Wings
Mello, Matthew; Harris, Paul
Paul Harris
But then, a kindly spectator blows them a kiss. There's a moment of stillness...then the angel starts FLAPPING ITS WINGS! Yep..the two little angel wings seem to be FLUTTERING UP AND DOWN..yet never lifting off the flat surface of the card. An odd beautiful sight indeed. Are those wings really flapping? Are you seeing what you think you're seeing? Is this some weird angelic optical delusion? Is that really your audience giggling with delight?
A moment later the animated angel is GONE!. There's just a BLANK SPACE at the top of the card. Perhaps the angel has flown to the kindly spectator's ear to whisper "thank you"? But then the angel REAPPEARS back on the card...right NEXT TO THE OTHER ANGEL! Our two angel buddies together at last! (And yes..you can let your spectator keep the special angelic souvenir).
WINGS provides you with a fun, compelling emotional hook..and THREE distinct moments of astonishment: The wings ANIMATE..the angel VANISHES...the angel REAPPEARS next to its long lost angel buddy.
- Card can be signed and given out as a souvenir
- No threads or loose pieces
- Add to a normal deck
- Includes super easy "NO double lift" handling
- Right after the animation you can go directly into the classic Twilight Angels "Mirror" sequence.
GIVE YOUR ANGEL A FLYING LESSON TODAY!
Reviews
(Top ▲)
For $35 you get an incredible visual effect, a well made gimmick, six "give away" cards, a deck of Mandolin Back playing cards, and an excellent instructional DVD
Products like this make me very happy. First, you see the trailer and think . . . no way . . . it's gotta be some ridiculously complex gimmick that isn't practical. Then the product arrives and holy cow was I wrong. I love that! The effect looks exactly like the video trailer shows. The ad copy is 100%. The animated illusion of the wings flapping is beautiful. The gimmick is hand made and easy to use.
If you choose to have the card signed and given out as a souvenir, you can do that six times before having to purchase refills.
I have nothing bad to say about this product. If you like the effect, then you'll be very happy with your purchase. The price is excellent considering all that you're getting. If you think you'd perform a trick like this, you're right. It's super simple to do, and the instructions and additional handling ideas are superb.
I cannot recommend this highly enough.
Final Verdict:
5 Stars with a Stone Status of Complete and Total GEM!
(Top ▲)
Moving on, Paul's next jump was Twilight Angels. This time, the mirror was deployed to cause the angel on the back of a Bicycle card to move from one end of the card to another to join its twin. Magicpedia claims it was released in 2000 but I seem to remember it earlier.
When Twilight Angels was reintroduced in the box set, True Astonishments in 2008, Paul commented that it didn't sell well as an individual item. I know I didn't get it until I saw it performed. When I saw it, I realized what a magical effect it was - just like the original Twilight.
Now in 2012, Paul has teamed up with Matthew Mello to release Wings. Wings is a magical introduction to the Angels. The basic effect is that it appears that the wings of the Angel now on a Mandolin back Bicycle card actually flutter as if getting ready to take flight. It's quite the magical moment!
The package comes with a well-produced DVD, a deck of Mandolin backed Bicycle cards and six Twilight Angel cards. Heed the warning and watch the DVD prior to touching the gimmick as some break-in is required. The DVD has different presentations and methods to choose from including a "no sleights" version. This makes Wings accessible to the beginner magician. More experienced magicians will want to explore the sleight based handlings as I found them to be more magical.
In his explanation, Matthew points out that the effect needs to be presented about arms length from the audience. Here is the small issue with the effect - the audience needs to be back a little bit but not too far as the fluttering will be lost. You need to choose your performance place with this in mind.
The second limitation is the deck color. While its offered in both red and blue, the effect can be better seen and appreciated with a blue deck. The fluttering seems to get lost on the red back. My advice order the blue back.
In spite of those small limitations, Wings is a magical opener to the often overlooked Twilight Angels. Highly recommended if Twilight Angels appeals to you.