Andy Martin

Fun and now a Fooler!

Excluding all of the Die Boxes and Run Rabbit Run’s, there have been many versions of this basic effect – on this site alone we have: Luna Trick, Elusive Teddy Bear, and Sliding Disc Box. In most cases it is a poor cousin to the Die Box, because many Die Boxes do in fact fool the audience. Fortunately, Dan Wolfe and his team over at Smoky Mountain Magic have created the Magic Pizza Box which really is a fooler. They have added two large holes in the back that you put your hand through, and yet the pizza still vanishes. If you watch the video on Dan’s site it is a real surprise when it vanishes. Where did it go!

The wooden box is very well made and it really looks like a pizza box (albeit two together). The plastic pizza looks good enough to eat and the patter lines can be much more realistic and fun because the box and pizza look so good. The unit is built from unbreakable plastics, cabinet-grade plywood, and covered in their TuffKote laminate and will probably last a lifetime. It also comes with a duplicate pizza to reproduce on your back or elsewhere.

This is my first item from Dan and I look forward to purchasing more magic from him in the future. He was a friendly and helpful in my communications with him and got this out the same day I ordered it.

Now Chance Wolf is out of the picture it is hard to find unique, great quality, performable magic, but with Smoky Mountain Magic I believe I have a new dealer to watch.

Highly Recommended for stage and parlor performers everywhere!

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A Christmas Miracle!

It has been many years since I have opened a brand-new effect from my good friend Alan Warner, but this Christmas I had the rare treat of doing just that. Alan, always ships his items from the UK meticulously packed and everything always arrives neat, tidy and in perfect working order. The mere action of opening the tightly wrapped brown paper and tissue paper gets your magic juices flowing as the magic reveals itself to you.

This particularly item is produced as a limited edition of just fifteen units and will be in high demand amongst Warner fans throughout the world. Alan has created three clever routines to work with the same basic box and although it is not possible to perform all three at the same sitting it does add more mileage to the purchase as each effect is strong and different.

In Effect #1 you place a blank piece of plastic inside the box and start collecting invisible holes. As you collect them from the air you store them in the box. When the plastic is now tipped out it is covered with holes: squares, circles, and rectangles. You then notice a even rarer hole – a triangle and as you tip out the plastic it now has an extra triangle. Two sets of changes from a very innocent looking box without any tricky moves.

In Effect #2, a card is chosen from six miniature cards on display and placed on a blank piece of plastic (which can be given to the spectator). They can choose to place the card either face up or face down and once they are happy you place the plastic and card into the box. A magical gesture and the card and plastic is tipped out again – and the face or back of the chosen card has now been imprinted on the plastic. The playing card is then turned over to see that the side touching the plastic has been erased.

In Effect #3, the box is used to hold a single prediction and the spectator is given a fair choice of one of four neat looking plaques and of course every time the prediction matches perfectly. The predicted plaque can be different each time and the method is simple but clean.

Three great effects all housed in a beautiful presentation case that only Alan knows how to craft. If you are an Alan Warner fan then now would be the time to contact him to see if you can get on the list for one of these rare beauties. You will not be disappointed.

Highly Recommended for collectors everywhere!

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My Favorite Geneva Prediction Watch

I’ve had opportunity to use four different versions of this watch – three directly from Collector’s Workshop, and this one from Meir Yedid. The See-Thru version uses a slightly different mechanism and unlike the original cannot be opened by the spectator. For me this is not an issue and in fact I believe the handling is simpler. One plus of the this version is the watch actually works and it looks particularly cool with the workings exposed and the movement freely seen.

Having it back again is good and It is part of my walk around act now.

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Another Box Office and Perfection Attained

I’ve had a soft spot for T.A. Waters’ Box Office for years and have owned many versions. Magic Wagon too seem to like it as they have created three different versions now. For me this is their best and it is a really wonderful. Apart from better materials used from their original Mental Safari they have added a knob for the inner tray. This make it much easier to take out the tray which is a weakness of the original version. Also the bottom where the prediction is placed is more stable and convincing.

