Happy New Year from everyone here at Hank Lee’s Magic Factory. It is time to celebrate the arrival of 2012. As I look back on 2011, I can only say that we are really looking forward to 2012. The folks in Washington say that the economy is improving. That the recession is over. Call me crazy, but I try to believe what the politicians say. However, this one seems like a case of not letting facts get in the way of a good story. In just two days, the ball will drop in Times Square, Dick Clark will count it down and it will be 2012. Let’s hope the folks in Washington are correct!
Bonnie and I are not big New Year’s Eve celebrators. We try every year to stay up until midnight. Some years we make it and some we don’t. This year, with New Year’s being on Saturday, I can rest during the day and save my energy for the evening. If the weather is nice (and this year, it looks to be unseasonably warm) we’ll spend part of Saturday at First Night Boston. Aron is already home. Lucas has just come home, after spending Christmas with his GF Julia’s family in Toronto. And, Julia will be with us for New Year’s. So, with the family all here at the same time, we’ll have to figure out something special.
On the magic front, I am really looking forward to 2012. The magic industry has changed so much; the amount of new items arriving in stock, all the time, is just staggering. For me, I love checking out all the new magic. Despite 36 years in the magic business, I still love to be fooled. Don’t you?
Please have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve, and come visit us in 2012!
Don’t forget to check out out this week’s magic1. It’s a good one!
**** magic1: ****
Your chance to acquire the very best in magic at the very best price. Every Monday, we will offer a modern magic miracle. You'll have only one week to order it. 10,080 minutes to make up your mind. 604,800 seconds to decide to get your own reputation maker. Then what happens? Then, we will offer another special, enabling you to build your show of shows, one week at a time.
This week’s magic1 is Psychomatic Deck. Regularly priced at $29.95, yours until next Monday for $21.00!
To learn more about magic1, click here
Now, let’s take a look at this week’s Hotlist!
(1) Crystal Vanish - Stephane Jardonnet and Olya Avtenieva: The ultimate pull device, allowing you to vanish virtually any object from your hand, or directly from the hand of a spectator.
Among the specifics that make Crystal Vanish different from all others:
* Show both sides of your hands totally empty before performing.
* Perform with your sleeves rolled up.
* Vanish any object, not only from your hands, but also from the spectator's hand.
* Retrieve the object very cleanly from your pocket.
* It is totally practical!
The trick works like a charm, and it fools badly. Of course, the smaller the object, the easier
You receive:
* The Gimmick in a Kit. Crystal Vanish is designed to be set based on the size your own hand. Everything is included to make your own gimmick, but it takes between 5 to 10 minutes to make one. Once the gimmick is set, you should be able to perform for months without any problems of any kind. But if ever it breaks, you can make a new one within minutes.
* A DVD that explains everything in detail :
- How to make your own gimmick based on your hand's size.
- How to install your gimmick.
- How to use a pull device. The basic techniques to successfully vanish any objects and retrieve them from your pocket.
- The common mistakes to avoid while using a pull device
- How to vanish larger objects
- The other potential set-up to use Crystal Vanish
$39.95 (10.1677)
(2) Squeak Technique – DVD & Squeekers – Jeff McBride: Feel the power of the squeak!
Make your sleight-of-hand more effective by adding a "Mc-Sqeaker." Jeff teaches you how to use this great gimmick to add laughs to your show.
Filled with ideas, bits of business and sure-fire gags for creating your own comedy magic routines.
Includes Bravo! A Squeaky Clean Ball and Bowl Routine.
The world's leading teacher of stage magic shares the inner secrets of a street magic classic! The inner workings now revealed!
Step back in time to the street magic of Renaissance Italy and witness a recreation of a timeless classic of magic. Learn now this time-tested routine can be adapted for today's audiences.
This is a "do any time, anywhere" effect that will leave your audiences speechless!
Includes the secret gimmicks that will enhance the routines and can be used in many other effects.
Use your own or a borrowed bowl and sponges, or even rolled-up bank notes.
Learn the history of this classic effect and how it can be updated for modern audiences.
