Review by Andy Martin for Mental Sticks (Mentale Zauberstäbchen) by Magiro

Review by Andy Martin for Mental Sticks (Mentale Zauberstäbchen) by Magiro
Review by Andy Martin for Mental Sticks (Mentale Zauberstäbchen) by Magiro
4 out of 5

Here is another item offered through Howard Schwarzman’s Limited Editions Magic line created by Magiro.  It was originally released by Eckhard Boettcher as Mentale Zauberstäbchen.  It uses the same method that was used by Viking’s Trans-Mental c. 1988.  However, I spoke to George Robinson and he has never seen Magiro’s version, instead he came up with the idea from an old Brema effect called Coin Divination.  Viking’s version is certainly a more superior product, but they both work well.

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Review by Andy Martin for Wun Fang and His Golden Coin by Len Belcher, Harry Stanley, Regow's House of Enchantment

Review by Andy Martin for Wun Fang and His Golden Coin by Len Belcher, Harry Stanley, Regow's House of Enchantment
Review by Andy Martin for Wun Fang and His Golden Coin by Len Belcher, Harry Stanley, Regow's House of Enchantment
5 out of 5

This is Regow’s House of Enchantment’s version of Len Belcher’s and Harry Stanley’s “Wun Fang and His Chinese Coin” originally released by Harry Stanley c. 1954, and released in America with permission of Harry Stanley.

And what a great effect it is.  The patter would need to be tweaked for modern day audiences but otherwise it has it all. Colorful props, a clever vanish with a great sucker piece and a wonderful final reappearance to really seal the deal. It is also easy to do once you have laid out the props and read the instructions.

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Review by Andy Martin for Deluxe Ring Grinder by Collectors' Workshop

Review by Andy Martin for Deluxe Ring Grinder by Collectors' Workshop
Review by Andy Martin for Deluxe Ring Grinder by Collectors' Workshop
5 out of 5

This is probably the prettiest Ring Grinder I have ever seen. Works flawlessly and has a great sound. It also has the rattle box feature so that you can hear the ring in the box before it is grinded or vanished should you desire. Compares with Dave Powell’s wonderful Ring Grinder.

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Review by Andy Martin for Houdini Block Escape by Magic Wagon

Review by Andy Martin for Houdini Block Escape by Magic Wagon
Review by Andy Martin for Houdini Block Escape by Magic Wagon
5 out of 5

Another strong effect from Magic Wagon for 2020 and this time based upon the amazing Jack Hughes’ Cuban Release c. 1951.  As with all the big hits from Magic Wagon there are no shortage of Video entries and I’ve also included a great version of Cuban Release by Brotherbor.

This effect is easy to do but it to do it well it does require some attention to the timing and the angles.

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Review by Andy Martin for The Card Clock by Franz Bieman, McGee Magic

Review by Andy Martin for The Card Clock by Franz Bieman, McGee Magic
Review by Andy Martin for The Card Clock by Franz Bieman, McGee Magic
5 out of 5

This is a faithful remake of Franz Bieman’s masterpiece the Card Clock, made in the UK by McGee Magic for the legendary performer Paul Daniels (Paul even signed the instructions).  With the exception of yellow dots instead of green and the smooth dial vs textured I could not tell any difference in the mechanism or quality of manufacture between this and the original.  And boy is this a clever and amazing item that will fool anyone not in the know.  Although there are similarities to Dial-X, it very quickly surpasses anything you can do with Dial-X.

Firstly, although you can certainly feel the difference in friction it is more subtle than Dial-X.  Next, the brilliant ruse to remove the “clock-hand” after you have selected the card throws anyone off the scent.  That is a genius idea by Franz Bieman.  In fact when I first tried it I could not really fathom how it could possibly work 🙁 Finally having the four phases that use a combination of three different methods just really confuses them all.

You can perform this with standard playing cards (the originals are included) but if you use the special ESP cards I have included six from Vince Wilson’s great ESP Deck it becomes even more mystifying.  The four stages are easy to do and build on each other to produce a really amazing miracle.

