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Details

Foam Catch

Julio Montoro

(Based on 2 reviews)
Have you ever wanted to perform the famous Bullet Catch routine but in an organic and modern way? Well... the time is over. This is Foam Catch.

You introduce a Nerf gun and a foam bullet, which is signed by one of the spectators. Now, a second spectator introduces the signed bullet inside the Nerf Gun and he rolls the drum in order to lose the signed bullet.

Right after this, he shoots you multiple times and, showing your hand empty, you catch one of the foam bullets. When you show it, it is the spectator's signed bullet.

Without any switch at all, you give the bullet to the spector to verify it is his bullet.

You will receive everything you need to perform the routine right after opening the box:
  • A gimmicked toy gun
  • Foam bullets
  • Safety glasses
  • Extra secret accessories
This routine has been performed and proved by Montoro's friends at their shows in the past couple years, becoming a must performance in every show they do.

Reviews

Stephan Sloan

Official Reviewer

Apr 02, 2024

Overview

Imagine if you will…the brave and fearless magician claims he will perform a daring feat, but before he does he tells of magi’s of the past daring to walk across a bed of hot coals risking severe if not irreparable harm to themselves. Now, he will do the same but in a modern and organic way. He will replicate the same feat and walk across a bed of….LED lights. PSSSSSS, the sound of excitement and thrill just left the room like air out of a balloon. Foam Catch by Julio Montoro is a major PSSSSSS of air leaving the room. The Bullet Catch routine of which many have lost their lives is replicated by Montoro but with a Nerf Gun and harmless foam darts.

Effect

The magician announces he will perform a daring feat; he will catch a foam dart with his hands. But wait, the foam dart will be signed by a member of the audience to prove he has performed this incredible feat successfully. The foam dart is signed and loaded into the Nerf gun. Standing at an incredibly dangerous 15 feet, the darts are fired as fast as possible and miraculously the signed dart is caught.

Method

The method requires the use of a slightly modified Nerf gun, the use of dual reality and lots of chutzpah (that’s Yiddish for nerve) on the performers part to think that this routine would actually impress anybody.

Product Quality

The main component is a Nerf Gun with its associated ammunition, so there are no quality issues there. The 28 minute instructional video is filmed in his house (apartment) and covers all you would need to successfully perform this routine. Also included is a pair of safety glasses.

Ad Copy Integrity

Naturally, the ad copy extolls the virtues of the routine as if you were actually performing something that replicates a real bullet catch. The idea that the audience would be impressed with something as silly as catching a foam dart would somehow be magical is laughable.

Final Thoughts

I have seen a lot of magic over the years but never had I seen anything as ludicrous as selling a $12 Nerf Gun for $165. Actually, the real magic in this whole thing would be Montoro convincing someone to buy this.
(Top ▲)

Stuart Philip

Official Reviewer

Mar 07, 2024

Overview

The bullet catch is a classic of magic. It has suspense, it has the fear of death and it is an impossible act. Montoro's Foam Catch is an adaptation of the bullet catch that uses a Nerf gun with foam Nerf bullets.

The Foam Catch has everything you need and it costs a whopping $165. It comes with a 28 minute instructional video.

The advertising copy states:

Have you ever wanted to perform the famous Bullet Catch routine but in an organic and modern way? Well... the time is over. This is Foam Catch.

You introduce a Nerf gun and a foam bullet, which is signed by one of the spectators. Now, a second spectator introduces the signed bullet inside the Nerf Gun and he rolls the drum in order to lose the signed bullet.

Right after this, he shoots you multiple times and, showing your hand empty, you catch one of the foam bullets. When you show it, it is the spectator's signed bullet.

Without any switch at all, you give the bullet to the spectator to verify it is his bullet.

You will receive everything you need to perform the routine right after opening the box:

A gimmicked toy gun
Foam bullets
Safety glasses
Extra secret accessories
This routine has been performed and proved by Montoro's friends at their shows in the past couple years, becoming a must performance in every show they do.

Keep reading for my assessment of this trick.

Effect

Julio claims to have invented this trick when he was a child. The main problem with this trick is that it is not really magical or surprising or suspenseful. Boiled down to its essence, a magi catches a signed Nerf bullet. That is not impossible. Although he has a well-thought out way to catch the signed bullet and show that the signed bullet is the actual bullet that was signed, it is something that can be done with good hand-eye coordination.

I am not sure what venue this would play in and who would be impressed with watching someone catch a Nerf gun projectile.

While you get everything that you need, it costs $165 - which is an insane amount to pay for a Nerf gun and a method to catch a Nerf bullet. This one just really missed the mark and in my humble opinion should never have been brought to market.



Method

The method is not difficult to do, but as I mentioned above, neither is an actual Nerf bullet catch. I won't go into this more, but although it works (meaning you catch the signed bullet every time) there are some significant audience management and angle issues. The method employs several well know magical concepts.

This is an effect in which you need a significant space to perform it in and in which your audience is behind the shooter. If your shooter does not have good aim and does not hit you with the bullets in the gun then the illusion will fail - because you can't catch something that is not near you.

Product Quality

Its a Nerf gun. There is nothing to complain about as far as the product goes (other than the price of the package).

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is fine, but the promotional video shows something that is entirely misleading and absolutely does not happen.

Final Thoughts

This gets such a low rating because it is not magical. It has no suspense because there is no fear of death if the trick goes bad. In fact, nothing is bound to happen if things go wrong. To beat a dead horse, what you watch is a magician catch a signed nerf bullet shot at the magician from 15 feet away. Big deal. Sorry Julio, I know you put your heart and soul into your craft and love you for that, but this should not be on the market at such a high price. I think that a purchaser of this product will be disappointed - and quite honestly, I cannot imagine that anyone would want to buy a trick that has you catching a slow moving Nerf gun.
(Top ▲)