Description
This well made 3D Printed version of the popular Blue Phantom effect was inspired by Andy Hurst’s version here. But if you look at the last two photos you can see how much bigger it is than the standard close-up versions and it is more suited to parlor shows rather than formal close-up. It is made in the UK by Mal Magic. I have had some communications with the owner Malcolm but don’t know any more about them. But in my interactions Malcolm seems like an upstanding chap and I hope to add more about his company here.
For a 3D printed item it is well made and should last a long time. Because the chips are solid PETG materials they will not chip or flake like most of the other close-up versions I have experienced. The final reveal uses a custom designed mechanism by Mal Magic and works well. The one real issue I found was the gimmick used has a different finish than the chips, which is not noticeable from a short distance but is very noticeable up close.
As much as this is a well made item, and in fact one of the better 3D printed props I have seen, it is not something that inspires me like the work of Andy Hurst, Tony Lackner, or the amazing Wellington Enterprises. I suspect this will always be the case with 3D printed items, they are no substitute for natural materials like wood, brass, and copper. So I would always choose one of those over 3D printing. But this item is much cheaper and if you wanted to perform it regularly, particularly in a parlor setting it would last longer and the audience wouldn’t notice any difference 🙂
The Blue Phantom was invented by Viennese magician Hans Trunk c. 1924 who called it “Das blaue Wunder” (The Blue Wonder). It was introduced to the USA c. 1930 by Thayer Quality Magic as “The Blue Phantom” and it became an instant hit, and has been doing well ever since. It is also known as: The Chinese Clock and The Traveling Checker.
Notice: the price of $249 it what this cost me shipped to my home in the USA from the UK, though the price has come down a little bit since then.
Effect: The standard effect is clean and simple: Several separate checkers are staked with one red phantom checker in the middle. You remove several checkers and remove the middle red phantom Checker and place it to the top of the stack.
You now place the cylinder over all the checkers, make a magic gesture and remove the cylinder, and you now see that the red phantom checker has melted all the way to the middle of the stack. You now place the cylinder over the checkers again, you make a magic gesture again and remove the cylinder, and you now see that the red checker has melted down to the bottom of the stack. The checkers are all removed one by one, and are all shown once again to be just several solid and separate checkers. Truly looks like a miracle.
(Notice: Includes: Printed Instructions.)
( Post Source: martinsmagic.com - click for details )