The Effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv5VjbT9GdI
Cost
£20 from Magic Box
http://www.magicbox.uk.com/
Although I ordered early from Hong Kong via YouTube as it wasn't availablew in the UK at the time.
Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
3 to 4 for a variety of reasons. Read on.......
Review
This is a potential reputation maker - if you have your own TV studio to work in
Reading the initial comments in another thread this trick gathered quite a few favourable comments based on what was seen in the video clip. The majority of the audience are watching on TV monitors for good reason.
This routine is not only angle sensitive but there are three dice in play so you need to be conscious of your hand positioning and be able to invisibly swap them out at close quarters which isn't easy, particularly for the less expereinced.
While I've not had a great deal of time to play around with this so far, there are a few things that are apparent. The spec or specs
MUST be viewing the mirror from above at all times otherwise the secret will be revealed. They can view a few inches off the vertical but not much more.
My opinion is that this makes in impractical for close up working as there is potentially a lot that could go wrong. The only time that your hands are clean is when you end the routine so hope that no-one asks to see in the palm of your hands
The instructions are also un-conmprehensive and run to a third of a sheet of A4 so you'll probably find yourself watching the YouTube video over and over until you can work out what's happening and where.
The dice are cheap plastic and the trick would have been better value for money if some decent casino quality dice had been used. Sol Stone uses good quality dice in his radical dice routine which is a much better purchase if you want a workable dice routine.
Overall
Overall, this has to be one of the disappointments of the year so far. The video set high expectations which unfortunately aren't delivered.
It's a clever idea but that's about it. Far too angle sensitive and too many dice in play to be a realistic option for a close up worker.
Some may disagree but hopefully they'll tell us why.
Member of the Magic Circle & The 2009 British Isles Close-Up Magician of the Year
It's not really an optical illusion - it just looks like one!