talkmagic.co.uk

hey guys
I just watched the preview to jay sankeys Magus Capsule.
http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=812

And jay Sankey claimed this to be a future classic, to take the place of cups and balls. i was just wondering what you guys think. Well heres my opinion;

Magus Capsule will catch on for a while but will never become a classic in magic.

Well looking forward to ee what you guys think.

Ben Bale

I admire Sankey for his fresh thinking. I love the way he takes an old idea and makes it workable for his situation. I've often thought "why use those funny looking cups for cups and balls", but I've never actually done anything about it - so I've never done a cups and balls routine because of that - instead of coming up with another way to work the concept. In that sense the Magus Capsule has inspired me to do my own thing. I also think his routine looks quite good - so that may be worth getting.
Having said that, i really don't think it'll replace cups and balls. The routine as we know it is a classic in that it's principles are timeless. Sankey's routine is geared to our time and a specific 'culture' of magic - so it probably won't survive the test of time. Nice idea, though.

Cups and balls, always seems 'old' to me. I can do it, but I usually choose not to, because it doesn't fit. It's also pretty hefty to carry round.

However, this little fresh twist on the old C&B is awesome. Almost visionary (something we'd expect from Sankey!)

Self-contained - excellent. And with a DVD of routines (some not related, bonus ones too!) the price tag is fair too.

I can't really add much to whats been said, except that when Sankey brought out 3Ring Cirus everyone said that it looked rubbish, but having had the opertunity to view the DVD (For 3Ring) I must say that the idea is excelent & I expect that this one will be similar.
Whilst I don't particularly like his performance style I think his ideas are (as Seige said) visonionary.
I'm really considering getting the Magus Capsule *fights down C.U.P.S* because like other people have said (on this & other forums) the weight; Bulk & cost of a decent set of C&B is kinda prohibative, whereas the Capsule is compact & considering what your getting the price is also quite reasonable.
Wheather or not it becomes a true "Classic" of magic remains to be seen,

a couple of points you may have missed about this little gem that couls put it up there with the tt and bill switch for the close up worker.
1) it combines all the classic elements of the cups and balls, transpositions and large final loads.
2) its a chop cup which meens you can use coin's .
3) its a chop capsual so you show enpty add a spirit hank and then make it move by itself, big hint chop raven.

yes we know jay sankey tends to claim all he does is his own invention but he does do some amasing inovation and adaption of classic principle, anyone who knows his take on the coshman / tenkie pinch will be nodding in agreement.

plus its a nice storage capsual for some of you close up tricks, i think its going to become a classic utility device up there with the tt.
mr sankey please send my bribe care of talkmagic please

ok finally took the plunge and placed an order for this... will let you know what happens when it arrives

mog i wait with baited breath as to how you find this thingamy, espaecialy if it can be turned to pk effects as well as a portable cups setup.
it will be interesting how usefull the chop section is for coin work, and as you get a nice set of balls you get a bonus mutilplying ball trick for free with a special vanish for the last ball , if you have a raven, bat or other mythical animal

Don't you think that using it for pk effects (I assume you mean make things move around) will be a bit of a giveaway? Ok if you're using any of the above mentioned animals that's another story

exactly.

and if you use a ssud you dont even need to be that close, you specs can do all the legwork , by useing the power of there hands to turn it.

he does do some amasing inovation and adaption of classic principle

I love the way he takes an old idea and makes it workable for his situation.

I love Jay Sankey. His ideas are fresh, his performance is unique and the diversity of his skill is astounding. However, I recently acquired a set of very nice Cups and Balls which really inspired me to research and perform this classic effect. My thinking was, "if it's been around for this long, why not try it out?" I think we need to bear this in mind when we look at things like the magus capsule and 3 Ring Circus. You have to see them for what they truely are; reworkings of classic effects. Yes they are astondingly good performance peices and I was blown away by the preview videos for both of them when they came out. But when you get down to it they are not going to be around forever simply because they are geared to the here and now. My point is that however wonderful something looks you should always approach it with an element of caution. Don't just buy it because it looks cool, buy it because it fits into your magic. If it doesn't don't buy it. I aslo think that learnigna good cups and balls routine will really improve both the thinking behind your magic and the practical aspect of your magic.

BUT... there's no harm in it.

I agree wholeheartedly that these effects are like the film adaptations and modernisations of classic books... whereas the original seems timeless, but the film version is more a snapshot of the same principle/plot in a modern, contemporary situation.