Package includes two Mc-Squeakers.
$39.95 (DVD01310)
Note: This is a non-discountable item.
(3) Psychic Pad Folio – Banachek: This is the most diabolical product ever produced by Banachek. It is indeed one of the most powerful devices available to mentalists and magicians alike. Banachek has personally used this tool in over 875 shows to date and he will continue to use it. He has used it in colleges, in comedy clubs, in corporate shows, in living rooms and even in theater shows for thousands of people.
This tool will allow you to perform one of the most convincing demonstrations of reading minds (Q&A). It also allows you to do so much more.
Banachek has included routines that involve revealing numbers of serial dollar bills, multi-drawing duplication's with a big reveal at the end, pseudo muscle reading (Psychophysiological Reading) and other ideas as well. You are limited only by your imagination.
Banachek truly believes this to be a hard hitting piece of mentalism worth thousands of dollars. Not only are you buying a custom-made gimmick but you are buying an incredible diabolical secret.
Comes in a beautiful vinyl protective case for years of use. Instructional pdf on CD-Rom included.
$159.99 (40.812)
Note: This is a non-discountable item.
(4) Psychomatic Deck - Nathan Kranzo: A lost classic of magic and mentalism. An extremely useful tool for the amateur and professional magician. Imagine showing a deck of cards to a spectator and mixing them so they see that the cards are legitimately mixed. After the cards are mixed you hand the spectators the deck and ask them to peek at and remember any card they see. Without a doubt, you know the card they chose. With the Psychomatic Deck you can do this and so much more.
With many gimmicked decks you are limited to only one effect. With the Psychomatic Deck you can perform ultra clean predictions, forces, Tossed Out Deck routines or even use it as part of a larger routine. The possibilities are endless. The Psychomatic Deck requires no skill and comes completely ready to perform as soon as you open the package. On the Psychomatic companion DVD, Nathan teaches how to use this deck to its fullest potential.
Includes gimmicked blue Bicycle deck.
$29.95 (DVD01309)
(5) Encyclopedia Of Fire Magic - 4 DVD Set – Alpha:OK, here’s the deal. If you aren’t over 18, don’t even read the description of this set. We cannot sell it to you if you are under 18. But, if you are over 18, and love Fire Magic, this set is for you!
Volume One – Flaming Gimmicks
Flaming Hands
Flaming Thumb (2 versions)
Ghost Candle
Flaming Finger
Flaming Finger Tip
Traveling Flame
Traveling Flame to Streamer
Flint Striker (2 versions)
Flaming Wallet (2 versions)
Flaming Magazine
Flaming Box
Flaming Book (2 versions)
Volume Two – More Flaming Gimmicks
Rope on Fire to Cane
Appearing Rose to Glitter
Torch on Fire to Cane and Flaming Cauldron to Flowers
Burst of Flames (2 Versions)
Flaming Saber and Flame to Glitter (2 Versions)
Breathalyzer
Fire Eater
Appearing Torch on Fire
Vanishing Torch on Fire and Torch on Fire to Silk
Floating Ball of Fire
Appearing Fan on Fire
Safety Flaming Torch (2 Versions)
Volume Three – The Special Effects
Basic Products
Sound Effects
Flash Pot (Basic)
Flash Pot (Ball of Fire)
Flash Pot (Flaming Pot)
Airburst Guns
Short Circuit (2 Versions)
Other Gimmicks
Volume Four – the Flaming Floating Act And More
Remote Control Flaming Book
Appearing Dove from Book on Fire
Airburst Vanishing Cane to Streamer
Self-Igniting Newspaper
Torch to Fan
Floating Fire Ball Act
Bonus Effect: Fake Gun Shot Bullet Wound Effect
WARNING: You must be 18 or older to purchase this DVD. Fire magic can be dangerous if improperly handled.
$98.50 (DVD01311)
"Caution! Do not view these DVDs unless you want to really transform your act into something hot! I was most impressed with the production and material. Alpha's Fire magic is a great addition to our art!"
