think the main routine is more interesting and the mechanism itself is easier to work.
What I love about this apparatus is how smoothly you can switch between: gold, colored or empty coins because at any time any of the three can happen. This means the apparatus itself lends itself to other routines. But the one supplied by Thomas seems to work pretty smoothly.
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