Does anyone have this .Could not find any reviews in search.

Http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S11053

I just picked this up a couple of weeks ago, and to my astonishment, the box I received was broken! It took me a while to figure out how to repair it, but it was a simple fix with some wood glue. I decided it was better to just fix rather than return since these are becoming harder to find.

The only thing I will say about this trick that may not be obvious from the video of Mr. Mikame performing it is that you need to be standing behind a table or something with a servant attached to it in order to execute the one "move" in this trick. Once that move is done, everything else is as you see in the video, and to my eyes, a complete bafflement to the audience.

It needs a fanny sling so you can whip away the tablecloth at the end. It's ALMOST perfect.

I tried to get one from Hocus Pocus but they said 2 weeks or more so I looked on Ebay and bought one for 270.00.When I received it one of the little legs was off the box.Used Elmers wood glue on it and its back on now.I love the Box!Very nice quality except for the little leg coming off in shipping.I just can get Rocky Racoon in gimic to vanish him.Great Box.

I notice that these are out of stock/not available at the moment. Can anyone recommend a similar product that is more readily available?

Glenn,

The Mikame Vanishing Box is actually a very old vanish. It is very angle sensitive. Best used with an assistant, or if you can design a hook at the back of your table or chair, that will work also. Have to perform this up stage, not down stage.

Found a Mikame listed at Abbott's Magic, I would call them 1st to see that they really have it as they have been known to use drop shipment these days.

The wholesaler Murphy Magic, for Mikame Craft items is also out of this vanish.

Mak Magic made one called Tak-A-Part Vanish, but it is no listed on their website.

Abbott's also makes the classic version in heavy wood, that will last, but they are listing it at $300.

Bill,

Thanks for all of that information. I believe I can guess the basic mechanics of the vanish, but have never performed it so will have to think over the implications of the "angle-sensitivity" aspect. I might also look elsewhere at other styles of vanish box - I'm sure there is material on the Café discussing pros and cons, but it all gets confusing after a bit. With a range of different versions (and different quality) it's difficult to know where to start sometimes.

I've bought Mikame items in the past and have liked their quality and finish - and the demo of this take-apart box looked like it had the features I was after - but the cost is definitely on the high end for me. I'll check on Abbott's magic, though being located in Australia, there is usually a pretty significant shipping cost as the items get larger!

Indeed, seeing this (mostly) unavailable has made me wonder if a better route would be to purchase the designs for a vanish box (of one kind or another) and build it myself. I'm not sure on the ethics of this - but my understanding is that for some vanishing boxes (at least) there are products I could purchase which provide the designs for building the box myself at a somewhat reduced price. Essentially buying the "secret" and detailed plans rather than the item itself.

I'm not looking to "copy" something without proper permissions/payment, but I believe there might be some vanishing boxes where the instructions to build yourself are available for sale from reputable dealers. If you or anyone else knows where I might find out more about these sorts of products, that might be an alternative route to get decent quality at a reasonable price. In the meantime, I'll definitely follow up on the Mikame listed at Abbott's Magic. Thanks for the tip.

Sorry, there are not workshop plans available for smaller prop tricks. You might take a look at Jack Hughes books available on Lybrary.com , the actual books are out of print but were sold at $130 per book. They are available in PDF form from Lybrary.

That Mikame box is described in a Popular Mechanics magazine from 1962. I found it once on line, so maybe you can find it for yourself. It is the only all magic issue of the magazine that was ever published.

Then there is Paul Osborne's books, one has smaller wood working boxes in it. Don't know the name, but you can find it at Paul Osborne Illusions website.

And that is about it for classic production and vanish boxes. There are some others, but the names escapes me, and they are not exactly workshop plans, just line drawings.

Small Production/ Vanishing Boxes for Do-It-Yourself Magic Builders from The Magic Nook (I may have missed a few):

Hardboard and Duct Tape Magic Book One: Chimney Screen; Flip-Over Box Revisited; Chocolate Bunny Box

Hardboard and Duct Tape Magic Book Two: Magic House of Mystery; Visible Vanish; Tear-Apart and Take Apart Dove Vanishes; Double Door Dove to Rabbit Box; Balloon to Dove Tray/Table; Pass-Through Tube Effects

Hardboard and Duct Tape Magic Book Three: Wonder Screen Back in Action; Drum-Head Box Production

Wizards' Journal #3 - Flight of the Phoenix

Wizards' Journal #10 - WAH Production Box; Sefalaljia

Wizards' Journal #14 - Inexhaustible Jack O'Lantern

Wizards' Journal #16 - Nutcracker Sentry Box

Wizards' Journal #17 - Tangerine Box

Wizards' Journal #18 - Bye Bye Bunny, Sneaky Production Box, Puppy Fiki

Wizards' Journal #19 - Holiday Die Box, Curtains Box, Vanishing Hand Puppet House

Wizards' Journal #20 - Visible See-Thru Nest of Boxes, ABC Blocks Production Boxes

Wizards' Journal #22 - Santa's Chimney, Color-Free Table Well & Astro Box

Wizards' Journal #24 - Haunted House Production Box

Wizards' Journal #26 - Production Screens Revisited, Push-Me-Pull-You Silks to Flowers

Wizards' Journal #27- Die Box Combination, Drawer Box Mania, Clown Bus, Mismade Flag Crate (Cabby)

Wizards' Journal #30 - Predictible Box,

Wizards' Journal #31 - Voodoo You Do Box,

Wizards' Journal #33 - Wizards Production Book,

Wizards' Journal #34 - Totem Tubes

Wizards' Journal #35 - Elf Portal, Where Do the Duckies Go?

Wizards' Journal #36- Boxing Day, Hearts & Flowers

Mini-Mysteries Book Two: The Handkerchief Box Revisited,

Mini-Mysteries Book Three: Jamison's Production Box Revisited, Holiday Candy Box, Neu Cage, Potato/Orange Box Revisited

Mini-Mysteries Book Four: Tommy Windsor's Pop Corn Dye Box Revisited

Dollar Store Magic Book Three: Pumpkin Box Production, Grave Stones

Kid Show Magic: OOPS Machine (Shoe Trick), Ungimmicked Egg Bag Box, The Happy-Clappy-Slappy Wizard Washer

This one from Brick Tilley is a very nice version of a classic idea https://www.lybrary.com/production-box-p-922293.html

Are you sure about that? It doesn't seem Popular Mechanics had an all magic issue in 1962.

I am Very sure, I have in front of me now, as I am scanning it to PDF myself.

Correction, it is called Science and Mechanics, 1962 Edition. They titled this MAGIC HANDBOOK, No. 18, 1961 - No. 589

Thanks, but that is not the same as Popular Mechanics.

All - Thanks so much for all these ideas and references. Regarding the Mikame "Perfect Vanish" box, I did contact Murphy's Magic and got an email back confirming that they don't have the box in stock and that "The entry needs to be deleted" (as Bill predicted)- so all the information provided will be very useful!

Well, Chris, I was posting from memory, and at 71, I am not always perfect. My father regularly received Popular Mechanics when I was a youth. That name sticks in my memory more then a one time exposure. I did search the Internet some years back, and found it with the incorrect name being used. It took a while, but Google is an very good tool. Most of the time persistence pays off, when something is not handed to you on a platter. And, well, I don't like to just spit out facts to readers that don't want to follow up for themselves, as if they don't want to put in any work, then they were not interested in the 1st place. And no, I am not going to find it again, my curiousity is satisified, and don't need to do for those that want the informtion handed to them. It will turn out like it always does, "is that all ther is to it?".