AmazeBox by Mark Shortland
Posted: Oct 23rd, '15, 13:33
The Effect
Official blurb and promo vid can be found here: http://www.alakazam.co.uk/product-Amaze ... -Inc-.html" target="_blank" target="_blank
But essentially, this is a bxxxxt switching box. Nothing more to be said really.
Cost £35.00 plus postage/packaging
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)
Less than one. So easy you don't actually have to touch it.
Review
I've read countless effects with this type of utility device but I could never quite get round to making one. There's a diagram in PMM under the heading "OM Bxxxxt Switching Box" by Otis Manning. I always thought the box looked obvious so never made it. Then I bought all of Osterlinds DVD's on PMM but I seem to remember he used some crazy French Chocolate Box that you have to get shipped in from the moon. Bob Cassidy also uses something he made out of a cigar box and some pencils glued together to make a wall. Either way, I never bothered to make one so was pleasantly surprised to see the Amazebox on sale. This is just what a lazy mentalist needs!
Essentially it is a cardboard box. Lets not pretend you're buying some technically advanced bit of electro wizardry. It's a cardboard box, pre-cut that arrives flat, ready for you to assemble. The instructions are on a website and you get a code to access it (something I get annoyed with as I'd prefer a hard copy but nevermind). It's easy to assemble and requires no more that a glue stick. There's some extra stuff he does which requires electrical tape and a pair of scissors but that's optional and only makes opening the box easier for the spectator.
Once you've used it, you can collapse the box and it will pack flat, though irritatingly, because of the way you build it, it won't pack flat into the box it arrived in so you'll have to find another way to protect it.
Overall
I love it. It's innocent looking. The design is ingenious and it's going to withstand a fair a bit of scrutiny - but no-one should be scrutinising it, as it's just an empty box!! It could be damaged because it's cardboard but it's pretty sturdy, and I guess you could just build it again without too much trouble. I give it an incredible ten out of ten. Why??? Because it does what it says on the tin. If you can't be bothered to go to Hobbycraft and mess about with exacto-knives, this for you.