talkmagic.co.uk

Can't find anything about this yet. Viewed it at Magicbox and it looks intriguing enough...

Any views before I take the plunge?

Just watched video. I'm very interested... Looks really clean! Review would be nice...

Should put MagicBox's description:

A named-selection appears from a pack of blank cards: Jonathan Pickard presents 'Defaced' - the stunning new card printing effect, with a difference. You start with a blank-faced deck. The spectator takes one of the blank cards and draws a thought-of selection. The drawn card is cut into the pack wherever the spectator chooses, but is left protruding. On pushing it fully into the deck of blank cards, it instantly becomes a real printed version of their selection! The whole deck may be shown front and back, it works with any named selection and resets in seconds. Straightforward, clean and easy to perform, this is just one of the many ways this exciting new gimmick can be used. The fully illustrated in-depth instructions provide you with alternative presentations to suit your style. You don't even have to deface your cards; perform it with "Your Cards", blank cards, prediction cards or get inventive and make your own routines. Of course, you can always replace blank cards without having to buy a whole new gimmick, meaning whichever way you choose to use your Defaced deck, you're in for many successful performances.

The whole deck may be shown front and back !

Works with any named selection!

Customisable gimmick with applications in mentalism, cabaret and close-up!

Alternative presentations included!


D

My first review then...

Well it does work as per the demo clip and seems a natural progression from the ID.

Here's the only catch:

The main appeal on the demo for me was the concept of the spectator drawing the card they were thinking of, which then instantly turns into that actual card. Lovely, visual effect.

Obviously Pickard realised late on that this was a better technique (it is only a suggested alternative at the end of the instructions) than the original. BUT to do this version you need plenty more blank-faced cards and the faces have to be treated with r******* f****. As I don't have these items, I'm looking at paying almost as much again to do the trick the way it looks on the demo.

Of course I will do so, in the hope that said materials will come in handy elsewhere.

Also bought "Red Rover" (seems the same as what I've heard of Strange Travellers to me - i.e. great) and "Six Card Reveal" which would work if your audience were sitting about a mile away for you. In the spirit of this forum carefully masking certain terminology, it is truly s**t.

Tim

I gave in and bought Defaced last week...

Must say that although the demo presentation does look lovely with the drawn cards, I've been really enjoying the original, non-destructive method. I guess it's up to you how you choose to present it, but I've been getting some great comedy reactions. It's just as clean on the change whichever way you do it i suppose. May post a full review if I get any time next week...but it's a thumbs up here..

Ps, thanks. Had been looking to get the other effect you'd mentioned! May let my wallet rest a while...

DC

I can see why it would be a pretty impressive effect even in its original form but it is the drawing of the cards that always appealed to me, even if I've had to shell out even more to get what's needed.

The other effect - Red Rover - was Magicbox's offer of the week so you should have let your wallet spring into action then! As I may have said before, from the description of "Strange Travellers" which I don't have, this seems to be an identical effect but cheaper.

I'm still refining these before "going public" so I'll let you know how I get on.

I've got Defaced on the way and I've written it into one of my sets as a closer as it looks that strong and that much fun.

Thanks for the review let us know how you get on in the trenches

Hmmm. Have performed it to eight people in the last two days and when it worked I got a great reaction but unfortunately I screwed up on three (I'm new to this remember!) by being too heavy-handed and letting them sneak a peek at something they shouldn't. Fortunately the trick is strong enough that they were still kind of impressed.

I think the problem for me is that the r******g f**** used on the cards is not as strong as on my ID so I get caught out pushing a bit too hard. Nerves too I guess as all my practice runs (many, many) were fine. I think I might apply a bit more f**** and see if that helps.

Oh and I did buy some more blank cards and treated them accordingly so that they could do the drawing bit which certainly at least kept it constantly entertaining for me. I do love this effect but need to relax...

Got mine through yesterday. It's a great effect. Havn't tried it with anyone yet obviously but reckon it will be a hit. I agree that the 'draw your card' is the way to go, not only giving you ample time fro handling but also visually it works. Need to r***h some spares first.

I did think the explaination was good, many images to help along the way but as has already been said it seems the drawing of a card had been tagged on as an extra. I'll check back when i've test driven it properly over the next few weeks.

