Andy Martin

This is a clever and unusual effect that used to be imported from Russia, but is now made directly by Viking Mfg. with brass accents and walnut trim.

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This is the original shiny brass version of the Collectors’ Workshop Ring Cruncher and it looks much nicer than the later one they produced which can be seen here. This effect is based upon Roy Roth’s original effect Grind-a-Ring and it was built with permission of Roy Roth at the time. Other dealers versions of this item, with or without the permission of Roy Roth, have tended to get quite complex and I really like the simplicity and elegance of this early CW version.

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This is a very clever little box from Magic Wagon and you’ll love the method, mechanics, and the standard routine.  But if you really want to shine just watch the wonderful routine and performance that Rob Rand has put together on the video above.  Great job Rob!  Love the ending 🙂

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The Elusive Rabbits or Hippity-Hop Rabbits was invented by The Great Norman (Norman Hazeldene) c. 1947.  And in fact Thomas Pohle has already released his tribute to Norman’s popular effect in the form of Rabbit Love.  But although Where’s The Rabbit? looks like Norman’s classic it is quite different in both effect and method.

This is a real beauty that looks stunning and uses a method that is different from all other Hippity-Hop Rabbits before it.   Thomas’ video is a little longer than it needs to be, but it does clearly show all the features.  I think if you spent a fun hour with this you’d come up with a clean and snappy presentation entertaining the whole family in no time.  And who can resist the smile of the cute little ducky? 🙂

Really clever innovative thinking from the talented German creator and craftsman Thomas Pohle.

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I remember when I saw the first version of this beautiful piece of magic and entertainment when I was at Ron MacMillian’s One Day Convention in London (Ron’s Day) in 1979. At the time I could not afford it, but I knew precisely how I would use it in my act. Well 40 years later I finally have a slightly later and more improved version of that very same effect 🙂

This is later design that works 100% automatically – earlier models used a magnet and reed switch this model can be programmed to work completely automatically. No magnets, no remotes, no attachments and nothing added or taken away.

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What a beauty this Tie Grinda is from Roy Roth the creator of the original Grind-A-Ring that spawned a whole slew of copies and related effects. Very solidly made, great cranking sound, clever method of filling the box with the tie. Can be used in small parlor to large stage.

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The Wenger Tiny Lie Detector was created, designed and constructed by Nick Wenger.  It is sold exclusively by Mike Rose of HardToFindMagic.com and comes with a 34 page booklet filled with ideas for the Lie Detector written by Mike Rose.

If you know anything about the work of Nick Wenger then you’ll know this is a winner too – it is very solidly built and if you ever wanted to do any sort of Lie Detector effect either close-up or on stage, this bad boy will work perfectly.  When turned on it has a green light shining from the end, but the second a lie is told the green changes to red and a loud beep is heard.  All under control of a small key fob sized remote.  This is pretty much perfect.

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This is a fantastic effect that is easy to do and a great fooler – at first glance it may seem similar to Simon Shaw’s Director’s Cut, but it is very different and you will be more than happy with this method and effect even if you already have Simon Shaw’s. 

Sadly, I overlooked Cinema Vérité when I first purchased it but if you spend just a few minutes learning the method you will have it down and never forget it. Contrary to what you might think there is almost nothing to learn or crib sheets to look at. You could do this blindfolded or even over the telephone.  Now to really do this effect justice you should do two things:

1. Read the expanded instructions that you can obtain from Jim or Stevens Magic, it contains lots of tips and ideas which will make your presentation even better.
2. Over time the more you get to know the movies depicted (many of which you will already know) the more it will add to your performance.  You can still amaze them almost immediately but if you perform this regularly you will probably want to take it to the next level by being more familiar with the movie posters, cast members, basic plot etc.  All of the details are included in the expanded instructions.

Once you have performed it a few times I believe it will quickly become one of your go to effects, and it plays well particularly if you personalize the movies with your own experiences and how they impacted your life.

In the handy pocket size it comes in Classic and Horror. I will sometimes use both in one performance which really fools them because there are so many movies (32 in each set) that it really makes you look like some sort of hard core movie mentalist savant.

Mark Stevens has told me this is one of the top sellers at Stevens Magic and now I understand why.

Click here for more information.

This is a fantastic effect that is easy to do and a great fooler – at first glance it may seem similar to Simon Shaw’s Director’s Cut, but it is very different and you will be more than happy with this method and effect even if you already have Simon Shaw’s. 

Sadly, I overlooked Cinema Vérité when I first purchased it but if you spend just a few minutes learning the method you will have it down and never forget it. Contrary to what you might think there is almost nothing to learn or crib sheets to look at. You could do this blindfolded or even over the telephone.  Now to really do this effect justice you should do two things:

1. Read the expanded instructions that you can obtain from Jim or Stevens Magic, it contains lots of tips and ideas which will make your presentation even better.
2. Over time the more you get to know the movies depicted (many of which you will already know) the more it will add to your performance.  You can still amaze them almost immediately but if you perform this regularly you will probably want to take it to the next level by being more familiar with the movie posters, cast members, basic plot etc.  All of the details are included in the expanded instructions.

Once you have performed it a few times I believe it will quickly become one of your go to effects, and it plays well particularly if you personalize the movies with your own experiences and how they impacted your life.

In the handy pocket size it comes in Classic and Horror. I will sometimes use both in one performance which really fools them because there are so many movies (32 in each set) that it really makes you look like some sort of hard core movie mentalist savant.

Mark Stevens has told me this is one of the top sellers at Stevens Magic and now I understand why.

Click here for more information.

As usual Magic Wagon have no problems creating a beautiful looking prop.  This one seems to have had mixed reactions which I think might be a little unfair based on my first impressions at least. I think the mechanism that makes this work is very clever and works reliably. The fact that you can choose any six symbols and have six outs is pretty neat for sure.  It would be quite easy to expand that number with the right routine. Also you can freely show the device from all sides and even give it to the spectator without fear of them seeing anything, both before and after the work is done.

The problem is that the unit is a little contrived.  It is not a whiteboard, but a whiteboard with a drawer at the bottom – it looks great but may not be that logical.    Also, there are some angle issues when you do the actual work and it is a little tricky to get ready in plain sight.  I think this is another example of a good idea not fully fleshed out. 

I’ve seen it compared to T.A. Waters’ Box Office but the big difference is that although many versions of Box Office have the drawer below where the prediction is, they work because the items are displayed in a box or tray above. If you wanted to make this be very convincing with the whiteboard, the whiteboard would need to be very thin or transparent.

But to be fair with nearly all Magic Wagon items you have to accept the fact that they are going to be creating fairly large, cool looking magical boxes which if you like wooden boxes (as I do) you will love, but if you trying to convince an audience you are performing real magic with, it might be a stretch. But this is pretty much true with any box or prop that is designed for magic – the second you get a way from basic non-prop items such as cards, coins, paper, pens, ropes, etc. there is always going to be more suspicion on the prop. And props that Magic Collector’s and hobbyists like tend to be much more ornate than you really need and Magic Wagon excel and filling that space.  So you end up with props that look kind of large and contrived.  But they are giving the people what they want 🙂

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