This is one of the 1st plateform tricks I had as a teenager magician. It was made of cardboard and construction paper with the old IT method. With care it lasted a long time. Now John Fabjance has finally decided to re-release this new version. The wonderful thing about this model is that it does not use the old method, made out of plastic card, and the best feature that beats all the current offerings, it is self positioning. Those that use What's Next and Dynamo know what I am speaking about.

I always liked the square shape over the rectangle style, it made more sense as it leads to patter of a dice or die. Now with the self positioning feature, no worries at all for alignment of the dots.

The original sold for only $6 in the 1960's, but with inflation and these superior new features it is well worht the $75.00.

This is a great trick as a filler between effects using spectators, while they return to their seats. Easy to carry and totally self contained.

I am so glad Fabjance has decided to bring a classic back to the market place, and the improvements are simply genius.

http://www.magicmgmt.com/shop/

I agree this looks really good. I saw the ad the other day and thought the improvement features were a great idea.

I just got the new Confusing Die by Fabjance. For years I used the original cardboard version of the Confusing Die. I have always found it to be a great opener, after which I would move on by saying, "and now that I have you completely confused....."

I have always thought this one made more sense than some of the similar tricks on the market because it follows a logical progression, 1,2,3,4,5,6. This way the spectator doesn't have to remember what he saw last like the domino version with which there is no sequence and therefore difficult to follow.

I love it when there is someone in the audience who had the cheap version that is frequently included in magic kits. They usually look smug until I go past the part they know. Then it's fun to see the expression on their faces when the empty spaces begin to fill in with more spots.

This new version is great. It's the same crowd pleasing trick but made from a nice durable styrene material. Since it's very thin it's hard to believe there are multiple layers of styrene and magnets inside. And they are the strongest magnets you have ever seen. Of course, I love the way the new larger spots in this version fill in the extra spaces on their own. I used it in my most recent performance and found that I didn't even need to look down while performing the trick.

I would definitely recommend this effect if you are looking for a great trick that, plays big, presents the opportunity for lots of laughs and makes you look good with little effort or practice on your part.

In all due respect to the new Confusing Die by Fabjance, take a look here:

http://www.nnmagic.com/magicitems/stagemagicpage_al.htm

My experience is that the white spots on black show up better at a distance on stage, plus.....there are more dots........like all things Norm puts out and endorses, it's "Best of Class", in my humble opinion.

And, its less expensive.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Posted: Jul 12, 2011 10:31pm
OOOOPS! Forgot to mention that I was referring to "Dinamo Deluxe Spot Card" in the above post.....you will see it as you scroll down the page.

The Neilsen one is left-handed to me, anyhow. I grew up using the old white/black dotted one, and the "handedness" is backwards. Never got used to it.

I must agree the Confusing Die is better in every way over Dinamo by Nielsen. Never liked it, have to align the parts, and if wear a dark suit, disappears to the viewing audience. It is more like a domino, then a die.

Love the new Fabjance prop, Confusing Die.

Price, ya know, I got an excellent deal on a car once, it was cheaper then another. Of couse the one I bought for a good deal --- they forgot to tell me it did not run.

I am a long time user of the Norm Nielsen “Dinamo Deluxe Spot Card”. I totally love it and use it regularly for my outdoor work. Yes I work it surrounded (check out Merlin’s “Classic Workers” put out by Bill Abbott for the handling). Yep I started with the old Tenyo “Spot Card” or “What’s Next” back in the 70s. I’ve no problem with the handedness of the prop. I simply learned a routine and stuck with it. It is second nature to me. If I went back to the Tenyo prop I’d have to learn a different handling. No big deal.

Bill (wmhegbil) has a couple of real concerns/complaints about the Nielsen prop. If you are wearing dark clothing it does disappear IF worked directly in front of your body. The prop must be routined to be held well away from your body especially for the number displays. Again see Merlin’s work on this since he performs it dressed entirely in black. Of course when I use it I am dressed pretty colorfully and the prop stands out like a beacon.

Bill notes the difficulty in aligning the “parts”. Again the handling of aligning of the “parts” takes well practiced movements and a solid routine but even so, as Bill pointed out can be a bother.

All that said the Fabjance prop “Confusing Die” is great! Fabjance has made the handling almost automatic and close to self working (and thus the cost). The logical 1 to 2 to 3 to… is very easy for the audience to follow and adds to the apparent impossibility of the trick. It maintains all the classic elements found in all the What’s Next genre of props.

I got to play (test drive if you will) with a friends Confusing Die. It is a small and lightweight prop which will take up little space and add almost no noticeable weight in a travel case. Even so it is sized to be easily seen in most venues especially the smaller venues that performers like me tend to work (living rooms, churches, clubs, and bars). The color contrast makes it seem larger and makes it very visible. Plus die and it’s sequence of numbers is easily recognizable.

Would I like to have it? Absolutely! Would it replace my Dinamo routine? Maybe, I’d have to work with this prop for a while to see if I could make it mine. Is it expensive? Nope (OK maybe), expense is in the eye of the wallet holder – if you use it as part of your act and it gets good responses then it’s cheap. If you play with it and put it on the self then it’s expensive. Will I buy it? Probably not - I’ll wait until one comes up for sale here on the Café and can work a trade.

Bill, I hope you learned to test drive cars before you buy! But then that’s almost impossible when buying magic. If we could test props before we bought them I suspect that less magic would be being sold!

Got mine on order.

I made my own years ago... started as a DIE, then opened out like a DOMINO, and kicker it opened again to a CARD CASTLE.

I just saw the promo video for this, WOAH, that was hideous. It looks like the performance one gives to their cat after they've just opened the trick and read through the instructions once. Man, that was horrid. Apart from that though the actual prop doesn't look too bad.

I agree with those here who have said the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 progression makes more sense. I bought Lee Earle's Die-namite YEARS ago, and have used it ever since. Although I've tried to give it the best of care, time takes its toll and the prop is really past its expiry now. Sadly Lee doesn't make these any more so I was happy to see someone had finally done a similar version. I like the idea of the m*gnets as opposed to the IT, but I miss that surprise ending that Lee's had after the 6 dots appeared. I might have to buy this and then modify it.

For nostalgia's sake, I wish I still had my old Fabjance confusing die that I bought from John himself, one day many years ago at DeVoe's Magic Den in downtown St. Louis....it was a fun prop to play with.......but, like Harry Murphy says, I think I will stick with my Nielsen Dinamo Deluxe.......it's a worker.....and I'm convinced that the white spots on the black background are easier to see.....and as far as the black background being an issue...it's not.........a black eggbag is a problem...because it will become invisible....but the Dinamo Deluxe has white spots...thus always visible.....

Nielson (I believe) also made one that ends with a big hole in one corner of the card. This not only gives the trick an ending, but it's a funny one! Still have mine, quite easy to do.

Wasn't it DELBEN (Ben Stone) who made the one with a hole?

Julie

Julie, sure enough, you are correct.