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wise owl Special user Australia 721 Posts |
I just received my Behold the scarabaeus. I still did not have time to go thru the instruction CD yet. But since a few people PM me about it, I opened this new topic for a quick review.
I will give some more comments once I watched the CD and play around with it. In the meantime, may be other fellows who have it can comment as well? The first impression when I received the package is not good at all. But I didn't feel too disappointed because I didn't expected too much when I bought it - the adv sounds too good to be true. How can you expected to magically passed a borrowed phone to a borrowed plastic bottle and it is examable? And the reality, of course, is that the bottle is not examineable. The instruction said that it can be causally examined if with good control, misdirection and music. But from my impression, it is no way that specatator won't discovered the secret. And for penetration type of magic, spectator will want to examine the bottle thoughtfully too. To use behold, you also need to destroy the bottle at the end in order to hide the evidence. The package come with the insta-ditch, a gimmick, a cd with clips and a simple instruction. The gimmick is nicely made and the instruction is simple, no photo but clear. For $49.95, I will give it 5/10. |
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sleightofhand1 Elite user 446 Posts |
Sounds like we don't want to PHONE home with this
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meyegr Special user Only able to muster 800 Posts |
The bottle can be examined before and after if you read everything.
The ones received so far are missing one item and the CD's are not working. It is all being resent. Maybe you should wait until you have a chance to view everything before commenting. |
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Mystification Special user 571 Posts |
Missing one item and the CD's are not working? That says enough for me already. I will avoid this one.
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emyers99 Inner circle Columbus, Ohio 4741 Posts |
Quality control issues are inexcusable especially when items are advertised well before they are actually available.
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AaronSmith Regular user 127 Posts |
Thanks for the review so far. Upon further experimentation with The Scarabaeus, you'll find it's a lot more powerful than at first glance. The borrowed bottle is completely examinable before and after the trick. I even teach you how and when to hand the bottle out while the object is still inside, something I didn't use as a selling point.
Quality control on the gimmick and InstaDitch is found in every single step of manufacturing. I made sure every single unit left here perfect. However, the company that packaged the units for us forgot to include the knife and the CDs were mastered incorrectly. Costly problems I've been fixing since we first discovered the issues. I appreciate you purchasing Behold the Scarabaeus! We had a lot of fun developing it and enjoy hearing the trick ideas folks are coming up with already. Remember, if you buy something from me and don't like it for any reason whatsoever, simply return it within thirty days! Thanks guys! |
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wise owl Special user Australia 721 Posts |
Pls PM me for more detail how you can let spectator examined the bottle afterward.
They can examine it under your control, but certainly you can't just hand the bottle to them and let them examined it throughfully. As I said, the gimmick is well made and the instruction is clean and neat. But if you are looking for something like Kevin Parker's passing thru, where everything is examinable and clean before and after, I don't think Behold is the one. Pls correct me if I missing any important parts from your instruction. I can watch the VCD and I can't comment on it yet. |
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wise owl Special user Australia 721 Posts |
Correction. I mean... I can not watch the VCD.
By the way, I won't try to get a refund. I can see that a lot of hard works has been put into behold and it is unfair to ask for a refund just because I don't like it. I already learned the secret and the gimmick is very well made. It can be used for the tricks and it can be used it for many other effects as well. |
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AaronSmith Regular user 127 Posts |
There's no need for a PM, it would be my pleasure to respond here. The bottle is inspectable afterwards because it's cut open at the end of trick, "Removed at Knifepoint." As explained in the instructions, let the spectator hold the bottle and raise their hand up high so everyone can see the object inside. While the bottle and the object contained inside is shown clearly after the "insertion," close examination of the bottle would give away the secret at that point. But you end clean. I appreciate your comments, Wise Owl, Thanks again for the review!
