• A haunted Tic Tac box
• An impossibly balanced Tic Tac box
• A drawing that penetrates a Tic Tac box
• A Tic Tac which penetrates out of a box
• A coin pentetrating into a box (similarly Hate Tic Tac and Minted)
• A corner of a card melting through a Tic Tac box (similarly C-Through)
• A whole signed card appears inside a Tic Tac box
• Borrowed bank note to Tic Tac box (and version 2 on DVD)
• A Tic Tac is magically crushed in a spectator’s hand
• An appearing, vanishing and penetrating Tic Tac
• Lots of Tic Tacs penetrate the box at once
• A collection of Tic Tac tricks
• A dollar bill turns into a box of Tic Tacs
• A prediction written on a Tic Tac box changes to match a chosen card which then changes to match the original prediction
• Another prediction – this time stored inside the Tic Tac box
• Rip and restore the cover of a Tic Tac box
• An empty Tic Tac box instantly fills and then the Tic Tacs jump from box to box
• Not forgetting Mint – a card in box we reviewed some years ago…

Today we’re going to review and contrast Minthru by Arnel Renegado and The Box by Mickael Chatelain – both of which have the same effect – a Tic Tac penetrates the box.

Although the effect is the same the methods are completely different. So, I would venture, are the explanations. Both releases come as a digital download – The Box runs to around 12 minutes whilst Minthru manages a performance and an explanation in less than 2 minutes! Yes, you read that correctly! Less than two minutes.

The 16 second trailer is worth watching and gives you a fair view of the effect.

It is very visual, everything is examinable at the end. In fact the only drawback is that it isn’t exactly instant re-set. (Though you could arrange things so that you could repeat it I suppose – but I think it is more of a one off or even a showreel effect).

The Box (not an imaginative title!) is slightly different. The penetration takes place under momentary cover (you wave your hand over it) – but again everything can be examined – more or less. In fact, the box itself is gimmicked, but it could be pretty fairly handled by the spectator without fear. Again, the trailer is accurate.

SInce this is a download, you will obviously need to make your own gimmick.  But this is just about the easiest of these kinds of things I have seen. It will take you less time than watching the Minthru video!

I really like The Box. In the past I have not always been a great fan of Chatelain’s gimmicked card magic – but this is really good. The gimmick is very simple yet effective and hidden in plain site. It could be instantly repeated and still be just as fooling.

Minthru is not terrible, but I think you can tell which I prefer. And at less than three times the price but 8 times the teaching, The Box somehow feels like better value too!

You can download Minthru for £5.50 or download The Box for £14.99 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Minthru v. The Box – Tic Tac magic review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

The effect

The spectator chooses a card (which is a free choice, and they may sign) and it is placed on the top of the deck. It then ‘visibly’ (more or less!) vanishes – and appears in the card box.

So yes – it is another signed card to impossible location effect. As the company’s name suggests, this version relies on a heavily gimmicked ‘card’ to do most of the work for you. I have to confess, when I looked at the gimmick, without watching the video, I had no idea what it was for!

But the gimmick effectively allows a sort of sleight free version of the Findlay Tent Vanish – where the card disappears under the slight cover of your hand. The gimmick also makes it possible to produce the card from the card case without any sleight of hand.

What do you get?

You get the specially gimmicked card. A not quite so gimmicked card case (flat packed – so you will need to glue it together). And a link to a short explanatory video online. The first 11 minutes or so explains how the whole thing works, and includes a slow motion performer’s eye view. Then there is a further 5 minutes of visual explanation (no words) about how to repair the gimmick. You are provided with some material to do this, but to be honest it looked quite fiddly to me!

The English explanation involves Mickael’s rather quirky accent which I am growing to love!

What do we think?

Travel in some ways seems like quite an elaborate solution for an effect which could be performed with sleight of hand. Now for the beginner this might be really quite a bonus. And there is a certain economy to the way the card reappears in the box in particular. In fact that’s probably my favourite part of the effect. The ‘vanishing’ part does feel slightly like overkill to me.