If you wanted the most authentic looking version of this trick the Tabman Chest of Destiny still rules, however as far as the best working and prettiest I believe this would be it. It is simply gorgeous and works 100% perfectly.

I believe these have already sold out which is a shame because it is one effect that more people should own.

Highly Recommended for collectors and close-up performers!

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Francois’ Masterpiece!

I’m very proud to add this beautiful house of magic to my collection! I’ve been watching Francois grow over the years and his magic has been improving all the time. I feel with this particular limited collection he has really found his way.

Everything about this collection is perfect – from the box itself, the 4 beautiful effects that are so neatly housed inside and even the instruction booklet. There is nothing that a collector of fine magic would not love about this release. If you are one of few collector’s who has not followed Francois’ rise, now would be the time to jump on board.

This collection comes with four effects: Ladies’ Portraits, The Unprisonned Lady, Moriarty’s Secret Room, and Moriarty’s Escape. But what is unique about this collection is that each effect has been designed to be performed as part of an overall Sherlock Holmes tale. So it is not just a box of cool tricks, but a full on Sherlock Holmes adventure with magic thrown in to spice it up!

I’m sure most of us will just perform an effect or two, but if you take the time to master the story you’ll have an enduring classic on your hands.

There are only 12 of these but if you can get one then you’ll be lucky to have a true work of art that even Sir Arthur would be inspired by!

Highly recommended for all Magic Collectors!

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I love this Calculator!

This is my favorite effect from the Cesaral guys. The calculator looks clean and can be minutely examined, it also works as a basic calculator. Yet at any time you can control precisely what numbers are displayed on the screen – it can be in a box when it happens and you never need to touch it.

The method involves some pretty high-end electronics and the update to the calculator is just a remote button push away. Normally, I would not buy an electronic piece of magic that looked so obviously electronic. However, this one really looks clean. I kind of ignored this when I first saw it, but thanks to a compelling description by John Mendoza on ebay I picked it up and could not be happier with it.

The only issue it has is you have to pull out the batteries from the calculator if you are not going to be using it, as they will quite quickly drain down otherwise.

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Hard to keep a good Knife Guy Down!

Joe Mogar continues to impress me with his beautiful and and practical knife sets. These beauties are hot off the press and they are a subtle combination of Koa Wood and Mother of Pearl. As much as I love his brightly colored knives I think the more muted exotic ones look more realistic for regular performance. So these bad boys are perfect.

If you’re looking for the best knives available today look no further than Joe Mogar – he always delivers!

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Perfect Close-up Illusion

Wow those Magic Wagon guys are back again and this time with a beautiful close-up illusion. As with all of their magic it is made perfectly. In effect you cleanly build a wooden triangle right in front of their eyes and from the middle pull a (very) heavy mini dragon statue.

This item is actually much better than Magic Wagon know themselves – they over thought it I believe when they came up with the gimmick and routine – and in fact you can achieve a much cleaner illusion by dropping a couple of steps they say in the instructions. Nothing hard but with a little thought you can make it easier and more effective.

There are very few guys out there today creating such amazing close-up magic that is both collectable and magical. Magic Wagon build in small runs, so get one now before they are gone.

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More Knives and More Colors

This is the perfect kit if you want to get serious about doing any color changing knife routines. Combining Ascanio’s World of Knives with Joe Mogar’s beautiful color changing knives and mini-knife finale is a stroke of genius!

Highly recommended for all Close-up magicians out there.

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Perfection.

I’ve always liked the old Duck Bucket illusion, but have never found the justification for a large stage model – even the beautiful Owen’s one. However, when I saw this beautiful creation from Mark Teufel I knew I had to have it.

It is perfectly made and the illusion could not be more realistic – it really looks like an empty mini-bucket even right up close. I realize there are other ways to produce a deck of cards but it is hard to imagine a more classy and collectible prop to do so.

As with all of Mark’s rare magic items this is highly recommended if you can find one.

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