Andy Martin

Easily the Best Jumbo Rising Cards

Marcelo Contento, who sadly passed away in 2012 at the young age of 57, was an electronics genius and his Jumbo Rising Cards was probably his finest moment.

What is particularly pleasing about all of the work from the Contento’s is how well manufactured the electronics are. Steve Jobs used to make sure that the inside of Apple’s products looked as good as the outside, and this Jumbo Rising Cards is the same.

It is silent in operation, looks amazing, comes with a great routine and will last a lifetime. These are getting much harder to find these days, so if you find one make sure you snap it up.

Highly Recommended for Performers and lovers of Beautiful Magic.

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What a clever illusion!

(Spoiler Alert!) So how many times have you heard the phrase: "it’s all done with mirrors" when it comes to magic? And how many tricks do you actually have that use mirrors? 1 maybe – a mirror production box, or a sword box?

Yes this miracle does use mirrors. I probably shouldn’t have said that but it is late! I think the illusion is perfect, which is more than I can say for my photos. I can’t believe I did not add a visual item like a deck of cards so you can see it through the box – Magic Wagon have one on their site.

But as with most of Magic Wagon’s items, this is the perfect little illusion. It just looks amazing! Beautifully made and wonderful to watch.

Keep them coming guys!

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A Wonderful Take on a Beloved Effect

So every collector loves the Blue Phantom. Magic Wagon themselves produced a memorable version of this classic back in 2009. And here they produce a new classic: the Mini Phantom.

Although the effect is very similar it works quite differently and is a more open, in your face, method and presentation.

Just as with the original the odd colored chip rises one by one. This item looks amazing and is very solidly made. I could see this getting a lot of use.

Just great magic from these Magic Wagon cats. I always look forward to the next shipment. In fact with the exception of packages from my good friend Alan Warner, there is no other manufacturer I look forward to more.

Highly Recommended!

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The Magic Wagon Train Keeps on Rolling!

These guys really are on fire! I received five items last weekend and each one is a winner. I didn’t cherry pick their five best items, but just the last five to come off the block. They are all winners, and no one creates boxes with this amazing jewelry box finish like Magic Wagon. What Milson-Worth did for beautifully painted parlor props in the 70’s – 90’s, Magic Wagon is doing for close-up wooden props in the 2000’s and beyond.

This item fell under the radar of many – I’m sure some thought it was another electronic marvel (less trusted by many collectors) but it has no electronics. The routine is a clean 3 way prediction with multiple simple but effective methods, and you are left 100% clean. The box is gimmicked and does the work for you. This box is so clean and beautiful I’m thinking about keeping it in my small, but demanding collection.

Magic Wagon just keep producing amazing beautiful magic!

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Spider Magic!

I love these Cube Tables from Spider! Their props are just very solid and functional. They are a perfect complement to the Spider Flex Complete Backdrop that is also one of my favorites.

They hold a lot, are very solid, and a snap to set-up and take down. They are a bit pricey, but if you can afford them you will be very happy.

Highly Recommended for working pros everywhere!

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Wow! Another Amazing and Beautiful Effect from Magic Wagon!

I am very proud to have played my part in Magic Wagon’s success over the last seven years – I started buying their magic way back in May 2006 and have been promoting them ever since. They have really created some incredible magic and really risen the bar as far as quality of manufacture and method are concerned. Just look at the amazing magic they have created. It is hard to find any other manufacturer who has produced as much quality magic, in such a short period of time.

These days every new release sells out almost immediately. Diceolation is no different, it looks beautiful and is about as clean as you can get to real mentalism. And one thing that will appeal to the purists – it does not use any electronics at all.

Basically they can choose any number on the dice (no force) and when they open up the little box that has been enclosed in the big box (to prevent any tampering) that number is shown on top. There are no dice to switch and in fact all you use are the big box, the little box, and the die. It is clean, easy to do, and very convincing.

I hope one day they will find time to redo some of their Greatest Hits, their are so many favorites to choose from.

If you can find one of these beauties, make sure you snap it up! Another Highly Recommended item for lovers of fine quality magic.

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Roy Roth would be Proud!

This beautiful and clever item is Louis Gaynor’s version of Roy Roth’s Star Prediction Box. Sadly Roy passed away in May 2013 at the ripe old age of 83, but I think he would be pleased to see this wonderful version. Roy made the Star Prediction Box, but I believe it is a Larry Becker idea, and we all know how clever Larry is!

If I was honest I would say that Lou’s version is better than Roy’s – the wood is better quality and the manufacture just seems slightly higher quality and it just looks a little richer. There is not a huge difference, but if I had to choose just one, I’d pick Lou’s new one. The basic capability of these boxes is to easily load an item into the inner box, even though it is locked and tied. It works amazingly well and is pretty much undetectable unless you know the secret.

Mark Stevens tells me that the routine that comes with this box will be very special, and although I have not seen it yet I’m sure it will do justice to Lou’s amazing work and Roy’s memory.

Great job guys!

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Foolproof and Very Intriguing Looking

My most recent batch of Magic Wonder marvels was filled with some really amazing items. I particularly like this one as it something that looks very intriguing, and at the same time totally above suspicion.

The tower is designed to create Test Conditions for throwing dice, by using the tower any potential for trickery is removed. And yet the magician can throw any number asked for between 2 and 12 (there are two dice thrown).

What is particularly amazing to me is that no matter how many times I throw the dice I have never missed once – I always get the number I was attempting to get.

This is the sort of thing you could easily have in your magic den or on your desk. It certainly is an attention getter!

It is 100% foolproof and nothing is added or taken away, but you can always predict what the dice will display. No electronics either.

Highly Recommended for serious mentalists and lovers of interesting magic props!

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What a beautifully made piece of magic and an extremely clever method from Dave Pavlov.  This is actually the penetration of not one but TWO mirrors – one on each side.

This really is as close to real magic as you are likely to get.  To do this justice you do need to spend ten minutes practicing in a mirror to get the moves smooth – they are not difficult. And I banged out the Speed Demo this morning without issue and any previous practice, so you know you can do it 🙂

There is a larger version (17″) of this mirror which is quite a lot harder to handle due to the size, so if you have a choice you definitely want this 12″ version.

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An Amazing Looking Prop!

Wow this is a beautiful looking Hour Glass that looks amazing and is very solidly built. The method is practical, if a little saucy, and easy to do. It creates the perfect illusion of the classic bill to impossible location.

The props are very appealing too and everything looks above board. This is magic you can quickly fall in love with.

I’ll be adding this to my next Parlor show if I can find the room for it.

The trick comes with a well produced booklet and DVD too. Plus a solid carrying case and all the props you need.

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