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saysold1 Eternal Order Recovering Cafe addict with only 10795 Posts |
I used to love going to the many "Magic Masters" shops in Vegas, Chicago, etc. I thought they were classy, with the look of The Magic Castle.
Now that I am getting back into Magic I decided to order something from them a few weeks ago by mail order, "Black and White Surprise." I own this effect already which I bought at Magic Masters probably 12+ years ago, but the gimmicks were a little loose and I always thought their quality was high. Anyway, I got the trick today but I gotta admit I was sorely disappointed. The gimicks were even looser than on my 10 year+ version, and when I called the owner or Magic Masters (Jim) he was a bit defensive. One other disappointment was the trick was shipped in plain foam, with no plastic holder that they always used in the past. I dunno - this is a $45 trick and I expected the quality to be like the old days at MM. Just made me a bit sad... Then Jim went on to tell me that they had closed all the stores in the United States except one now. I had no idea. Makes me a bit sad though as they were once a pretty class operation. BRETT
Creator of The SvenPad Supreme(R) line of aerospace level quality, made in the USA utility props. https://svenpads.com/
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gaddy Inner circle Agent of Chaos 3526 Posts |
Magic Masters? Classy? Hmmm... Not exactly the word I would have used to describe them, even at their peak, but that's just my opinion.
*due to the editorial policies here, words on this site attributed to me cannot necessarily be held to be my own.*
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Josh the Superfluous Inner circle The man of 1881 Posts |
The good set should have the black box. He's probably carrying the cheaper set. Maybe you should return them and get this one:
http://www.elmwoodmagic.com/full/close-u......_126.htm
What do you want in a site? "Honesty, integrity and decency." -Mike Doogan
"I hate it, I hate my ironic lovechild. I didn't even have anything to do with it" Josh #2 |
ed rhodes Inner circle Rhode Island 2885 Posts |
I only ever saw the one in Downtown Disney (the Disney shopping arcade). It was OK, but the selection was clearly more "touristy" than I was happy with. (When I can see the marks on the cards, there's something wrong.
"...and if you're too afraid of goin' astray, you won't go anywhere." - Granny Weatherwax
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gdw Inner circle 4884 Posts |
Speaking of this particular effect, at my local shop, I have found the cheaper set to be far less loose than the more expensive on.
Not saying anything about the sets mentioned here, as the ones at this shop could be completely different from them all together, lol. I would love a set that was far more sturdy, and also looked more like real objects. I seem to recall seeing a version that used chinese style coins once, but I could be mistaken.
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."
I won't forget you Robert. |
saysold1 Eternal Order Recovering Cafe addict with only 10795 Posts |
Josh-
The set I bought from Magic Masters was $45.00 and they claim it is from Belgium, etc: http://www.magicmasters.com/store/search.php?mode=search When I got the brass chips with no black case and just in foam within a baggy, I knew things were not looking good. The gimmicks were very loose, not just a little. So I think they are using garbage now (probably not even European) - what I may do is return it and just get something else and then order the good set from Elmwood like you suggested. I just didn't appreciate that the owner Jim was so defensive on the phone. When I made the order originally I specifically asked him for a nice tight fitting set... Thanks guys. BRETT
Creator of The SvenPad Supreme(R) line of aerospace level quality, made in the USA utility props. https://svenpads.com/
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randirain Inner circle Fort Worth, TX 1650 Posts |
A few years ago I went to the one at Disney.
I figured I would be able to get a good back up Rocky. Because the ones I was seeing at the local store were horrible. The spring was smaller, the head stuffing was bigger, and the tail looked like it had the mange. And these were Magic Masters. When I got to the Disney Magic Masters, a guy was doing Rocky and he had a nice one. It looked just like the older version I have. So I asked for one, they gave me one, and it looked bad. I said something and they tried to tell me it was because it had been in the packaging. Well... this isn't my first barbecue. I turned it down. They offered me the display and I almost took it. That is until I found out that they had all of the other ones there. The local shop here has only ever had the raccoon, skunk, and silver fox. I wanted the red fox. They showed the display and I said I wanted one. They set one out, and it was bad. Same thing, shorter spring bigger head. They offered me the display, so I bought it. It was in perfect condition as no one ever demoed it. In conclusion... The spring puppets have gone down hill too. I have bought some brown rabbit fur from a local leather place, and some real nice raccoon tails from my trip to the Alamo. So when mine finally gets beyond repair... I am just going to rebuild it. Randi |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
You are correct Randi
(PS: It was great to see you on the Vegas cam a few weeks ago, even though it looked like you wanted to be anywhere else but sitting there!) |
randirain Inner circle Fort Worth, TX 1650 Posts |
Quote:
On 2010-09-11 21:28, MagicSanta wrote: Yes, I was dead tired and not expecting to go on camera. Randi |
MagicSanta Inner circle Northern Nevada 5841 Posts |
Yeah! If it helps ya looked great considering you were shell shocked.
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saysold1 Eternal Order Recovering Cafe addict with only 10795 Posts |
Randi - Just a side note that I liked your web sites very much and the cool work that you do. Kudos and take care - send regards to Rocky too!
BRETT
Creator of The SvenPad Supreme(R) line of aerospace level quality, made in the USA utility props. https://svenpads.com/
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