Andy Martin

Wonderful, Clean, Entertaining Mentalism!

On the Martin’s Magic site one of the effects I get asked about a lot is Gary Kurtz’s amazing Psycho Kinetic Dice. Unfortunately Gary stopped making this many years ago and of course I foolishly sold my set.

However, recently I had a custom set of six dice made using the same method as Gary’s dice and designed this routine around them. You show six different dice and show them all to be ordinary by having the spectators shake them in the shakers a few times. Then you ask them to choose any four dice and to place them in the shakers.

In the meantime you introduce your Psychic Tortoise – Rocket "Rocky" Martin (yes named after my daughter’s tortoise!) – and write a quick prediction and place it inside Rocky’s shell. Now the four dice are shaken and one by one they are placed over Rocky’s magic shell so that Rocky can feel the vibes. At the end the four caps are opened to reveal the number of the top of each dice. The cover of Rocky’s shell is now lifted and there for all to see is the prediction that was made before the shaking began is the same.

There is nothing added or taken away and any of the six dice can be used. In fact you could have three chosen or six even.

I really like it and wish that Gary would start making the dice again so that other people could enjoy their magic!

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The Prettiest Square Circle Around!

The Magic Wagon guys are getting good at making the best versions of some old stand bys, and this Square Circle is no exception.

Sure it’s an old trick, but just line all of these beautiful creations together and you’ll certainly feel magical all over again.

Just look at the amazing magic in the Magic Wagon Collectors Line – it is hard to find anyone either today or in the past making such beautiful magic.

Highly Recommended for Magic Collector’s and appreciators of fine craftsmanship everywhere!

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More Breathtaking Quality!

Here we go again with some really incredible quality magic from those great guys over at the Magic Wagon.

This is an old effect, and I’ve owned versions from Alan Warner and Mel Babcock, and there have certainly been others. But although Alan’s and Mel’s are beautiful, it is hard to compare with the quality and finish of this set.

Just totally breathtaking. Just look at the amazing magic in the Magic Wagon Collectors Line – it is hard to find anyone either today or in the past making such beautiful magic.

Highly Recommended for Magic Collector’s and appreciators of fine craftsmanship everywhere!

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What a beautiful Genii Tube!

The Magic Wagon guys are getting good at making the best versions of some old stand bys, and this Genii Tube is no exception. I just wich my photos were better to really convey how wonderful these items are. The darker woods are difficult to capture.

Just look at the amazing magic in the Magic Wagon Collectors Line – it is hard to find anyone either today or in the past making such beautiful magic.

Highly Recommended for Magic Collector’s and appreciators of fine craftsmanship everywhere!

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The Best Die Vision and no Batteries Required!

It is always exciting to get a new item from those great guys over at Magic Wagon, and this new item is no exception. This is a beautiful and perfect example of how you can combine superb craftsmanship with clever ideas.

The effect of course is well known: you hand out a beautiful box and wooden die to be examined and while your back is turned you ask the spectator to place the die into the box, remember the number on the top, and fasten the box shut. There is no way anyone can see inside the box. The magician holds the box at the tip of his fingers, with his eyes turned away, and in full view of the audience just for an instant to get a mental impression of the die. That is all you need and you now know the number on top. There is no peeking and it works everytime, without any chemicals or electronics.

This beautiful box is always ready to work and it is a joy to work with. This is my sort of magic for sure. Along with their last amaznig creation: Sword of the Ring, I really love it!

Highly Recommended!

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Really Silent and Reliable!

So there have been many vibrating items out there – but nearly all of them make a quite audible hum. Not so with this deck – you have to touch it to be sure it’s on!

It is very well made and works every time. A tad expensive but I guess with this type of miracle you get what you pay for. I’d rather pay a little more and have it silent anyway.

I have not seen a better close-up vibrating prop.

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5 Stars for: Craftsmanship, Ingenuity, and Entertainment!

Readers of my reviews know already how enamoured I am with the items from the Magic Wagon. Their Collecter Line, in particular, is amazing! Well their latest item was developed in collaboration with Howie at The Trickery and it is the best thing they have done so far. All of their work has looked amazing but sometimes the impact of the effect does not match up to the beauty of their creations. Not so with the Sword of The Ring – this is a real fooler for sure.

You show the ornate box very openly and cleanly, take out the ring holder at the bottom and borrow any ring. The spectator places the ring in the holder and it is placed at the bottom of the Ring Tower. Everything is exactly as it looks. You close up the tower and hand out the sword for examination too. You now rest the sword at the top of the tower in two grooves and then slowly but surely lower the sword. Both ends can be clearly seen at all times and yet when you reach the bottom the ring is clearly on the sword and can be taken out by the spectator if desired.

This is a very clean penetration with beautiful props. Reset is immediate and there are no sleights, nothing is added or taken away, etc. There is one thing you have to do but it is trivial and covered beautifully in the routine – there is zero heat on you at the time of this "move". What is particularly nice is that when the penetration takes place the audience can really be staring and they’ll see or hear nothing – it looks very convincing.

The tower unit cannot be fully examined but the sword and holder can be and everything looks clean.

If you have liked their other pieces then for sure you will get this. However, if you want only one piece then this would be it. Why not start your collection today – they have plenty more items on the way too!

Highly Recommended!

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Much Overlooked, Highly Practical Nest of Boxes

This is another very nice set of practical nesting boxes. The boxes are small and the mechanism is clever and easy to operate. The mechanism is similar to the Porper Strong Box.

What is particularly nice about this set is that even with the key locked you can get back into the boxes anytime. They are also exceptional value for money at $150.

There are more beautiful boxes, but this set is small and practical and much more likely to be used. They are certainly beautifully made, just not without all the inlays.

Highly Recommended.

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Funny Names, Very Beautiful Magic!

So here is the latest Collector Quality item from Magic Wagon, and what a beauty it is! As with all of their Collector pieces you will be hard pressed to find anything that is made better – unless you go to a high-end furniture store.

This piece is a very clean card prediction that allows the audience to shuffle a normal deck of cards and then choose any one from 1-5 and you can always predict the card. There is no force of the number they choose, they can change their mind at the last minute, and the result can be different next time.

The method is simple but very effective and works like a charm. If you have not started collecting the Collector line from Magic Wagon there is still time. If you have then I’m quite confident you will want to add this beautiful item to your collection. It is truly beautiful.

Highly Recommended for Collector’s Everywhere!

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Bob is Back!

Where have you been Bobby? Good to see that Bob Solari has finally got his A-game back with this new release. Although it is the same principle as the old Chazpro Card Swami (as Bob rightly points out in his instructions and ad copy), this gimmick is more practical, easier to use and, unlike the Card Swami, available today. Bob was totally unaware that the Card Swami even existed until I pointed it out to his good buddy Howie at The Trickery.

The gimmick allows you to determine which card or cards are chosen in a very clean way. And your hands are clean before and after as the gimmick is added to a normal deck and is almost undetectable.

The instructions are clear and photo-illustrated, though they are only of the basic handling. There is a booklet (Card Swami) you can get from Chuck Leach at Chazpro that has a more detailed set of ideas with this wonderful gimmick.

Well done Bobby – good to see you back!

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