I was fooled! Yes, I hate to admit it, but I thought the method was something completely different. I really like this trick and I will tell you why in just a moment, but first a brief description of what Transition is and what it does.
Transition is a gimmick and system in which you can vanish a U.S. Kennedy Half Dollar coin, turn it into another coin in the most visual and amazing way, make the coin penetrate a clear plastic bag or penetrate the coin through a playing card. The ad copy description of these tricks follows:
“Coin Transformation: Showing your hands empty you simply momentarily click in front of the coin and it visually transforms into a completely different coin, immediately everything is examinable.
Coin in Bag: This is ‘Bag 4 Life’ on steroids. You visually penetrate the coin into a clear grip seal bag and instantly everything is examinable, the spectator can even take the bag from you the second the coin appears inside.
Spinning Coin: As you simply spin a coin on a table it morphs into a completely different one.
Turn over change: Simply turn the coin over and it transforms completely.
Drop Change: You drop the coin into your hand and the second it lands it has magically become a completely different coin.
Bonus effect: Coin Thru Card – You lay the coin on a playing card which has a hole in the middle of it. Instantly the coin visually passes through the card.”
This looks like a camera trick and requires little to no skill. This is not an impromptu effect because you will need to wear a jacket that is outfitted with the gimmick that you make yourself with the provided parts. Back to that in a moment. As for needing to wear a jacket, that may give many readers a strong idea of the method. Setting up your jacket only takes a minute and after you do the trick you are in get ready position to do another trick with the gimmick and the US half dollar. However, you may not be able to start the trick until you have a second to get it started.
Making the gimmick is not hard and does not take too long (about 10 to 15 minutes) it just required good fine motor coordination. With your purchase you get all the parts you need that are sourced for you and one part of the gimmick that you likely cannot source yourself or buy on the market. The Transition gimmick is very similar to two very different gimmicks and they are combined to create this great effect. There is also one part of the gimmick that is very clever and that I have not seen before so kudos to the creator, Jamie Docherty. The $45 price tag may be a tad too much and I would say that a $35 or $40 price tag would be a better target price – but that is just my opinion.
My only criticism of Transition relates to the 43 minute DVD. The critique is really irrelevant to how you will use the trick, but this is what bothered me. The DVD starts with Gimmick construction. There is no real introduction, no performance (anywhere on the DVD) and not explanation of how the gimmick works until after it is completely created. The gimmick construction and set up takes up the first 15 minutes of the DVD. Docherty then demonstrates all of the tricks in great detail so you will not have any questions on what to do. He creator paid attention to the smallest detail and left nothing to your imagination. The other thing that irked me was the background music that was looping and annoying. Finally, I am not sure why, but Docherty is sitting during most of the instruction and then when he stands (as you will be standing when you perform this trick) his head is cut off. Again, I don’t know why no performances were included. I always think that is a major defect in marketed effects.
There are some angles that you need to be aware of so you don’t flash for a brief second so you will want to practice this trick in front of a mirror for a minute so you know where the spectators should not be.
Once you are done vanishing or changing or penetrating the coin you can hand everything out. However, you will not be able to hand out the coin before the trick is perfomed.
This is a great trick that you can wear inside a jacket and perform incredible miracles. It is clever in the way it combines a few gimmicks to make something new.
I appreciate Murphy’s Magic soliciting my honest opinion on this trick and for sending me the product from their vast selection of magic products. You can pick Transition up at any Murphy’s dealer.
