talkmagic.co.uk

robstanley1 wrote:Wohoo!

Thanks Rick...wasn't getting at you bud, mainly at the time the USPS take to delivery 'International Priority Mail' (quotes 6-10 days on their site, though, so I guess I'm just being like a kiddie at Christmas time ).

It's been a while since my last TM review, and I think I'm just suffering from withdrawal symptoms

I personally hand picked a rather vicious looking Scorpion for you my friend .

RR

[Gulp]

I'm guessing that's the one with the REAL venom on the tips

Think I'm gonna' wait until my Relic and Relic ring arrives, before I perform this seriously

TM guys...if all of a sudden I go quiet, you'll know that Rick's done me in with his evil, spiky baby

I want mine too

Rick I hope you picke out a vicously poison drained mother of a scorpion for me?? Im hoping for the reactions I get to pulling this out invoolve a lot of 'F*' words!!

I have just been informed I have a package downstairs.. it could be one of about 10 packages ( and this time most of them are anniversary gifts ) but Im hoping its my outlaw products, though I doubt it, they were shipped last Friday..

I am in agony waiting for them.. I want them sooo bad.. Im like a fat kid at a party and the table with the cake is just too high to reach and Im hungry!! Well.. not hungry... its just the belly in me!!

my review of the scorpian (christaned 'Lauren's Spikey Ball - The True Story' by Markdini haha )

Unfortunatly this product didnt leave me as stunned as I'd hoped.

The Box - Unfortunatly the box i recieved looked like it had be dunked quickly in a vat of thick paint. The hinges and clasp were painted over and so are flaking. Unlike Levaticus, the box i recieved has room inside it so the ball rattles around which means the paint has chipped off most of the spikes. The box isnt lined or anything so the spikes also scratch the paint off the inside of the box. The lid of the box has lots of places where there is apparently paper embedded in the paint (like it was packaged before it was dry).The chinese character is also very off-centre.

The Scorpion - Due to the flaking paint issue, id have prefered it to be a plain metal finish. That said, it certainly does the trick its designed for.

Yes its a nice utility prop (this is a whole routine, not a 'trick') but at around £35, I got something that looks like it was made by a GCSE student in CDT or 'shop class' as i believe its called in the States.

I like the trick and am going to persevere with it. I am going to repaint the whole box and paint a gold dragon on the lid. I am also going to replace the hinge and clasp. Im also going to wrap the scorpian in a piece of satin or silk to stop it chipping (after re-painting that too). This should make it a more snug fit in the box. I'm intending to post some photos when iv done it in a few days. I'll have a CUSTOM scorpion lol

lozey wrote:my review of the scorpian (christaned 'Lauren's Spikey Ball - The True Story' by Markdini haha )

Unfortunatly this product didnt leave me as stunned as I'd hoped.

The Box - Unfortunatly the box I recieved looked like it had be dunked quickly in a vat of thick paint. The hinges and clasp were painted over and so are flaking. Unlike Levaticus, the box I recieved has room inside it so the ball rattles around which means the paint has chipped off most of the spikes. The box isnt lined or anything so the spikes also scratch the paint off the inside of the box. The lid of the box has lots of places where there is apparently paper embedded in the paint (like it was packaged before it was dry).The chinese character is also very off-centre.

The Scorpion - Due to the flaking paint issue, id have prefered it to be a plain metal finish. That said, it certainly does the trick its designed for.

Yes its a nice utility prop (this is a whole routine, not a 'trick') but at around £35, I got something that looks like it was made by a GCSE student in CDT or 'shop class' as I believe its called in the States.

I like the trick and am going to persevere with it. I am going to repaint the whole box and paint a gold dragon on the lid. I am also going to replace the hinge and clasp. Im also going to wrap the scorpian in a piece of satin or silk to stop it chipping (after re-painting that too). This should make it a more snug fit in the box. I'm intending to post some photos when iv done it in a few days. I'll have a CUSTOM scorpion lol

Wow That sucks! And I'm the guy that sent it! Question. Did you get this direct from me?

I ask because the boxes are hand spray painted (not dunked) and then laquered and dryed over a two day period.

The inside has a clean flat black color the outside is clean and shiny.
I don't use paper when packing, so not sure about how paper could get in the paint.

I do paint over the hinges and clasps and it does flake off revealing the brass underneath it. Which I always thought was kind of a cool "old" then painted look.

