Review of FaceShifter by Skulkor

10 Minutes, 30 Dollars, and One Cool Gimmick . . . is it really as good as they say?

Effect

Many effects are possible with this gimmick. Basically, they're pitching it as a two card transpo which is extremely visual. Show the Queen of Spades and Six of Diamonds. Place each one face down in the spectator's hand. You then show that you have the Six of Diamonds sandwiched between your two hands by giving a quick peek at it as you slightly move your top hand over. Then in less than a blink, the card in your hand clearly has become the Queen, and the spectator now has the Six in her hand. Yep. It's that clean.

Also taught on the DVD is a version of the famous Biddle Trick by Elmer Biddle. In this version, you clearly show that you have 5 cards in your hand. Then in a blink, one of them completely vanishes. Super clean. There's also a card version of the classic coins across plot known as Three Fly called Four Fly that is very visual.

Method

The very special gimmick used to perform this effect is extremely simple to use and very clever. The card cannot be handled by the spectator and isn't best for super close scrutiny, but in a traditional close up setting you should have no problem at all. There is a routine taught on the DVD that is structured perfectly to allow you to switch out the gimmick very easily at the end in case you want to hand the card out. The gimmick allows this change to be so clean and so impossible seeming that it looks like real magic.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is correct. However, I should clarify one point. They claim that the card can be on the spectator's hand when the transposition happens. There are two things they might mean by this. First, is the case where you do NOT put the gimmick in their hand. In that case the card in their hand that "changes" must be face down. In the case of you putting the gimmick in the spectator's hand, there are some serious things to consider.

First, as you place it in their hand, you must cover the face of it entirely while placing it there. But you can then do the "move" that shows it as being the Six instead of the Queen. But, if they look too closely when you give them a peek at the card (to "prove" it's the Six), they may see a little "something" that may expose things. Frankly I'm not sure what they're specifically referring to when they say in the hands, so I can't entirely judge them on that. But now you know the truth of how the gimmick can be handled.

Another issue I have with the ad copy is that in the trailer they use a different type of card than what you'll actually get. You'll actually get just standard Bicycle cards. I have no problem that you'll get Bicycle cards, but I do have a problem that them showing it with one card and selling it with another. But due to the fact that at the end of the trailer you can see the fine print that says you'll get Bicycle cards and due to the fact that once you get your DVD you could make a gimmick with any cards you want, I'll be a little forgiving.

Lastly, they showed the gimmick being used on a hard surface. I tried it several times on a hard surface, and I could not get it to work. It worked fine on a close up pad, and worked even better in my hand, but not so much on a hard surface.

Product Quality

The gimmick is very well made, and I think that these things are hand-made. I've "stressed" it pretty good, and it still works like a champ. Plus, it's pretty easy to repair if it breaks, and they give you plenty of the "stuff" you need to repair it if it does break. This type of gimmick will likely eventually break due to repeated use. I imagine it'll last a ton of performances. However, if it breaks during performance, your effect will be a bit um . . . lame. However, just sort of check it out and fiddle with it before your show or event, and you should be fine. This is a low/no maintenance gimmick. You just grab it and go. The only time there's "maintenance" is if it breaks.

Regarding the DVD itself, it's well shot and well lit, but there were two issues that were kind of annoying. One was that they added some quirky effects to the video and so during the performance and explanation segments, the footage seemed to kind of jerk/jump/shake in an "artistic" fashion. The problem with this is that it made it a bit hard to watch. There were quick and sharp cuts, and they were using a deck with a busy pattern that was hard to watch. The second issue was that there was no talking. It was all video with captions of text.

This can be seen as good or bad I suppose. Good in the sense that the instructions were so simple that it could be taught in brief captions. Bad in the sense that you don't really get any depth. The video is only 10 minutes long. That includes four performances, four explanations, an overview of the gimmick and a section on how to repair it if it breaks. All that in ten minutes folks.

Those things aside, the information to do the effect was certainly there, and the gimmick is so simple to use that you'll likely come up your own effects with it. So these little annoyances won't hurt the overall score too much.

Final Thoughts

The gimmick is ready to go right out of the box. It's easy and visual. If I were strictly rating the gimmick alone this would easily be a five star rating. For the little quirks in the DVD production and the couple of other issues mentioned, a small bit was lost, but all in all this is a super, super solid product. If you liked the demo, you'll love this product.

Final Verdict:
4.5 Stars with a Stone Status of GEM!

FaceShifter is a visual, two card transposition that looks quite magical. Two cards are shown: a spot card and a face card. One goes on the table or on the assistant’s hand. The other is shown by the performer. A snap of the fingers or a magical pass and they have transposed. If you watch the trailer, it looks just like it's shown.

The kit includes the instructional DVD, a gimmick using Bicycle Rider Backs and a small supply of materials to make additional gimmicks. The gimmick isn’t brand new and the creators recognize this. The credit section states that the gimmick has been used before but not by whom. One place I am aware of is “Twizted” by Eric Jones which was in turn based on a Mark Mason product. The difference is that FaceShifter is face-up while Twizted is more or less face-down.

On the DVD you learn four effects: two transpositions, a version of the Biddle trick and 4-Fly routine. All make good use of the gimmick. The added feature of the Troubleshooting section is a nice touch. The gimmick will eventually wear out. By following the instructions, you can easily replace it.

If you want to add a bit of visual magic to your routines, then FaceShifter is a solid contender.