Anybody here actually perform one of these?



I love to hear your comments.

Chris

Chris,
Where did you find this? Looks interesting.
Max

Max:

It's been out for a while, made by a company called Tora Magic. I think that they originally called it the Origami Dove, at least I seem to remember it being called that. Anyway, it's sold by Hank Lee in the U.S. http://www.hanklee.org/xcart/product.php?productid=7752

Daytona magic also carries it even though Hank's web site says he is the exclusive seller on this.

I've never seen it first hand but I've heard mixed comments. Some say it's a great effect. It definitely looks nice but I've also heard that it doesn't stand up to constant usage.

I bought mine used and have used it in a couple of shows. It's really lightweight, but works good, and looks good. I don't have a strong enough routine, though. It seems to drag as the rods are pushed in and removed (there are five rods).

Another Café member, modified his (added another piece to the top of the box). Since I'm not real handy, I used it as is; I just have to be careful when placing the dove into the box. I have to close the box quickly into the cube so the dove doesn't come out the top. Once the dove is in the cube, you can push the rods in. Then remove the rods, pull the cub open into the rectangular shape, and the dove magically flutters out and perches on the edge of the box.

It needs to be turned into a completely hand-held prop to be convincing. If you could pick it up from the table and perform it all in your hands, put the dove inside, squeezing it into the cube, stabbing with spikes and then restoring the box and dove, it would have a much stronger impact and the speed could be picked up to make it more interesting.

Spellbinder,
Apparently you are familiar with this prop. Can it easily be held in a hand? It seems that it would be more convincing.
Max
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No, and that's the problem I see with it, presentation-wise. It would have to be completely redesigned to go from the present concept- which is basically good- to a hand-held version. It's one thing to roll out a box on a table for a human to lay down in for this kind of grand illusion, but when you have to have a special table just for a tiny dove box, one gets suspicious. It's the vanishing elephant conundrum in reverse.

You need the thin base of the table for the box to lay on, so the box can slide from rectangular to a cube. If you wish, the legs of the table may be cut off, but would be challenging performing in the hands as the apparatus is too large to perform in the hands. However, you can place this on top of a rollon table or other surface.

I just got my prop from the good folks at Hank Lee's Magic Factory. Came really well packed.

The packing box was really light weight, and I originally thought that I had been gyp'd out of the table stand that is pictured with it. But it was all there.

The box and the table top are all one piece, made from some type of acrylic. Looks nice. The stand reminds me of a collapsible dancing cane - it will all break down. The stand is kind of flimsy, but will work. I am toying with removing it altogether and setting it on top of a roll-on side table. Your assistant could carry just the table top out, and hold it for you, if you wanted. However, I am certain that the routine would be stronger performed on a table top.

Visually, it looks very good. My wife was concerned that there was no apparent way for the dove to be unharmed by the skewers that go through the box, but upon inspection she understood. I found that to be encouraging, as the whole point is for the audience to believe the same thing.

My current dove routine has 4 birds produced, and I intend to work this routine in after the 3rd bird is produced.

And, as an aside, my confusion about the trick's name was cleared up. It did start out being advertised as the "Origami Dove Illusion", but was later changed to the "Surprising Dove Box". The instruction sheet refers to it as the Origami Dove Illusion. I think that most of you reading this can guess why the name change happened!

Here is my presentation test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcRR2fOFMm4

Very nice wizardmagic, I like the senior magic that showed second as well.

I just acquired one of my own and am very pleased with the ease of use and its convincing nature.



My wife had the same reaction...only with a whole lot of expletives. Then went in search of treats for Harry the Dove because she felt so badly for him (she never saw the mechanism). In all, its effective enough to go into my act.

That said, I'm going to have to be very careful in transport. I'm not as worried about the stand...it didn't seem all that flimsy to me...but the box itself seems like a delicate thing. Extra care with this one.

Here is a newer video of me performing it at a library show. I did a modification on the prop by gluing tubes connecting matching holes for the spikes so there is no fiddling finding them on the other side. I live the prop. the "accidental" spike thru hand is my personal addition/gag for the routine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLDb9o2B8s

Nice!



I'm going to have to experiment with that idea myself! I had a bit of a problem in the last show with the holes not quite lining up and getting the spike through.

I used cheap barrel style ink pens as plastic tubes and use hot glue to hold them in place.

Thanks for the tip!

For the IBM closeup act, it just drilled a hole in a block of wood and used it on the closeup table instead of the inclded stand. In the stage version, I drilled holes in the end of the prop to hold the spikes so I do not need a seperate holder.