Andy Martin

Wonderful Boxes that are small enough to use!

I was very pleasantly surprised when I received these boxes from Howie – the Hobbit’s Best Friend – at The Trickery. I have been a bit dissappointed with some of his wood work, ever since the wonderful Jerry went AWOL. However, this set is almost where Jerry was – not quite, but close enough to get 5 stars. They are not GG Standard, but with some relatively minor effort they could be.

What is particularly nice about this set of boxes is that they are really quite mini – the largest box is about the size of the middle box of the most beautiful Mel Babcock Nest of Five. This makes them more practical if you were planning on actually using them. The "locks" are also very easy to use since they are just strong magnets and the lock itself is more for decoration. This makes for fast set-up and presentation. The method employed is the Berg method, although unlike other sets I have seen the 3rd box is gimmicked, not the 4th. But this might be a useful improvement, since you are free to hand the last two boxes to the spectator. Of course if you have the new Mel Babock Nest of Five then this is not a problem anyway.

The inlay work looks very nice and when displayed there is no doubt these boxes are very pretty. They make a very striking display when laid out on your table. They are not quite as good as Mel’s set, and the woodwork is not as precise as Alan Warner, however with just a little more attention to detail I think they could be. Most people would be very, very happy with this set, and at the price they do represent good value for sure.

The thing about getting into the GG Standard is the little things, its not enough to just do some really nice wood work, you need to make sure everything is high quality – the brass fittings, the finish, the consistency of each piece, etc. These boxes look really nice from the outside. Inside they are not finished aswell as they should – just an extra 30 minutes of rubbing and cleaning would have made all the difference. The brass locks and handles are a mixed bag for sure – most look fine, but for example on my large box the clasp holding the handle is two different sizes – not that noticable unless you are trying for the GG Standard – then it sticks out like a sore thumb. Clearly, using two clasps the same size would have been just as easy as slightly different sizes, but the attention to detail was not there. Finally, the lock on the 4th box just looks odd, its placement is inconsistent with the rest.

Again, these are minor points, but when you start to enter this market it is precisely the minor points that become major issues. However, I am very pleased to see Howie has stepped up his game, and if he can keep this wood guy around for a little longer I have no doubts that he will become a serious player in the fine wood collectable market!

Keep them coming Howie!

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The Best just got Better!

So you already know how much I love this wallet! It is one of my favorites and I still use it today. Well Martin Breese, with the help of Tony Curtis, has remade this wallet to be about as perfect as you could imagine.

The weight has been decreased by about 30% from 3.6oz to 2.6oz, the gimmick is now sewn in, and it is even stronger than before. If you already use this wallet all of these improvements will mean something to you. If you don’t then you are in for a real treat!

The original version is still a fabulous wallet, but if you have a choice of either one, then this is clearly the one to go for.

Thanks Martin for striving and achieving perfection!

Here is my original review which certainly holds true to this day.

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One of the Best Mikame Pieces!

This is a very clever and beautifully made piece from Mikame Craft. It is more sturdy than some of their other pieces and the production method itself is very convincing.

This is certainly more than a tip over trunk and you can freely show all around and then open up doors on the top, front and sides and there really looks like no place to hide. The load is very generous for the box size and I think you will be delighted with the design and finish of this marvellous piece of magic!

If you are looking for a production box, you would do well to consider this your first choice.

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Finally François Finds His Groove!

I have slowly but surely been more and more impressed with the young craftsman from France: François Danis. Some of his early works were just good, but this newest version of his Wandering Mummies is fantastic and easily his best work to date. I have had many Mummy sets, but at this point this is my favorite.

This is the first version of his Mummies that uses Mahogany and Samba for the carrying case and walnut for the caskets and the difference shows. The finish on this set matches Mel Babcock at his finest, and is even close to the ultra fine tolerances of Alan Warner. One of the really wonderful things about his work is the unique artwork that is used throughout his creations. He also offers you a number of choices of designs for the finished work, making every piece truly custom.

These Mummies also come with a very well written routine by Ian Buckland. Most Mummy routines are pretty bare bones, but this one blends all the moves together and makes the whole effect become much more of a miracle with an interesting storyline too.

All in all a truly wonderful set that should be in all collections!

There is a new standard that I am starting called The GG Standard for those highly prized items that are suitable for only the finest collections. The standard is named after the collector whom I know only accepts the very best into his collection.

This, my friends, certainly lives up to The GG Standard! It is truly beautiful and unique. Very well done François, and congratulations on making a tired, old Mummy fan get excited about your new Mummy! I look forward to seeing how much further you can grow.

Most Highly Recommended!

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Wonderful Magical Story Telling with Paddles

When I first received these paddles from the talented young French craftsman François Danis my initial reaction was great quality but they’re all the same! Well first impressions can be very deceiving! Of course when you receive a box of paddles like this you immediately compare them to Chance Wolf’s amazing Paddle Craft Set. These paddles are not the same but they still are wonderful. The materials used are not as good as Chance’s – in fact very few paddles are. However, where François really takes off is that he uses the paddles to tell stories and by so doing makes the magic bigger, bolder, and certainly more memorable than doing some quick moves with a paddle.

