THE NUTSHELL: It’s only saving grace is the incredible reactions it has brought me.

THE REVIEW: This trick is just a pain. I had a feeling of what I was getting into when I purchased it. I knew there couldn’t be an easy way to make this effect happen, especially as a downloadable magic video, and my suspicions were confirmed. Let me first talk about the effect and method, and then vent on the setup.

The effect is not only ingenious, but so effective that reactions from Color Fusion have rivaled any reactions I’ve ever received from a magic trick before. No exaggerations here, guys. This effect breaks the mold of traditional magic and contains so many impossible elements. Plus, there are so many compliments to it, like the fact that the card is signed, and the fact that everything is examined, etc. If I am in a “magic slump,” or my ego is feeling kind of low, or I just have someone who I want to remember me forever, I turn trustfully to Color Fusion.

For those of you who don’t know, here’s what happens. A card is signed on the face of a blue playing card, all over. A corner is ripped out and handed back to the spectator as a receipt. Part of the signature can be seen on the face of this blue corner. The rest of the card is then handled by the magician as quarter by quarter, the card turns red. The effect, being like nothing else you’ve ever seen, is hard to comprehend. But the blue corner fits, the signature matches, and everything can be examined.

The other possible effect, for magicians who don’t want to put in the extra practice, is for the corner to be ripped off and held by one spectator in their fist. The rest of the card is folded up and placed in their other fist. By squeezing on the card, the corner stays blue and the rest of the card turns blue. WHAT? I know how weird these effects sound, yet I have described them with unbiased accuracy.

Now let’s talk method. Once you’ve made your gaff, it’s a pretty smooth road. The first effect I described, where the colors change visually, one quarter of the card at a time, is a bit of a pain. Eric James mentioned in the video that it was the harder yet superior method. It didn’t seem too hard to me, but when I put it all together, I realized that I was wrong. This is actually a very difficult thing to pull off, great reactions or not. I’ve practiced it enough so it’s close to perfection, but just for the sake of practicality, I usually do the easier effect.

...The easier effect is about three times as easy. It’s nearly self-working. Of course, without the proper presentation, it could just look like you have no life. And if you flub up on some simple mechanics, you lose a great trick. Other than that though, I find that the reactions nearly equal the other effect, and it’s a nice ride.

So how come this review starts out so negatively, proceeds to praise the effect, then praises the method? I’m now going to tell you in one word why I use Color Fusion no more than three times a month:

Setup.

Never before have I come across such a pain-in-the-butt trick. It takes forever to build the gimmick, and to top it off, you don’t even get it every time. I went through about a hundred cards and several days, only to come out with about five good looking gimmicks. Then, when you perform it, the card is given away. AH! Yes, you have to do this terrible setup every single time you want to do Color Fusion.

Eric James promises his consumers that it gets easier with practice. Not so. I would know, having wasted hours getting it right, and still coming short. The beauty of this effect and of the method is burned by the setup.

Let’s sum this up. Color Fusion is like a really good bottle of wine. You don’t want to open it until you are sure the moment is right, and when you finally drink it, it’s gone forever. However, the wine is so perfect that it was worth it to spend all that money and time waiting. I do recommend Color Fusion to an extent, because you will get reactions like you have never seen. It is a seriously magical effect. But since I don’t get too much use out of it, I have to give it nothing more than a 5.5.


(Tomorrow’s Review: Grafitti)

yet another great review....seriously, where do you find the time to write all these?!?!?!

Good question and I actually have an answer.

First of all I should say that I enjoy writing reviews. I wouldn't do it if I didn't like it. I like writing in the first place, but I also like kind of forcing myself to look at things I haven't used in awhile and rethinking them.

I usually take an hour or two out of a Sunday night (I never do anything on Sunday nights) and write up a bunch of them in a word processor.

Thanks for the feedback.

--DAN

P.S. If you are following the scavenger hunt, THIS MIGHT HELP:

http://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss/vie ... 1335#15313

Unscramble the ten numbers at the END of the above URL to find the 10th and final clue. HINT: The two sets of five numbers that you are unscrambling are both the SAME and neither of the above combos are correct. (You may wanna get some donuts and coffee for this one).

Very nice review. I agree that the gimmick is an incredible pain to make. That's why I would recommend the Full Nash non-gimmicked version of the Color Fusion. When you purchase Color Fusion, you get access to this routine in the Color Fusion post-purchase forum. If you haven't checked it out, I recommend you do so. The Full Nash version is the same effect as the complex Color Fusion, but you don't have to construct the gimmick. The handling is more difficult, but worth the practice considering you don't have to spend so much time on set up.

my question is more like where do u get the money?

I have to admit, you do have some of the best and thorough reviews. I read them even if I don't have or even plan on buying the trick. You explain everything very well and it is very well written. GREAT JOB!!!
Harry

Well, this can be the Daily Review FAQ thread.

Birthdays and Christmas are a major part of the budget.

Also, I have another job, magic is parttime. Plus, I have a shop of my own that's doing better and better. I've promised myself that all the money I make from magic goes to magic.

Finally, I've always been good at saving, and spending money on things I really want. Magic seems to make up most of what I really want in terms of "spending" money.

I make a lot of bulk purchases. For example, I made a two hundred and fifty dollar purchase once and didn't buy magic again for six months. Then I made another order. Why do I do it like this? It works for me.

--DAN

Thanks nice review

very good review. I agree with 100% of it.

Great review...
Have you visited the forums on [edited]?
They give you a version of Color Fusion that actually takes away the setup (the hardest part atleast), they call it the "Original" Color Fusion. This is the version I use, and it's amazing.

thats what i do also i buy in bulk so it makes sense.

Good reviews though!

Good review but I disagree. It isnt that hard to build the gimmick. It just takes patienets. He also said to you cards that are shuffled. If u do complex they may here something if u know what I mean.

It's very hard to make the gimmick. And if you've never done it before, you will ruin a lot of cards learning how. Take that to the bank, folks. I really hope that some day, the guys selling this bite the bullet, get some financial backing, and get the American Playing Card company to run off the minimum 10,000 deck order. They would have no trouble selling them all, and then some. If you could buy the gimmicks 52 to a deck, premade and perfect, people would make this more popular than Color Monte. The market would be there forever, because you do destroy a gaffed card every time you perform it. It would be so worth it, if I didn't have to make my own!

Robert V Frazier

Keep practicing it, practice makes perfect and it is a true astonisher. IT will eventually make you see it as being practical.

it is hard to make the gimmick - this should not deter anyone. true pros spend hours refining and studying their acts..making gimmicks and the like. it you are worried about making a ton...just sit down on the weekend and get to work. and only perform the effect for paying gis that you want to really make an impression at.