And here's why Sankey gets MY vote:

Earplugs
Don't know how many of you own this, but it truly IS a new slant on sponge ball routines. I used to do a fair bit of sponge work, as to me, it's fundamental to the core of magic. However, until Earplugs, it remained at the bottom of my pile - because 'it just always seems the same'.
Earplugs, however, makes a more interesting effect - people aren't conditioned to seeing these weird cylinders of foam being used in this way - whereas sponge balls are seemingly purpose-made. I think that the life of this is limited, as you say, but thumbs-up to Sankey for having the vision and courage to let this out into the open. Great!

3-ring Circus
Magic. Yep, it's just a word. Some people think top hats and magic wands, others think white rabbits. I think of linking silver rings and card tricks.
The linking rings is indeed a true classic of magic. It's something we all know of, something which is 'physical', and something which is very visual.
There's a small problem, though... it's been confined to stage workers - because of it's scale. Sure, mini-linking rings are available, but the sheer stage presence aside, the effect is weak.
Bring in Jay Sankey, and his 3-Ring Circus. The logic behind this is simply genius. The original stage effect, consisting of 'solid' rings, which somehow magically link in the magicians hands is stunning - because the rings are SOLID objects.
Sankey's little cheeky twist of using Key Chain rings is brilliant - because here's an everyday object which CAN be linked, but it's not the easiest thing in the world.
This is an incredible concept, then, that you can hand out two regular keyrings and LINK them, instantly.
And best of all, it stays in your pocket, and can be done literally any time, anywhere.
Again, not as timeless as the original - but a true visionary concept... and one which I carry around regularly to FLOOR people's jaws.

...and finally - Magus Capsule
Quintessential. That's the one word I'd use to describe 'cups and balls'. It's one of the most innocent and frighteningly underrated effects in all of magic. There are numerous variations, numerous twists. And yet, whether used as a magic routine, or simply used as a quick 'paper cups and tissue' friend impresser, I think that this has to be the true classic magic effect.
Sankey, being Sankey, has taken the classic effect from 'cups and balls' and added a modern twist - as he does - by using a rather gorgeous machine-turned 'capsule'. Self contained, easy to carry, and visionary in the respect that when slapped on a table - this is definately not conceivable as 'just another cups and balls effect'.
Who cares if it only hangs around for a month? Who cares if it has a short lifespan?

Not me. But I do know one thing - all these effects are 'take it or leave it.'

Nobody is asking the world to abandon the old cups and balls routine in favour of the Magus Capsule. Nobody is saying 'it's better'. It's a modern reworking - which will hopefully open eyes and fit more neatly into the performances of today's modern magician. As should the Earplugs, and the 3-Ring Circus.

Sankey's not asking you to embrace them with open arms. He's asking you to 'think outside the box' for a change.

Which is no bad thing.

I admire the guy, and his ideas, and his logic, and his skill.

This is OLD MAGIC for a NEW GENERATION, in my opinion. And, as GoldFish rightly points out, if these NEW ideas can inspire our up and coming magicians to learn the OLD WAYS of magic and research the origins, this is no bad thing.

(oooh, I feel all cleansed and liberated all of a sudden.)

*stands & salutes Siege* very well said sir, this has been what I have been trying to get across for a while now, but I could never have hoped to reach the eloquence with which you have just stated the case in point.

go sankey, go sankey, yeah sankey.
go seige, go seige, yeah seige.

just a little cheer leading to agree whole heartedly with seige, you said it all and i'll be looking out for the sankey products you mentioned after this next bulk purchase of kids stuff.

well to add my tuppence worth the magus capsule is a PERFECT substitute for C&B's... as i said in my review the reason i didnt try and learn the cups was simply they were too bulky for me to carry around...if your a working pro and you do a set on stage or even close up where you have a set area to work in and a case full of stuff then fine... C&B's it is... but if like me your a humble amatuer who only really performs for mates at work or pub type locations where you dont have a set and you need stuff you can carry easily in your pockets the the magus capsule is really the IDEAL alternative. From what i know about the cups and balls, most of the stuff that can be done with them can be duplicated with the capsule and theres also the capsules "chop" facility (a quick note is that on the DVD there are NO effects that use the chop bit.... Sankey never uses it so leaves it to the viewers creativeness!) which as was pointed out can be used with coins and one of the crochet balls is also "chop" compatible so the possibilities are endless..

one last thing... on the DVD theres a routine which uses tissue paper instead of balls and shows the possibilities of "thinking outside of the box" and not using balls at all.... and its a seriously great effect