Jeff McBride - creator of the Mystery School
(6) Victory Cubes: Just in from our friends at Creative Magic. We have only one of these and when it's gone, it's gone forever!
Victory Cubes is a new stage decoration that does tricks!
Turn a school auditorium into a Vegas show room instantly. Or add a quick and easy change of scenery to your show. Great for holding props; in fact you can pull small props out of any of the spandex dots. Perfect for blocking those tricky angles, or for ditching used props.
Besides being great stage decorations, you can do tricks with the cubes as well. Victory Cubes comes with a DVD that explains how to make a person appear or vanish, including how to walk on stage with the cubes folded up, pop them open, and produce a girl. Plus, it includes countless other creative ways to use your Victory Cubes in any show, from a birthday party to a full stage production.
Victory Cubes has a rip-away Velcro top that gives you even better angles, and allows you to turn it upside down to hold things. For example, you can fill it with already blown up balloon animal balloons and you have a magical balloon holder.
Another bonus is the Spandex dots that provide for dozens of creative routines. Combine this with everything else and the performance possibilities are endless. Sets up in literally seconds and packs small enough to fit into a brief case!
Victory Cubes comes with two pop-open cubes, a carrying bag, an instructional DVD, a full color booklet with performance ideas and a certificate of authenticity. They will instantly make your show bigger and more valuable! And they are priced incredibly low so you can get more than one set!
Dimensions fully set up:
34" by 34" by 34" (Large cube)
31" by 31" by 31" (Smaller cube)
Dimensions in bag: 13" by 15" by 4"
Weight: About 5 pounds
Note: This is a non-discountable item.
$295.00 (60.1313)
(7) Andy Nyman Lecture DVD: This is the first time Andy Nyman has agreed to make a video of his material.
Packed into this DVD are routines that Andy has been performing as part of his professional mentalism cabaret and close-up sets for many years.
This is a lecture that combines highlights from Andy's books. With a distinctly mental theme this lecture is for anyone interested in the thinking behind real life performing and is packed with performance tips and thinking that will both challenge and excite.
Two of the routines included are:
Deep Red Prediction - a stunning twist on the Koran Medallion routine.
Charade - Andy's killer 'do as I do' card routine.
Both are stunningly powerful and yet incredibly simple to perform.
$34.95 (DVD01312)
Derren Brown says: "Andy Nyman is my favorite mentalist in the world. His performances are an absolute joy, full of punch and humor and superb acting. Watching him work has taught me a huge amount about how to make mindreading convincing."
(8) Ron MacMillan Lecture DVD: After winning several awards including the British Ring Shield and 2nd place manipulation at FISM, Ron MacMillan made his name performing his manipulation act across Europe and the US in the 1960s. He established the International Magic Shop in central London in the early 60s. Ron also founded the International Magic Convention in 1972, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2011
Sadly Ron passed away in January 2005, but his legacy lives on. We hope you will enjoy his lecture and performance pieces on this DVD.
DVD Information:
This lecture was recorded live in Espinho, Portugal in 1991.
The lecture focuses on the "The Art of Stealing.” You'll see all the loads being prepared and then the steals taking place as Ron explains each sequence of his routine.
As well as demonstrations and explanation of Ron's manipulation sleights there's many other hints and tips that any student of manipulation will enjoy.
Here, Ron proves that you do not need many sleights to perform an act, but a well learned routine and good presentation make even the tiniest object visible on the largest stage.
Following the lecture, you'll see a live performance of Ron's act performed in the Gala Show. Additionally , there is a gala show performance taken from Norway in 1979 and a nostalgic piece of converted silent footage recorded by Lewis Ganson in the mid 1960s.
$30.00 (DVD01313)
And that’s the very last Hotlist for 2011. Looking back, we brought you a ton of great new items this past year. Of course, this week, although it is the last week, is no exception. All really good items!
As the year winds down, I want to make sure you know how much we appreciate your taking the time to visit with us. Whether it’s online at www.magicfact.com or in person at 102 North Street in Medford, we love your company!
Have a very Happy New Year!
Hank
