George Guerra

Gorgeous little pagoda

I received this piece for my Warner collecition today and it has to be the cutest little version of this effect, ever. I had never considered this trick in the past. Even nicely handcrafted versions like Milson-Worth could not persuade me, but Alan’s tiny rendition is irresistable. It is very tiny at 3 1/2 inches, but that’s Warner mini-magic for you and, again, it’s just adorable. The idea of the chinese pagoda is brilliant and beautifully rendered with bright colors. I have eight painted pieces from Alan and this one is my current favorite. Granted that his current teak mini-magic is amazing, these early painted items from Alan are still a sight to behold. Unfortunately, these are no longer made by Alan and acquiring these early pieces are a true challenge.

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Simply Incredible Early Warner Magic

I have been a collector of Alan’s mini-magic since my first piece in December 2001. I never looked into his early children effects simply because they were big props and I have never been interested in children’s magic. This apparatus came up for sale and I hesitated buying it, so it sold quickly to another buyer. Fortunately the new owner later offered it to me and, after some long thinking, I finally gave in to buy it. I am glad I did.

First, it’s large compared to Alan’s current line and the method later incorporated into Kryptic Keys. The card houlette is 4-5 times bigger than the teak one used in Kryptic Keys. Overall, the apparatus provided is simply beautiful. The cards are plastic but the painted designs are actually wood cuts perfectly glued onto the white plastic cards. It looks gorgeous. The paint job is first class, reminiscent of the Milson-Worth apparatus..and that’s a bold statement.

The effect is most entertaining with a strong patter, clever method, and again, fantastic props. The story centers on Shamus, the rabbit of an Irish magician, who loves doing his own magic. First, the full silhouette of the rabbit is seen and hidden behind the house, laid on a black easel which provides support. Attention is then turned to his colored hats in the houlette. The red hat card is chosen by the day of the week and the stack of colored hats held by a child. Shamus scampers off to his hats and makes his magical appearance on the selected hat. But has Shamus really left the house? His silhouette is then discovered to now be a cut out of a rabbit. What a Shamus!

Alan is truly a master craftsman with brilliant ideas behind all his magic. I am most fortunate to add this beautiful apparatus to my collection.

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Cutest Hippity Hoppers Ever!

Collectors’ Workshop released their version of the classic Hippity Hop effect early in their existence. I have not seen one that tops it, yet. They are a beauty. The rabbits are about 4 3/4 inches high and were designed by Les Smith of Owen’s Magic. Actually, if your see their version, you will see a resemblance. The covers and bases are solid walnut. The gimmicks are well built and fit perfectly. Overall, the nicest "mini" sized rabbits I have seen to date and a treasure to my CW collection.

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"Nested Boxes" for a Tea Party

This is was acquired back in the few years after CW opened their doors. It was and still remains a beautiful effect where a spectator’s ring disappears and ends up inside a tea bag, obtained from within a beautifully handcrafted tea chest. The choice of wood is a gorgeously grained Bubinga. The method is straight forward due to the construction of the chest. It ‘s an eye catcher when displayed on your shelf. CW released many winners and this is one of them. Besides, the price was a great bargain compared to their other effects.

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A REAL Babcock Winner

I had seen this effect from Mel Babcock in his book and had contemplated buying one but never came around to doing it, till now. Well, I received it today and I am exhilirated. Beautiful prop made with fine solid walnut and zebrawood touches, easy to perform, and very clever method. The best part is the price. How Mel can sell such quality magic for such low prices is beyond me. However, I am sure glad to add this apparatus to my collection and that’s that I am picky. Clearly one of his BEST.

The effect is straightforward. Three red back cards are freely selected and placed in the holders without showing the faces. Then, three faced cards are selected from a blue back deck and also placed on the holders, the values facing the spectators. One by one, each holder is slowly swiveled around and the cards MATCH. Again, there is NO FORCE involved.

It’s Magic like this that makes one so happy to be in this hobby.

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One very heavy lock trick

The American Lock Co. lock used in this effect is quite impressive in itself. It’s big and heavy for a padlock. I have an original and that was a Series 700 lock, which I assume is still used for the effect. The one drawback to this version is that the method requires the performer to open the lock at the end. This is in contrast to Key-R-Rect, where the spectator is allowed to do the unlocking. Now the presentation included with the effect takes this into account, but still it is rather awkward and suspicion may be aroused that the lock is gimmicked.