As we have come to expect from François the artwork is amazing and the quality of these paddles made in beautiful Walnut is superb. The display box is made from a cheaper oak plywood, but it still looks good. One of the things that is becoming obvious to me is that the choice of wood makes all the difference. If possible pay more to upgrade the woods used. Currently François’s prices are low to average and if they have to go up a bit to pay for better woods, then I think it will be worthwhile. Of course you can never go wrong with Walnut!

In, this set you have stories involving the Curse of Tut Ank Amoun which is a great story telling piece and tells of how the Great Pharaoh was poisoned and always returned to his sarcophagus. It is like a paddle version of the Wandering Mummy trick! There is a story from Greek Mythology about the fate of the heroes with Perse, Ulysse, and Hercules and the role of the dice, which again shows a wonderful slant on how paddles can be used for a complete effect rather than a quick trick. Finally, this set comes with a chalk paddle to draw whatever symbols you fancy upon – or you could do something like the wonderful routine of Jimmy Rogers: I’ll Start Again.

All in all this is a lot more than just a set of nice paddles it is magic storytelling on a stick!

Great Job François, if you had put it all in a walnut box I know this would be in The GG Standard. In fact, I believe because of the unique way you are using these paddles it does deserve a place there anyway. As I play with them more the quality is certainly there and just because they are not Paddle Craft does not mean they are not beautiful and worthy.

Highly Recommend, and amazing value!

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Easily The Best Drawer Box I have Seen!

Wow, the Magic Wagon guys have done it again! This drawer box would be fantastic if it was just a normal drawer box that looked this good. However, they have added a very clever mechanism that allows the drawer to be totally taken out both before and after the load has been ancomplished!

The mechanism is so well hidden once you produce the item you can pull out the drawer show it all around and show the inside of the cover too. There are no external pins or slides. It really is an incredible piece of woodworking.

If you then factor in the beautiful Teak case and interior and the Teak/Maple top you have a true wonder.

Certainly a beautiful piece of micro engineering.

You have to add this to your collection!

Most highly recommended, and of course this carries The GG Standard, as do all of the Magic Wagon Collector pieces!

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Storying telling of Epic Paddle Proportions!

This newest set of paddles from the French Craftsman, François Danis, takes story telling to a whole new level. With this set he uses all six paddles to take you on a magical journey through Japan in the Middle Ages, and what a great ride it is!

I have never seen paddles woven so extensively into a patter presentation, and I am very impressed. What I think is particularly cool is you now have a reason for these funny shaped pieces of wood – they are your story boards to explain and enhance the story. What a great idea!

These particular, paddes are made in Mahogany and the box is made in oak plywood and painted a crimson red with gold trim and symbol on the front. A very striking display to be sure.

François has been slowly, but surely growing on me and I feel quite certain that he will be around for a long time to come, and we will continue to marvel at his fresh take on beautiful magic.

Highly Recommended, and amazing value (at least for now)!

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The Best Bottles around today!

The Multiplying Bottles is one of those routines that magicians think is obvious, but to lay people it seems amazing and plays very well. I had a set of Multiplying Bottles a few years ago and they were wonderful. Unfortunately, they were almost impossible to find, and many people contacted me for information. These new bottles from the established Swedish frim, Harries are probably as good as my old set and certainly represent the best bottles I have see available today.

They look and feel amazing! The routine that comes with them is also probably better than the fabled Ken Brooke routine and you don’t have to try and hunt down his classic booklet – which seems increasingly hard to find anyway. These bottles also have the liquid compartment feature where the glass fills up with wine at the end.

This is the time to try this classic, and with these bottles you cannot go wrong!

Highly Recommended!

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Grind Away Wolf Man!

Ok so the only thing we have come to expect from Chance Wolf is incredible quaility and innovation with props that you can really use. Well Chance has done it again! What a wonderful bright prop with all the right buttons and switches and everything so solid you know it will not only last a lifetime, but it will not let you down on the night either.

If you ever need to vanish a ring and want to make it more of a feature then using this Ultimate Ring Grinder is the only way to go. The word "Ultimate" is used a lot, just like the word "Awesome" – neither of which should be used lightly. This is the ultimate ring grinder for sure, and the Grand Canyon is still awesome. Whether it be for Ring in Gumball, Nest of Boxes, or one of a million other places – there is only one Grinder to use and that is the one from The Wolf Man!

As usual Highly Recommended!

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Harries has so much great Stage Magic!

Harries really are a dying breed of old time dealer with great magic and great quality. I have said before they are not quite there with Milson Worth or Chance Wolf, but if you want to perform Stage and Parlour work you could easily choose a whole act from their offerings and be delighted with all the items.

This piece is basically the old Himber Vanishing Bottles and it looks and works better than the original. In effect, you show 6 different bottles of booze to the audience and then take out one bottle covered up in a tube. The audience try to guess which bottle you have and they are all wrong since it has changed into a (much smaller) bottle of pop and when you show the "box" that the other 6 bottles are in it breaks apart and is clear to everyone that all of the other bottles have vanished!

What a great routine and what great props!

Highly Recommended!

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