Andy Martin

The Best Hippity Hop Rabbits

It is great to see Chance Wolf continuing to produce amazing magic after ten years. Chance produces very high quality magic that is both performable and collectable.

This little darling has to be the best version of Hippity Hop Rabbits (or Hares) ever. Better than the Collector’s Workshop version or the many others I have seen.

And finally he’s made the covers have a reason for living – they are now rabbit hutches. Everything about this effect is superb and mechanism works perfectly.

This is the one to get for sure.

Highly Recommended!

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Welcome back to an old Favorite!

This was the first item I ever purchased directly from Alan Warner about 35 years ago. I used to perform it all the time, but sold it along with the rest of my Warner collection shortly after the dot.com crash.

I was pleased to pick up a mint version just before Christmas and am happy to have it back in the collection (which seems to be growing again after my recent sell off!). It is a a very clean restoration that always amazes them.

Alan has created some truly clever and beautiful magic over the last 40+ years and this early painted miracle still is hard to beat. It is a real beauty – maybe it is time for Alan to create one in teak?

Highly Recommended for collectors and close-up performers everywhere!

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The Dragon Has Landed!

So perhaps my favorite impossible illusion from my good friend Alan Warner is the Siamese Ribbon. It was the first item I ever purchased from Alan some 36 years ago and still amazes me to this day.

It looks like a miracle. You cut the ribbon cleanly in front of the spectator – in fact the spectator can cut it if you want; they can clearly see the two pieces both inside and outside of the box. You then close the front door and at all times can see the ribbon dangling from either side of the box. You pull the ribbon from one side of the box, and the ribbon at the opposite goes in and out comes a single ribbon again. The box can then be opened and it is also empty. It is an amazing effect to see and yet it is simplicity itself to perform. Truly a cut and pull miracle with no funny business and nothing is added or taken away.

For a few years I have been asking Alan to create a new version in teak and when I was visiting him and his talented wife Mignon at his home last week he totally floored me by presenting me with this first completed version of his latest release. It is an amazing beauty and proves that Alan continues to shine even after all these years of creating mini-magic miracles. If you don’t have any other Warner items then this would be the one to get. If you are already a collector then there is no way you can pass this up.

A true miracle. Highly Recommended for everyone who appreciates fine miracles that they can actually perform.

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Great Utility Item

This is a great value set of dice that can be used for forcing, gambling demonstrations, and mentalism.

In total you get 34 dice (15 different pairs of forcing dice and 4 normal dice). It even comes with some ideas and a great "Just Chance" effect. Useful to have in your bag for sure.

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Another Unique Beauty from Magic Wagon

Good to see the Magic Wagon guys are continuing to produce small runs of amazing items. This beautiful piece is no exception. It really is hard to fault Magic Wagon items for their beauty and quality finish.

This is a simple effect where the audience puts the Obelisk into the box with any side facing up, whilst the magician is turned away. The magician then places it into the bag after showing his hands empty. Despite the apparent fairness the magician can reveal which season is face-up.

The method of detection takes a little bit of practice and is nothing amazing in itself, but it gets the job done and if you actually perform this sort of collectible magic then you will be fine. The issue I have with it is that you have to take the box back to place it in the bag, if you were really being fair they would place the box inside the bag and then hand you the bag. If I was to perform this I’d spend a little longer with the props and quickly realize that you could easily get them to place the box inside the bag and only then give you the bag, and still be able to determine the season. In many ways once the box is inside the bag the heat is off of you because it now seems impossible to get a glimpse or anything else. I think anyone who has purchased this prop and hasn’t just placed it neatly in their collection could quickly see how it is possible and easier to do this way.

Clearly these props are not normal everyday items and for many that is a deal breaker. But if you collect fine quality magic you need look no further than the Magic Wagon and their latest effects.

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Automatic and Beautiful

So here we have another amazing beauty from the Magic Wagon team. It is an electronic marvel and the magician can tell which picture is placed in the box, even if they are out of the room, and they never need to touch or see the box.

The box looks great and clean and so do the pictures – which can be exchanged for different pictures of the performers choosing. It all works by remote control of course. The receiver has both visual and vibration mode and works every time without fail.

I really only have one problem with this chest – the five pictures do not all fit in the box at once. That would have made a lot more sense, you turn up with the chest remove the five pictures, and then they put one back inside and you determine which one.

But that issue aside if you want amazingly easy to perform miracles that look beautiful then The Sorcerer’s Chest will find a wonderful place in your heart and home.

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Clever and Beautiful

So this is probably the item that every magic collector wants to get – amazing looking magic and very clever method with nothing added or taken away. The idea is from Canadian Mentalist Simon Corneille, who also is a big Alan Warner fan and you can see his collection here.

The Magic Wagon Team have really outdone themselves on this particular item and not only is it beautiful and a fooler, it is incredibly easy to perform. This is precisely the sort of trick that keeps you excited about magic.

Most Highly Recommended for all collectors and close-up performers.

To drool more you can see most of Magic Wagon’s amazing items here.

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Perfection!

I’ve seen many versions of the Ed Massey effect Ribbon Fantastique and liked many of them because it is such a clean effect. However, this new version by my good friend Alan Warner is easily my favorite. It looks better than his early painted version, which was also a beauty, and thanks to the clever use of two plaques instead of one the effect is really quite remarkable.

It works basically the same way as the original, but now the spectator can choose either of the plaques and that is the only one that penetrates the shoelace and frame. Also because this unit is much smaller than the traditional versions it is easy to carry around and perform close-up.

If you don’t know how this works you will be very pleased as the method is simple and diabolical and a fooler for sure. It is instantly reset and there is nothing added or taken away.

I really love this new release by the Master of Mini-Magic: Alan Warner! If I have one complaint it would be: it is too cheap!

Highly Recommended for performers and collectors everywhere!

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Classic Clever Warner!

So Alan has two new releases for 2013 and they are both beauties. This one is a mental item with some lovely colored plaques of fruit.

The spectator can choose any of five pieces of fruit, with no force and each time the magician reveals that he had predicted in advance their choice. Yes this is a multiple-out effect, but unlike other similar effects this offers a free choice of five items, not three or four, and the revelations are much less convoluted than some I’ve seen in the past.

When I first opened this I thought great colorful props, but nothing too surprising here. Then I read on and I thought ah very clever! You really can give them the choice of any of the five fruits with no counting from left or right ruses. I think you will be very happy with this well priced mental effect .

This reminds me Alan Warner has many amazing effects available directly from him and most of his prices are still great value for great magic and craftsmanship you are getting. So check out some of his older items too on his first site here.

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A Great Looking Box with Clever Mechanism!

I must say how impressed I am with this prediction box from Roy Roth’s R.A.R. Magic. Everything looks above board. The box can be in full view all the time and tied and padlocked and yet whenever you want it becomes an easy matter to slip a small item like a prediction, ring, or ladies watch into the inner box from the outside. There is nothing added or taken away and no magnets, threads, or electronics.

Really a very clever device and even better than Roy’s Nest of Boxes which is another beauty.

This is a collectible piece of magic you will use!

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