You’ll like this a lot 🙂

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Review by Andy Martin for Unique Hippity Hop Rabbits by Rick Heath, B.C. Magic Mfg. Co.

Review by Andy Martin for Unique Hippity Hop Rabbits by Rick Heath, B.C. Magic Mfg. Co.
Review by Andy Martin for Unique Hippity Hop Rabbits by Rick Heath, B.C. Magic Mfg. Co.
5 out of 5

The Elusive Rabbits or Hippity-Hop Rabbits was invented by The Great Norman (Norman Hazeldene) c. 1947.

This set is a one of kind custom set that started life as a standard B.C. Magic Mfg. Co. Hippty Hop Rabbits and then Richard (Rick) Heath worked his a magic and captured the real magic of this piece with his paints and brushes.   You can see some of the before and after comparisons in the last few photos.  These are really a beautiful and adorable set of bunnies that are unique and will look amazing in your collection.

The set is made of wood. The bases to the tops of the “chimneys” measure 12.5 inches. The rabbits stand 11 inches tall. The set has been fully restored and is in excellent working conditions. An addition has been given to the base for added stability. It is painted in artists acrylics and represents dozens of hours of detailed work to create a fanciful piece worthy of presenting to an audience or displaying in a fine collection. A Certificate of Authenticity will be included.

Rick, for 35 years the principal artist for the acclaimed Le Grand David and his own Spectacular Magic Company of Beverly, MA. (1977-2012).  He now works independently building, restoring and redecorating illusions and fulfilling commissions for magicians and collectors. In 2002 he received a Special Fellowship Award in Graphic Design from The Academy of Magical Arts, and in 2014 he was honored with the Milbourne Christopher Award for Visual Magic. His work, nearly all one-of-a-kind, hand-painted pieces, either hand-built or restored in his workshop, is highly valued by collectors and now resides in public and private collections from coast to coast.

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Review by Andy Martin for The Amazing Ankh Penetration by Thomas Pohle, Jack Hughes

Review by Andy Martin for The Amazing Ankh Penetration by Thomas Pohle, Jack Hughes
Review by Andy Martin for The Amazing Ankh Penetration by Thomas Pohle, Jack Hughes
5 out of 5

For 2020, Thomas Pohle has created a group of very pretty items known as the Egyptian Series, and this item is a beauty.  The Amazing Ankh Penetration is Thomas Pohle’s version of Jack Hughes’ Think-A-Bell which itself was based on Norman’s Exclusive Triangles

It uses the same basic method, but Thomas flipped around when the magician has to hold the box and when not.  What this means is that to show the Ankh’s locked inside the magician has to “perform the move“, and when you want to cause the penetration the magician does not have to “perform the move“.  Given that the box cannot be examined in either version I’m not sure if it makes a lot of difference, but I just wanted to mention it for historical completeness.  Thomas may have had a reason for doing it this way, but I’m not aware of it.

There is no doubt Thomas’ version looks very pretty and works very smoothly.  It is a wonderful forgotten fooler from Jack Hughes and it is good to see this modern version from the German master craftsman who is still going strong after forty years of creating amazing, beautiful magic.

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Review by Andy Martin for Horus Pokus by Thomas Pohle

Review by Andy Martin for Horus Pokus by Thomas Pohle
Review by Andy Martin for Horus Pokus by Thomas Pohle
5 out of 5

For 2020, Thomas Pohle has created a group of very pretty items known as the Egyptian Series, and this item is another beauty in that series.  It has similarities to Thomas’ previous items: the Chinese Fortune Gate and his Witch Boxes, but is a little different and looks amazing.  Both the vanish of the appearance works very cleanly and you’ll love playing with this bad boy.

What surprised me the most when I received this was the vanish of the amulet has more going on than you imagine.  In particularly, after the vanish the recess in the box is at the same level as before the vanish and the inside of the lid can be freely shown.  It is a very clean vanish.  The appearance is similar to some of Thomas’ other items as mentioned but it works very well.

A very clean and beautiful looking Egyptian miracle 🙂

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