None of the symbols are centered on any of the boxes. The reason for that is it gives them less of an "assembly line" look and more of a "one of a kind" look.

Lastly, there has to be room in the box to get your fingers in and take the scorpion out, otherwise you'd have to dump it out of the box into your hand (ouch!).

There are tips on my forum for lining the inside with a plush velvet type material, and lineing the bottom too.

Maybe I had a bad day? You're not happy with the look so I'd be happy to replace the items if you like.

Rick

Thanks very much for the offer Roth, Do you want me to send just the box back or scorpion too? Yes i bought it direct from Outlaw. I didn't realize the design was deliberatly off-centre i just thought it was sloppiness .I got some of the paper off as I was going to repaint it, but its still left marks in the paint which i might have trouble covering up. The paints also coming off the box in one lower corner, but you will see that when it comes back. Where do i send it?

lol I don't have a problem dumping the scorpion straight into my hand from the box like mentioned it has a 'bed of nails' property so you can dump it straight onto your hand with little discomfort. I can toss it hand to hand and iv tried doing some billiard ball manipulations with it, although Im not going to do that in front of laypeople. The last think I need is someone going 'Oh, its obviously rubber (snatches it) OWWWWWWWCCCCCHHHHHH!!!!!!!'

Shame you're not as happy as hoped lozey. While a dragon would look quite good on the box, did you know what the characters represent? presuming that they are the same as mine, they mean "good luck". A nice touch I thought.

I was actually quite impressed by the authenticity, I found the more rustic charm made it more believable. If its all shiny it will look as though its a magician's prop. We know it is but we don't want them to!

I also have spent alot of time in Asia and it looks just like the stuff you can buy. (Amazing what I bought through customs!)

lozey wrote: I can toss it hand to hand and iv tried doing some billiard ball manipulations with it

Either you've got a very blunt Scorpion, Lozey, or you have the calloused hands of a veteran, 90 year-old brick-layer

Yeh I found it great that it looks handmade.. the paint is a little sratched inside my box too.. but thats because the scorpion is a mean little monster.. I find any kind of authenticity adds greatly to the 'story'.

Thats why i love my Relic.. it looks so aged and rustic.. like it really got lost back in 1752 or so my specs believe

I.D wrote:Yeh I found it great that it looks handmade.I find any kind of authenticity adds greatly to the 'story'.

I guess thats one way of looking at it. I was thinking 'well when the samurai and ninjas both made such beutiful armour and swords, why would this not look as good'

I.D wrote:Thats why I love my Relic.. it looks so aged and rustic.. like it really got lost back in 1752 or so my specs believe

Glad to hear good that the relic looks the part, i'd decided against getting one, but I might be persuaded now

lozey wrote:

I.D wrote:Thats why I love my Relic.. it looks so aged and rustic.. like it really got lost back in 1752 or so my specs believe

Glad to hear good that the relic looks the part, I'd decided against getting one, but I might be persuaded now

yeh you should definately wont be dissapointed, I wear mine everyday now so its totally impromptu.. the aged factor on the relic is very deliberate.. it looks the part..

That's a shame Lozey - I had actually hoped the box would be lined, although I suppose we can't expect the world from that sort of price tag, if anyone else made this effect it would easily be in the £75 region I'm sure. I'm just waiting for my loan to come in...! I probably have to agree with the symbol position as well, perhaps an idea for the future Roth? I have to agree that whilst processes that "age" the box would be a perfectly welcome addition, if the craftsmen were so meticulous with swords and decorated armour, you'd think they'd manage to paint on a logo in centre of something!

Still, it will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine...

(P.S. if anyone who's coming to the Leeds meet-up has one of these, fancy bringing it along to show off? I'd love to see one!)

ill be at Leeds Farls.. Ill bring my Relic Gear.. and fail miserbaly while trying to perform it to 'yall..

lozey wrote:I guess thats one way of looking at it. I was thinking 'well when the samurai and ninjas both made such beutiful armour and swords, why would this not look as good'

Simple - the ninjas didn't. For example, while a samurai would treat his katana with great respect, the ninja's sword (the ninja-to/ninjato) was used as a tool (including digging), as well as a weapon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninjato

Note the quote, "they were often straight bars of low-quality steel with an edge ground on to them". I know Wikipedia's not always accurate, but I have read something similar elsewhere.