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"The ULTIMATE Metal Chop Cup"

Jim Riser has released one incredible chop cup. This is the Riser Shorty in copper and is a true testament to metal spinning art. This is a hefty goblet sized cup made of TWO layers of metal allowing the gimmick to be conveniently hidden between the walls, hence the weight. When I first opened the package and held the cup in my hand, I immediately knew this was special. After playing with it for a while, I could only admire the workmanship. Jim truly outdid himself.

One issue I always had with chop cups is over that certain force needed to dislodge the ball and the occasional embarrassment of the ball not dropping. I always thought that the rather forceful landing of the cup on the working surface was too suspicious and awkward. Well, Jim may have solved the problem. How would you like an almost "automatic" chop cup? With a slight twist of the wrist holding the cup the supplied hollow steel core crocheted ball can be dislodged without the cup hitting the table. Yet, the same ball can be dropped into the cup and poured out without any attraction to the cup, if desired, and always in control. Is this feature alone worth the title of the ultimate chop cup? Add the beautiful double walled spun cup in brilliant copper and there is no cup in existence to beat this one.

The Riser Shorty is designed for the close-up worker. The Riser Tall spun in aluminum is also being released for the stage worker. I own several Riser cups and this is definitely his best release. What a great contribution to magic from this talented master craftsman..thanks, Jim.

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George Robinson is to be congratulated on this one

This item took nearly a year to receive, but it was more than well worth it. When I first learned of this new CW item, I couldn’t believe the price. Rather than ordering online, I had to call George at Viking to verify the price and wasted no time to be the second person ordering it.

Well, the chest is a BEAUTY, practically museum quality, and a testament to skilled woodworking. The images on the Viking site definitely do not do justice to this prop. The choice of SOLID hardwoods is to be commended. Dark walnut contrasts wonderfully with the lighter colored maple. The maple used for the doors is matched, nicely grained, figured on one side, and inlayed with walnut accents..gorgeous. The Japanese design to the chest is most attractive and should get the stares.

The chest is subtlety gimmicked in three places, and yes, you will need to read the instructions to find them. Quality accessories, some gimmicked, come with the chest to perform the SEVEN effects described in the well-written multi-page instructions.

The first effect is the classic "Astro-Ball" done with a gold/black cloth ball and a turned wood Japanese bowl. Second, is "Ring on Wand" – borrowed ring followed by large brass ring penetrate solid brass wand running across the chest with tips clearly visible protruding on both walls. George added his own improvement to this old Grant effect. Third, is "Samurai’s Legacy", a large Chinese coins and cord penetration effect. Fourth, is "Sefalaljia" – a classic single ring on cord using the "hook" method plus a bonus non-hook alternative called "Massecar Variation" is described. "Life’s Lesson/The Marriage Ceremony" is the two-loop rope linking effect popular in another apparatus, Dean’s Box. The remaining two are old effects, "Hindu Ring Mystery" by Eddie Joseph and "Block Cord", done in style with this chest. The supplied block has a red lacquered finish with brass Chinese coins inlayed on 4 sides..very nice!

The effects are not necessarily "originals" but definitely first class acts in the context of this versatile chest. As mentioned in the instructions, the Spirit Chest represents a "unique theatre". It turns otherwise "simple" effects into a truly magical experience. A worthy addition to the CW line, I would have paid twice the asking price, if not more. Now, hopefully, ideas and new effects can be gathered, in due time, for a manuscript. What do you think, George?

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Now, this is an Imp Bottle!

I just this received this "little" magic. I had ordered it based on the review from Andy Martin. I love natural wood magic apparatus and I had owned, as a kid, the Adams Imp Bottle. So this was nostalgia calling to me when I first heared of it. First, it’s definitely a good sized, "hefty", bottle compared to the plastic Imp Bottle from Adams and the working is similar but the gimmick is not the same as in the original. I would give the handling a 4 star (sorry, I can’t say more without devulging the secret), but the craftsmanship of the bottle and the innovation on the method are first class, so I give the overall effect a 5 star rating.

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Practical and "adaptable" prop!

I bought this because I own Khartoum Ring Fantasy and Tang Dynasty Chest so I needed a practical prop for the ring vanish segment of these effects. Well, I am very pleased with this offering from Viking. The method is simple and right to the point. I love the adaptibility of the prop in that the ring the spectator is feeling under the hank can be changed to what is best suited in anticipation of the performance. The vanish is effortless and rather quite convincing because of the method. A definite must-buy for any ring based effect where a vanish is required.

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