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wise owl Special user Australia 721 Posts |
"While the bottle and the object contained inside is shown clearly after the "insertion," close examination of the bottle would give away the secret at that point"
------------------------------------- Thanks Aaron. Wow!! I was surprised that you don't mind to openly exposed the trick. YOu must be very confident in your product. Your comment above is exactly the part that what I don't like. It is human nature that spectator would want to examined the bottle at that point. Since the bottle is the hot spot people focused all the time. If you don't let them examined it at that point of time, they will know it is the bottle. But I may be wrong. And since you are so confident in it, you must know something I don't. I will read thru the instruction (and VCD later?) and give it a try to see the response. Thanks again!!! |
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emyers99 Inner circle Columbus, Ohio 4741 Posts |
There isn't a spectator alive that won't want to handle the bottle.
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AaronSmith Regular user 127 Posts |
Of course! They're dying to know how you did it! But if you're uncomfortable with Impossible Phone Booth, you might try my Fort Knox Coins to Bottle, also included with Behold the Scarabaeus. There are several phases in that routine where you can hide a guilty conscious until you're comfortable with the idea.
Okay, I'll bow out now and let you guys discuss The Scarabaeus. I just wanted to clarify a few points. Thanks again for your support guys! -Aaron Smith |
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ScottLeavitt Special user 730 Posts |
I haven't purchased this (yet), but very impressed by Aaron's willingness to come on the board and discuss folks questions/concerns in a non-defensive manner.
You set an excellent example sir! S |
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wise owl Special user Australia 721 Posts |
I haven't purchased this (yet), but very impressed by Aaron's willingness to come on the board and discuss folks questions/concerns in a non-defensive manner.
------------------------------------- Agree. |
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ScottLeavitt Special user 730 Posts |
Just a late night thought....if it is indeed a borrowed bottle, don't see any reason to have to over prove that it is still intact at the end before you cut it open. If you were using a bottle that you - the magician - brought with you, would absolutely agree that its an issue. But when you take a borrowed bottle, and a borrowed phone, and the phone penetrates the bottle...and in the smooth flow of the routine you cut open the bottle to remove the phone...well...I think we sometimes ask too much from our props and depend too little on our own showmanship.
Think I just sold myself on making this purchase! (keep in mind that when you do a bill/card to lemon, you don't hand the pieces of fruit out at the end to be examined. You (and the audience) "assume" that it is intact accept for where you cut it with a knife. Considering in this case you use a borrowed bottle, don't see why it has to be an issue) |
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wise owl Special user Australia 721 Posts |
Good point, ScottLeavitt. I guessed we all are spoiled by today's hi tech and amazing effect like kevin parker's passing thru. We start to ask for real magic.
Still, I think Behold is more suitable for stage or parlor instead of close up. |
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meyegr Special user Only able to muster 800 Posts |
Is there any update as to when the enclosed video is going to work or be relaced?
Mine still does not work |
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Y2John Inner circle 1498 Posts |
I would also like to know when the vids will work on the enclosed VCD.
Like ScottLeavitt said, there is no need to overprove as the bottle is borrowed and always stays in sight. And if your not happy with Impossible Phone Booth, try Fort Knox coins to bottle as you can handle the bottle much more freely in this. I did Fort Knox last night to my mum (I try everything out on her and my brother before anyone else), and she thought it was excellent and had no idea how it was done. This does need confidence to pull off, and spectator control, but I'm happy with it so far and think it will be something I will use. Thanks. |
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Michael Dustman Inner circle Columbus, Ohio 1220 Posts |
Quote:
On 2006-11-16 23:34, ScottLeavitt wrote: You don't??? Crap...I have been doing it wrong all this time. |
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Jeff J. Special user Connecticut 787 Posts |
"There isn't a spectator alive that won't want to handle the bottle."
I don't agree. After watching the demo, it is so painfully obvious as to exactly how the phone is going in that it would be a waste of time to spend another moment of your life with something like that. Why would they ever put a demo of that on line? At least with JUST the description, some people would buy it, but after seeing that demo, the only reason to buy it would be to give it as an April Fools joke to another magician. Sorry to be so harsh, but that was just painful to watch. |
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