"Magicap" by Jesse Feinberg
Suggested Retail USD$20.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

"Magicap", an idea by Jesse Feinberg, is a slick piece of magic that is more multi-purpose than you would think and easily overcomes its weakness with some raw magical power.

The easiest plot to explain is that an ordinary cap and pen are shown. The cap is removed and disappears, reappearing back on the pen. The cap is removed, put in the pocket, and instantly it's back on the pen.

And, to be honest, everything is so clean that little plot right there plays bigger than it should.

But the sky's the limit with "Magicap". Some of the ideas Feinberg supplies in the instructions are just too slick for words. With "Magicap", things like making the cap penetrate glass tables, windows, doors or the like is a breeze. Make it appear in a glass, too, just for kicks. And my favorite -- if you've got the right equipment for it -- is having it appear to be inside a cell phone or a PDA. That "Magicap" uses a devious deception and a so-simple-it's-silly gimmick over lots of sleights or machinery just adds to the fun and flexibility of this one.

Now, there are a few things you need to be aware of; whether or not they are problems will be up to you and your intended use for a pen which allows you to vanish and reappear a pen cap at will.

First, and probably the biggest problem, is that angles are not your friend here. You'll have to get used to using the pen and the gimmick a bit to cut those angles down a bit and to learn when "Magicap" can be performed safely and when it can't. For that reason, "Magicap" is probably best done for one or two people at a time in most situations.

Second, the nature of the gimmick is such that it's visible often and can call attention to itself pretty easily. Feinberg recommends wearing certain clothes or performing in certain circumstances to cut down on this (hate to be so vague, but too much and the clever little gimmick gets tipped like a sleeping cow). Luckily, a bit of distance will do much the same thing.

Third, this is a little gutsy to perform. With the gimmick on display a few times here and there, it can be a little nerve-wracking for anyone not used to it (and even experienced types will feel a twinge of nerves the first time they take "Magicap" for a spin). However, it does work and, like so much else we do, the more we get away with it the better we feel about it.

Last, don't buy this for $20 or so and expect the sun, the moon, and the stars. Feinberg kept this ridiculously simple (and I'll bet there hasn't been anyone to buy it yet that hasn't said "That's it? I could have done that!", but they didn't which is why Feinberg gets the credit for making something this neat). In fact, the gimmick is so simple -- and simply made -- that Feinberg, bless his heart, included more of the raw material so you can make your own as you need to.

As I said, you'll have to decide whether these issues are really problems or not. For me, they're a minor inconvenience; I can do it often enough to make it worth putting in my pocket (shoot, I need to carry a pen anyway, so why not?).

At the end of the day, "Magicap" is a lot of clever thinking, a simple design, an easy methodology, and lots of great brain fodder for some incredible effects.

"Magicap" by Jesse Feinberg
In a Blink: 8 Out of 10

Practicality: 7
Talk about packing small: it's a pen (which is normal) and a small gimmick. There's an angle issue, and some of the things you do with it are best not done under bright lights and microscope-eyes (and probably for not more than a couple of spectators at a time). However, the set-up and resets are not even worth mentioning. The gimmick is a little fragile, but not overly so; practice a little care and it'll last a while.

Workmanship: 8
Welcome to the world of do-it-yourself gimmickry. The one pre-made gimmick is made well enough, and Feinberg does everyone a huge service by supplying a good supply of the materials needed to make more. He gets points for being that thoughtful.

Documentation: 9
Feinberg's documentation gets confusing at times, but the essentials are easy to pick up just by looking at the thing. Where Feinberg gets major kudos in in the extra ideas: "Cap to PDA"? Okay, that's my kind of thinking right there.

Effect: 10
It all depends on what you do with it, but even the simplest themes with this scored with spectators. Go nuts with it, follow some of Feinberg's ideas, and you've got a winner on your hands.

Presentation: 10
It's all about the visuals and "Magicap" has them. Throw in some of the weirder plot ideas and you're talking a great piece of work here.


Shane