Review by Andy Martin for Ultimate Finger Guillotine by Mak Magic
3 out of 5
Surprisingly well made for MAK!
This is a simple mini guillotine effect that is surprizingly well made for MAK. There are a few glue marks near the base – shades of NIck "Glue Master" de Palma, but otherwise a very well priced mini guillotine.
The problem with this mini version, as with the large 7 foot stage one is that I’m not sure how convincing it is. What you really want is a Guillotine designed where the blade tips are at the outside of the stocks too, and you see it fall through the finger. Then it would be a lot more convincing.
But played for laughs you can still have fun with this … and for the price its a bargain.
Review by Andy Martin for Ping Pong Fantasy by Trickery
4 out of 5
Good old Howie!
Well this is something I have only see advertised on the site of the cuddly and honest dealer: to check this out and other exclusives that Howie is carrying. You won’t be dissappointed with what you find!
Review by Todd Reis for Card Mirage by Ton Onosaka
5 out of 5
Excellent effect!
This trick is a lot of fun even just to play with! Since Ton does not sell separate gimmicked cards or a whole deck that is gimmicked (once upon a time he did), I suggest getting several sets so you can vary the chosen card.
Review by Andy Martin for Lucky Lady by Ton Onosaka
5 out of 5
This is great fun and really works!
Well this is way more than the old pin the queen trick. I did it on my kids over the weekend and they loved it. You can keep pinning the queen they cannot, and then in the end you ask them to close their eyes and they finally do pin the queen, but only because it has changed to one jumbo queen.
Review by Thomas Holbrook for Tarbell Scrapbook, A by Richard Kaufman
5 out of 5
Tarbell scrapbook by Kaufman
As a collector and Historian on Dr. Harlan E. Tarbell. I know how rare and hard to find the wonderful historic info and items contained inside. Here the reader will see items from nearly 100 years ago from rare file of Edwards Monthly ( a magic magazine that ran from 1909-1910 ), items from the original Tarbell System (1927) not avail in the vols on the market. Fantastic articles and writtings of and about Tarbell,delightful copies of the wonderful booklets given out durring Tarbell’s teaching lectures his life and work in magic and more. A bounty of fun reading and an interesting look back at some of the magicial offerings and more that Tarbell has left us. Note this book by Kaufman is very limited and only 100 copies were produced. Making it a bit hard to find as the historic info contained inside it’s pages. If one is interested in magic and it’s history they would enjoy this book very much.
Just a note… I am always looking to add to my historic timeline and display on Tarbell’s life and work.
Review by Andy Martin for ABC Gumball Recycler by Chance Wolf
5 out of 5
Chance Wolf has a wonderful line of Magic!
This is a marvellous effect from Chance Wolf. In fact, I don’t ever remember seeing a Children’s effect that visually looks more appealing to kids. The routine is also instantly recognizable as a winner. It deals with Already Been Chewed (ABC) gum which is icky enough to make even the most doubting child smile.
It is based on the old Square Circle, but has a number of key features that really hide that. In addition, the routine is so good and well thought out that it puts the whole effect into another league.
These are pretty hard to come by, but if you can buy one, you won’t be disappointed.
Review by Andy Martin for Blow Yur Stack by Chance Wolf
5 out of 5
Another Winner from Wolf’s Magic!
Another beautiful effect from Chance Wolf.
This item is to be redesigned this summer. I don’t know what the changes are but I do know this is a wonderfully unique effect that visually looks stunning, and plays like a scream too!
It’s a Do-As-I-Do effect, but with stacking cups. Try as the child may they never seem to get it right. Just as the kids are going crazy your secret little helper pops up and you can create even more thrills with a Run Rabbit Run type effect at the end. Where is that mouse?
I think this is beautifully made and looks wonderful. It makes a great follow-up to the ABC Gumball.
In a world of inferior props and old ideas, Wolf’s Magic is producing a very fine line of new and original magic. Keep up the good work Chance!
Review by Andy Martin for Hand of Cleopatra by Tony Lackner
5 out of 5
Ah Original, Quality Magic!
Harold Voit has marketed some great magic. This item and one of my other favorites, the Wandering Mummies, are both beautifully made, effective, and clever – a collector’s dream.
This particular piece, made by the German Master Craftsman Tony Lackner, is really a utility item, in that you can control what the hand points to – and it can be different each spin. But when you dress it up like this, the performance and story aspects really incease and you can perform some very impressive, and scary, magic. Perfect for bizarre performances, or any Alan Warner collector who is inspired by his Equptian themes.
Briefly the effect is: 6 items are chosen – these can be anything within reason, and laid around the stand. A spectator selects one and is handed the box with Cleoptra’s hand encased. The spectator removes the hand and plaecs it on the base. They then spin it and as it spins it slowly comes to a stop and points to their chosen card. The key thing is that the spectator places and spins the hand themself without any interaction from the magician.
A very beautiful effect. Be wary of cheap knock-offs that have recently been offered, get the original if you can. (But, of course, that warning could be on all high quality magic available today.)
Review by Andy Martin for With Frances in Magicland by Frances Ireland
3 out of 5
Amusing anecdotes and great Kid Show Advice
This is the second book I’ve read by Frances Ireland (Marshall) written in 1952. It’s not as informative or detailed as her other one, You Don’t Have To Be Crazy, but it still makes for interesting, light reading.
It has many anecdotes of famous and not so famous magicians which help you relive the past golden years of magic. I don’t know if such things continue to happen as the magic community has been watered down over the last twenty years or so but I hope there are similar parallels today.
Of particular interest is the section on the Chicago Magic Bar scene which gives a glimpse into a world that I certainly have never experienced and would like to.
Also, there is a very helpful section on performing to kids. This section is certainly filled with the real meat and potatoes for performing to children and is worth checking out if you plan on performing to this difficult, but rewarding, age group.
Overall a worthwhile relaxing read, from one of the most wonderful ladies in Magic.
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