Issue 27 - July 09
Just In Case
Pete Biro and Joe Porper
Available from www.merlinswakefield.co.uk
Price: £145.00
We start very much at the top end in terms of price with this version of Ring Flight, and interestingly there is not a reel in sight. Since it is usually the quality of the reel which determines the price that you have to pay for these products, I was intrigued to discover what could possibly make this item so financially out of step with all the others. Well, the answer is that this is more than just a simple flying ring, because you are supplied with the props to perform Mike Close's routine Ring Fright.
In this routine (a brief explanation of the presentation is included with the supplied instructions) a leather key pouch is opened and a single attached key fob is shaken out to reveal a house key hanging from the clasp. This, the performer explains, is the key to his house, and he is so confident that the trick he is about to do will work, that he is offering the key to a spectator should he fail. The key is dropped back into the pouch which is placed down in view.
A shoelace is shown and is held by the ends between two spectators and a handkerchief is draped over the centre of the cord. Borrowing a ring, the performer takes it under the cloth and says he will attempt to make it penetrate onto the shoelace. After a few moments the cloth is removed to reveal the house key now threaded on the lace! A big surprise. Picking up the pouch from the table, the magician opens it and shakes out the clasp to reveal the borrowed ring now secured on the clip.
The principle of the method used here has its origins in the Gaeton Bloom version of Ring Flight, but it is definitely NOT the Bloom method. You receive a small leather pouch measuring about 7cm in length inside which is fastened a single gold coloured chain and clip. The pouch has a sprung mouth to it so that in theory you can just squeeze the ends and the mouth will be bowed open. This is quite important for the method used. I feel that this sprung metal was not strong enough as I found it quite difficult to consistently get the mouth to bow open properly rather than just both sides bend in the same direction. However, the gimmick inside the pouch is a clever idea and seems to work perfectly most of the time. There is a slight possibility that things may not work exactly as required, but 99% of the time it works without a hitch.
As well as this pouch you also receive an excellently gimmicked key. This is a Porper Locking Key which is used to get the key onto the shoelace while it is held by the spectators. This key is superbly manufactured and is a useful prop to have in its own right, and it is the inclusion of this gimmick which I suspect puts up the price of the overall product.
The instructions are presented in an 8 page A5 booklet featuring 13 colour photographs and in this you get the history of the effect along with adequate handling instructions. The method is, in my opinion, better suited to presenting the Mike Close routine with the key than it is for use just as a flying ring method. There is no re-set with to speak of which makes it practical for walkabout work. Despite the fact that you get the special key as well as the gimmicked pouch, I do feel this is over priced, but at least if you get this you know that not many others will probably have the same set as you! ML (From the Flying Ring article)
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