Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Night Songs by Cinderella
Deflect by Skulkor Review:
One DVD, 10 gimmicks, 8 minutes and $35 . . . is it gem or is it rubble? Stay Tuned.
Effect
Write a message or scribble, or whatever with a dry erase marker, on the cellophane on the side of your card box. With a shake, it instantly changes to something else . . . a "selected" card, whatever you want. Then you can change it back to the original scribble and wipe it off of the cellophane and there is nothing left. In short, the ink morphs into something, then morphs back and then is wiped off.
Method
A very clever and very easy to use gimmick makes this all possible. You're supplied with enough "stuff" to make 10 gimmicks, which is enough to last a life time. One gimmick will last a very long time. The construction of the gimmick is pretty simple and will take about 5 to 10 minutes, but it's a one time build. Then you're good, and you can leave the gimmick on your card box at all times.
The handling of the gimmick is super simple, but will take some practice to get the exact timing right. The only issue with the method that I have is the fact that you have to commit to what the magically appearing message will be. That is permanently written on your card box. So you'll have to always force the same card every time. The gimmick itself is unaffected, so you can put it on another card box that has a different prediction written on it.
The gimmick can be used over and over and over without a problem. Further, though the box is not "examinable" per se, it can definitely be handled by the spectator before the trick. Once you do the effect, they'll want to fiddle with the box to figure it out, and they might get lucky and figure it out. However, if they just look at the box they'll never see the gimmick.
When all is said and done, this is a solid and easy method, and a very practical method to accomplish a very visual effect.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is 100% accurate, as impossible as that sounds. It instantly resets. In fact, after you wipe the message off of the box, you are reset. There's nothing more to do.
Product Quality
The gimmick is very well made. The DVD is well lit and the menu is easy to navigate. However, the teaching segment was very annoying. It was all music with text overlays. The problem was that in many cases I had to stop, rewind and re-read what the message on the screen said. If you read the text, you'll miss the handling. If you watch the handling, you'll miss the text. The DVD is only about 7 and a half minutes long, but everything needed to create your gimmick and perform the effect is taught.
I think for the price, they could have included the dry erase marker as well. Oddly, you are supplied a card box, but they never tell you why. The only thing I can think of is to make sure that your gimmick matches your box. Different countries have different looking card boxes. However, in the DVD they explain how to make the gimmick work even if your box doesn't match, so I'm not sure the purpose of the card box.
Final Thoughts
I think most people would agree that this effect is stunning and visual. If you like the effect, you'll be very happy with your purchase. The method is solid. The ad copy is accurate. The gimmick is easy to use. What more do you want, folks?
Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.
2 Comments
As I read somewhere else, IF you were going to write a prediction or something on a card case, WHY and WHERE is the logic of using one of the narrow edges? Why wouldn’t you write it on the front or the back of the card case to enable better visibility?
And that is another major shortfall of this trick in my opinion. In many of the poorly lit environments that we work, and often at large tables, people would have to strain their eyes to see what had happened…….that’s if they actually noticed anything at all.
In my honest opinion, this trick personifies the amount of utter garbage, often termed ‘magicians magic’, that’s being released today.
Utter dross!
Barry – Thanks for the post. Keep in mind that I’m not reviewing whether I think it’s a good trick or not. I’m simply reviewing whether or not it does what it says it does, and if it does so in a legitimately doable way. That’s it. Just because I would never perform the Hippity Hop Rabbits, doesn’t mean it’s a bad trick. Just because I (or you) don’t like a particular trick or just because it won’t work in our venue, doesn’t mean that someone else won’t find value in it.
There’s no way to credibly review a trick based on whether it’s a good trick or not, and there’s no way to credibly review a trick based on who will or won’t do it. That’s a personal decision that everyone must make for themselves. I can only tell you if the gimmick works as good as they claim. In this case, it does. I’m simply telling you that this product does X, Y, and Z, and that the it looks the way they claim it looks. If you like X, Y and Z and you can see yourself doing a trick like this, then you’ll be happy with your purchase.
If you don’t like X, Y and Z, then don’t buy this. I’ll never do Card Warp. I don’t like the trick. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad trick. We all have different tastes.