Andy Martin

You have to love these small PK items from Little Jimmy’s Prop Shop, great size very detailed and perfect magnetic strength for all of your PK needs. The brain is my favorite of the bunch, you can almost see the pulsing veins and grey matter – tasty!

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If you thought Little Jimmy’s PK Objects were detailed you should take a look at some of Buma’s! One of the unique features of this Scarab is how easy it rotates (it made taking a photo tricky!) but it is really useful for PK effects because even the slightest magnetic force will cause it to rotate.

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If you thought Little Jimmy’s PK Objects were detailed you should take a look at some of Buma’s! One of the unique features of this Ankh is how easy it rotates (it made taking a photo tricky!) but it is really useful for PK effects because even the slightest magnetic force will cause it to rotate.

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Here is a breathtaking beauty from the Master Wood Turner Eric Hansen. If you’re a fan of the old Tenyo item The Eye of The Idol, you are going to love this version. It works using the same method, but it looks absolutely stunning, works perfectly and has even more range than the Tenyo version. It really looks like a miracle.

I rarely keep anything to myself these days, but when I received this bad boy, I thought that I should let is grace my shelves for a while. It is so good that it warrants a place in this coveted list of spectacular magic.

When a magic effect inspires you to just sit down and play with it trying to figure out the best routine you know you have something special, and this is one such piece. Really beautiful work Eric 🙂

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This is a beautiful and realistic version of the magic sword optical illusion you can see here. You will swear that the metal sword passes back and forth through the upgraded ornamental sword.

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These boxes are meticulously hand made in very limited numbers by Creator Joe Litvinchuk, the custom home builder from Pleasanton, California, using a rare Brazilian Rosewood. Joe became interested in magic at the age of nine, and after over 35 years in the construction industry decided to begin Phantom Magic c. 2010 where he created a fine line of high-end magic for the discerning Magic collector and Professional magician.

Each box is polished to bring out the rich, natural beauty of the Rosewood. They are really stunning to look and at about half the size of the Mystery Box. They are much more finely made with a very different mechanism to the Mystery Box which allows for a very convincing almost visual exchange.  From an engineering perspective these are streets ahead, but I’m not yet convinced I prefer the effect, need to spend time with this one to see.  Either way a beautiful box.

This version was the rarer and more expensive of the two versions released – the other one was made from Padauk which you can see in the advert on this page.  The box is incredibly smooth and flawless.

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The end of an era … 🙁

I purchased this beautiful, perfect illusion ten years ago and it was then and continues to be in my mind the best, most dramatic and most convincing large scale magic effect I have ever handled. I had hoped to work up the energy to do a few more stage shows in 2020, but after not doing one for seven years I think it highly unlikely I’ll ever do a stage size show again. I’ll still do the close-up at Christmas for as long as I am able and people (namely friends, family and employees!) want to see me but I just don’t see me finding the time or the energy for a bigger scale show.

So I have decided to sell this bad boy and wanted to take some fresh photos before it leaves my home. I must say a tear formed in my eye as I was taking the photos. I still love this effect, but it is time. Enjoy these close-up photos of what I consider is the perfect illusion.

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For years my favorite chopper effect has easily been the See-Thru Guillotine by Wellington Enterprises. It checks all the boxes and simply looks amazing.  But it is large and expensive, and even though it is difficult to imagine how it could work it is still a large magic prop and all sorts of things could be going on. 

What I love about this truly amazing chopper from The Limited Edition Magic team of Paul Lembo and Joe Long is how real everything looks.  You show a normal knife which can be examined if desired and cut things with it.  Then you place the victim’s wrist (or head if you are a little guy like Pug!) into the unit and clearly show the blade resting above the wrist – in fact the spectator can really feel it right next to the skin.  And then you proceed to slice the knife through their wrist slowly and deliberately.  Then hand the knife over again for examination if desired. It looks amazing and the illusion is perfect!

It simply looks like real magic and if you were actually going to cut someones wrist off I think you would do it the same way.  Plus you have to love the video where Paul Lembo already has his finger in a band-aid from an early test I’m sure 🙂

It may not be as physically impressive as the Wellington Chopper, but boy does it look real – perfect for Halloween and all the nights after.  It is a good compact size and is very quick to set-up.  In fact you can turn up at the venue and just do it.  To do it as convincingly as Paul Lembo will take some practice, but just timing  and routine nothing is difficult and to be honest when you are dealing with sharp knives you should be prepared to take some time to make the whole thing smooth, otherwise you’ll end up with a nicked finger like Paul in the video!

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“The Bendix Bombshell is the BEST card in wallet ever and will fool everyone. Even magicians won’t see it coming” – John Mendoza

I don’t always agree with John Mendoza, but when it comes to the Best Card in Wallet, which is an incredibly crowded field, I have to admit I am right on board with John’s sentiment.  He acquired the wallet he still uses today directly from Roy Roth in April 1982 (over 37 years ago) and  you can see John with Roy in one of the photos (kindly supplied by John for this description).  Since we sadly lost Dave Bendix in 2013 I’m not sure there are many people left alive today who have performed the Bendix for as long or as many times as John, so when it comes to the Bendix  Bombshell John knows what he is talking about.

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What an adorable version of the classic Thieves and Sheep or Cops and Robbers theme by the great German craftsman Tony Lackner, routined perfectly by Eckhard Boettcher.  This is a good time to remember the producers of magic – so often we think of the craftsmen who make these wonderful effects, but often there are other people involved that create the routine, patter, and bring the item to market.  With the possible exception of Ken Brooke and his right hand man Roy Johnson,  I don’t think there has been anyone finer than Eckhard Boettcher in this regard.  So many of the effects he works on start of as good and become real miracles after he has finished. 

When I look at some modern companies like Magic Wagon – they create amazing props, but many of the items they produce don’t reach their full potential because Magic Wagon don’t have a full-time Eckhard Boettcher.  They have some part-time producers like Simon Corneille and Tony Curtis, but they often miss the mark on a perfect item simply  due to the routine. Even Thomas Pohle, who had great success with Eckhard in the 1980’s and 1990’s, doesn’t always find his stride without him.  Though I would say that Joe Long, who is no slouch in this regard, does a great job working with Thomas.  They make a good team for sure.

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