Probably not an effect for the more experienced magician. But might be of interest to someone just starting out and looking for a visual effect that’s easy to do.

Travel is available from the Merchant of Magic for £27.86 (at the time of writing)

[Bizarrely, as so often, the blue version is a cheaper price at £27.50!]

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

Mickael Chatelain – Travel – review

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The post Mickael Chatelain – Travel – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

It’s hard to describe the nature of the gimmick without exposure. But essentially Chatelain has incorporated an old gambling gimmick into a playing card.

Apart from the (well-made) gimmicked card, you also get a link to a relatively minimal 9 minutes of explanation via video. This has been filmed in a café – and whilst not ‘high production value’ is perfectly adequate for communicating what needs to be communicated.

The video teaches two effects (though the gimmick could be used for others):

Vision Touch – the spectator shuffles and freely handles an ordinary deck. They then name a card, and without looking at their faces you can locate their chosen card. I found this effect entirely underwhelming. The most likely explanation which would enter the head of a thinking spectator (that the deck is m**ked) would actually be a much easier and more versatile way of performing the same effect.

The second routine – isn’t even given a name. The spectator chooses a card and you are able to reveal what it is. In this ‘routine’ the gimmick effectively performs a function which could easily be carried out with fairly basic sleight of hand.

A failure of vision?

If you pushed me, I think this gimmick is solving a problem that doesn’t exist. Perhaps I am just failing to see the possibilities, but I am really struggling to recommend this one.

On the plus side, apparently it sold out at Blackpool 2017! So perhaps I’ve radically underestimated this. Or perhaps they just didn’t take much stock with them…

Vision is available in RED or BLUE version from MagicShop.co.uk for £23.50 (at the time of writing).

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Mickael Chatelain – Vision – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

What do you get?

You’re supplied with DVD instructions (in English and French) and all the necessary gimmicked cards. The gimmicks are well made and should last a decent length of time (though they’re not the kind of things you could easily make yourself – so when they do wear out you will have to buy a new set).

The good

It is a very clever gimmick which is wonderfully ‘invisible’ during performance. The visuals are very impressive. Unlike certain other releases we have seen everything is already made for you – so you’re good to go straight away (you will need to add a regular deck of bicycle cards).

The routine has been put together well so that you have some good misdirection for the final switch out (if you want everything to be examined) and there’s little in the way of sleight of hand. A few alternative handlings are provided which is helpful.

The bad

I do struggle with Chatelain’s explanations. It’s not just because of his thick French accent – which you get used to. But his explanations lack detail and he continues to repeat various phrases – most annoyingly “It’s really easy” – I lost count of the number of times he said that.

Although the moves are technically ‘easy’ – they certainly require a bit of practise to get them smooth. Angles are pretty good and this would work very close up – but you would have to be a little careful with this. And reset whilst quick, could really be done in sight, so it loses a mark for practicality due to that.

In conclusion

As you may be gathering, we’re slightly in two minds about this. It is undoubtedly a clever method and looks good, but there’s something that just doesn’t quite sit right with me on this one. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it would work better as part of a longer routine? (In fact as I think about it, some years ago Dave Forrest put out an excellent set of 3 routines using this kind of card – check out the Holes instant download if you like the sound of that).

So although I think I’m unlikely to be performing this one myself, if the effect appeals to you I would encourage you to check it out.  Available from MagicShop.co.uk for £24.99.

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Mickael Chatelain – Hole 2 – review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

From the description you would have thought that this was a very clean effect – but for me the routine is a bit cumbersome/laboured. But let’s get down to some specifics.

You are supplied with 4 cards (on Bicycle stock) one of which is cleverly gimmicked to eliminate most of the sleight of hand from the routine. The gimmicked card is very nicely made (and what a joy – it comes ready made so you don’t have to assemble it yourself!) – though not ‘new’ – in fact I believe Mickael has put an almost identical gimmick out in some of his earlier routines.

