New Release Roundup #3
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More uneducated opinions on new releases based solely on the advertising copy and first impressions.
Faraday Pad by TCC
I gave some initial thoughts about this briefly in the post.
They demonstrate the pad on the episode of the Wizard Product Review episode I took a clip from yesterday—the one where a phone call induces a stroke in David Penn.
The pad looks like it works well, and the guy are very excited about it. And then they go on to demonstrate a totally average card trick with it. Like, if there was a non-electronic version of a trick where you roll dice to get a number and then count to that number in the deck to find a card, and find that it matches a card in another card box, no one would ever perform that.
I’m sure people will come up with some cool uses for this. Ones that don’t immediately scream “magnet,” but also ones that are more exciting than the trick demoed in the video above. Personally, I’m just never in a situation where pulling out a mat like that would be normal. As soon as I did my friends would be like, “What is this bullshit?”
You can remove the actual magnetic element from the mat and put it somewhere else. I thought about putting it in the center couch cushion of my couch, since I often do tricks there when sitting on the couch with someone. And it would allow for some fun hijinks if anyone ever sat on that cushion with a nickel buttplug up their ass. But I have a feeling it would look a little obvious in the cushion.
If you already use a close-up pad, you could probably find something worthwhile to do with this. But it’s not for me.
The Bat System by Carpenter Wong
This is another hyper-expensive effect. $750.
It’s very tempting because it feels like the type of thing that, with some thought, I could come up with some particularly strong presentations for.
But I just can’t justify paying that price. I feel like in 6 months there’s going to be something similar on the market for $250.
It actually feels like something made for the amateur, because the biggest strength to me is being able to do this from another room, which is not really an option in most professional performing situations. But as an amateur it’s way too hard to justify paying that much.
If one of you ends up picking this up, let me know how you like it. Especially if it really sucks, that way I’ll feel better for giving it a pass.
Ash by Pen and MS Magic
Ugh… I really dislike how stupid some magic effect producers are.
This is a cool effect. I like the way the words appear in the ash of a burning piece of paper.
Buuuuutttt….
Why did you print “Fire Spirits” on the paper you goddamn goofballs!?
The only thing you really want spectators not to be thinking is, “Oh, I guess it’s special paper.”
So leave the pad blank. Or print “Grocery List” on it, if you have to have something. But don’t put something that suggests, “Special fire paper.” That was the one thing not to do.
Bounce by Luis Robles
For the price of one RFID deck, you could buy the instant download 62 times. (If you’re an idiot.)
The visuals on this are unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
I don’t really know what to make of the effect. “Playing cards appear when I bounce a ball,” is sort of pointless. But this might be a situation where the visual is compelling enough to overcome the meaninglessness of the effect.
Maybe you could give it some cartoon logic. Ask someone to bounce the ball a couple of times. “What is the sound of a bounce?” you ask. Whatever they say, you say, “I’ve found a way to manifest in physical form the sound of a bouncing ball.”
Then you bounce the ball four times and blank cards with “Thump,” “Whoomp,” “Boing,” and “G’doink” written on them in colorful lettering appear on the table.
“Thump, whoomp, boing, g’doink? Sounds like my honeymoon! Hey-o!!!” You say to the confused spectators. “This guy knows what I’m talking about,” you say, and point to a reserved, bespectacled man in the first row. “You banged your bitch silly on your wedding night, I bet.”