Some advice: Whilst r******g your blanks you might see if the deck itself needs a touch more. Maybe I'm just too heavy-handed but they definitely were harder to work with for me than my ID when I first got that, and so I have fluffed Defaced a few times and let slip things I shouldn't have.

Whilst topping up my ID I gave the defaced deck another top-up and whilst the effect still works fine I find it much easier to work with.

See what you think...

Hi Tim,
I finally registered here and introduced myself so I'm now able to post - hurrah!
I've been following this thread with interest as it's very rare that I will go out and spend money on something that isn't specifically in the area of my main focus of interest which is mentalism and mind magic, but when I saw Defaced advertised I just had to order it. It's an insanely beautiful piece of visual magic that can quite easily be dressed to fit many different presentation styles. At the moment I'm still working through getting everything nailed down with just myself (and my webcam and PC for playback) as the audience. Once everything becomes as close to second nature as possible and when I'm confident enough at that point to perform, this is going to knock people out.
If I may, I'd like to bring a couple of points up that you've raised. To have the spectator draw the card does require a couple of extra bits, but those are things that you will get to use for other purposes so I just think of it as stocking up and getting an immediate use out of the items you've just bought! As they're not unfamiliar items for a lot of magicians, some people will already have them to hand. Even if you have to go out and buy the extras (which it seems both of us have done), the price you pay monetarily pales in comparison with the price you will get with peoples reactions. Also, the time and focus taken when the drawing is taking place allows you to be sure a certain aspect has been executed correctly ;o)
Also, with regard to the 'established concept' not being the same as other products that use the same principle, I have to say that I agree but I don't necessarily put it down to inexperience. The deck that I received wasn't 100% and so it might have been a manufacturing issue. I've certainly had to give a little more treatment to certain cards as the particular manufactured treatment wasn't anywhere near what it should have been.
All in all, Defaced is a fantastic effect. It's something that for magicians uses a principle that has been in circulation but provides an extra stage of handling that I haven't seen before. For spectators, it's a piece of impossible, visual magic.

hey guys, I love the ID, / brainwave deck as well as any similar style of tricks - spec names a card, and a massive reval follows. thus, I too have been following this htred with much interest and intent.

However, it seems to me that the original version of this trick is the same effect as this (found on alakazam.com) [sorry if I am not allowed to post links to sites :S] Erazer By Adrian Gower. If you go to the site, you can see a video demo.

Without asking for any kind of revelation (I have erazer, so know how it works already - review to come soon ), could someone fully confirm the trick (ie the original patter / idea, rather than the shown demo on the website, with the drawn cards) to confirm if this is the same trick.

Cheers guys

Dan

Having watched the Erazer vid two differences strike me:

1. He seems only able to do the trick with reds whereas Defaced allows both.

2. Defaced is kind of done in reverse, i.e. the blanks are shown first then their card (be it a drawn one or another blank or one with "Your card" scrawled on it) almost instantly becomes that actual card once shoved in the deck.

Having compared the vids, I can't help but feel that Defaced has a bigger impact.

Hope that helps!

Oh and OrderD29:

I agree entirely and thanks for agreeing with me; it seems it's not just me being heavy-handed after all although I'm still a bit clumsy with it (as one of my spectator's graciously told me today).

And, yes, I agree with the drawing allowing just a quick check, as I would rather count than m*** the deck. Having said that, it obviously has to be quick and subtle as it would be a shame for the spectator to think that the drawing was merely a diversion for magicianly subterfuge!

And yes I know there's no such word as magicianly.

There should be though.

Hi Dan,
Please feel free to drop me a PM with any questions. I don't have Erazer but have just been and seen the video that you mentioned and I'm sure that there are differences both in terms of the possibilities of the two effects and also in the methodology behind them.
I'm not going to tip anything and I won't ask for any details of the workings of Erazer but I can still let you know 'x is possible with this, y is not' etc.
Ian

cheers for the reply regarding the Erazer trick - not meaning to expose...you are correct (can only be done with Black cards) - its ace that Defaced can be done with red and black.

I have ordered Defaced, so will let you guys know how it goes / what I think of it, when compared exactly with defaced

Dan