The DVD

I was rather unimpressed by the supplied teaching DVD. It is easy to navigate with a simple menu. But the explanations themselves were to my mind very unclear. Sure, if you’ve been around in magic any time, I think you will be able to follow what is going on. But I do think that someone just starting out (and presumably – since this is being marketed as ‘doable by everyone’ – this is a significant target market) they would find the explanation unclear. He rushes through, repeating some steps – which ought to be helpful – but there isn’t enough clarity about which cards are where at any given point. The force used is barely explained – and again, whilst an intermediate level magician would have no problems with this, it would be another challenge for the beginner.

There are a couple of positives to the DVD. I really like the fact that it is shot from the performer’s angle – this seems to be rarely used in magic teaching DVDs – and to my mind at least, makes it much easier to follow. He also has rather idiomatic English – and sometimes amusing pronunciation…

The Verdict

This is a hard one. I do like the gimmick and think that it enables some very visual phases to the routine. But I think that if I were to use this myself I would feel I had to re-routine this to make it a little clearer. I think the quality of the teaching is poor – it won’t affect anyone with an intermediate level of magical understanding – but I would struggle to recommend this to a beginner.

So if you like the plot, this may be worth a punt. From a magical point of view it is ‘clean’ and it takes up little space. And you can logically bring in the blank cards to perform the effect.
Available from Merchant of Magic – £25.44 at time of writing.

Review copy kindly provided by Murphys Magic to whom dealer enquiries should be directed.

The post Mickael Chatelain – Print Card – Review appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Mickael Chatelain is a clever magical thinker and he looks to have come up with another cracking idea here. Imagine a borrowed coin effortlessly passing through the cellophane on your packet of cards (or cigarettes or chewing gum). That’s the effect with Cello. And apparently everything can be examined (though we’ve not seen it in person yet to confirm or deny that!). £33.99 (also available in blue bicycle gimmick)

If you can’t wait to receive your magic in the post, this little e-book from Cameron Francis might offer some instant gratification. Get Small includes ten routines that can be done impromptu with any deck of cards. Just the sort of stuff everyone needs in their repertoire for when someone asks “show us a trick…” and you can download it straight away. £9.99

 
We have a fondness for some of the decks coming out of the Blue Crown, and there is certainly a touch of elegance to this Blue Verve Deck. Follow the link to check out the extra stylish court cards. A high quality, limited edition deck of cards. Very smart. £7.99

Have a great month…

The post Trick of the Month – February 2013 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Card to Wallet is a classic effect in magic. Any Signed Card to Any Spectators Wallet takes this to a new level by doing just what it says on the can. This is getting great reviews around the forums at the moment as a clever utility gaff. £31.99

Here’s something a bit different from Nathan Kranzo. How about, at the end of your card trick, the deck of cards turns into a stack of bank notes? That’s exactly what happens in Pimpin. And it is currently HALF PRICE at only £8.50.

The post Trick of the Month – November 2011 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.

Wimbledon almost over, so it must be time for some more recommendations from Bicycle-Cards.co.uk

We have a growing library of magic books at Bicycle-Cards.co.uk headquarters, and Try the Impossible is one of our latest additions. Full to the brim of interesting card magic, from the self-working to the rather more involved. And perhaps most pleasingly it includes one of the effects that recently fooled Penn & Teller. A great book and only £25.95.

The Torn and Restored Card is a classic of close up card magic. There are some fiendishly difficult methods out there, but Mickael Chatelain’s latest take – Rewind – promises to be within the reach of most magicians and is certainly visually very impressive. It’s a lot for a single trick – but watch the video and see what you think… £62.00

We’re back to our bread and butter here with a new and unusual Bicycle Deck. We’ve just received one of these and will do a longer review as soon as time permits. But for now, check out the new Bicycle Stickman Deck. £5.49.

The post Trick of the Month – July 2011 appeared first on Bicycle Cards.