I rarely write reviews.
Simply, there are just too many of the damned things.
And, YES, I actually paid for mine so I'm not obligated to post a glowing review, unless it is earned ;-)
That being said, sometimes, a trick is shown with a technique that is so 'perfect' and a result that plays HUGE to any/every audience, that I just have to sit down, type, and send "kudos and props" to the developer, Roddy McGhie.
Rarely do I 'gush' over an effect, but I love this thing.
In re: level of difficulty...
How hard is it to draw a box? A '1'...'2' maybe.
The handling is easy, and most importantly, the technique is very natural.
The gimmick(s) are of outstanding quality. They'll last a long time with normal care.
The initial gimmick 'load' is brilliant, and the 'steal' equally so.
Both 'moves' are quick to learn and are very forgiving as you learn. Even if you're not quite as smooth during your initial presentations, don't even sweat it. No one will notice.
Simply, no one is looking at what you're doing. They're just thinking about that damn door and that card you peeked at.
Then, when you 'erase' the door, total chaos results...
Most heard comment from my audience "...what the h*ll...
can I see the box?'
In my opinion, this is so good that I'm ordering an additional trick.
Roddy's teaching videos (a DVD and two online vids) are AOK. He addresses everything that you'll need to know to perform this fun, fun, fun trick.

There are over 100 reviews all saying the same thing. "This trick is amazing, this trick is awesome, best trick ever". I love this trick so much I felt like I had to write a review. Because I didn't want to leave the exact same review as everyone else, I decided to address the negative reviews and explain to you why the the people that gave it negative reviews are DEAD WRONG!


1. Not worth $40

I read a review that said that this trick is not worth $40.

If you think that this trick is not worth $40 then you must be out of your mind!!!

Let's get something straight right now. When you purchase a magic trick you are not only purchasing the gimmick or materials needed to perform the magic trick. A very large portion of the money that you pay goes to the secret or "knowledge" of how the trick is done. When you pay for college you're not buying a job you're buying knowledge that will one day help you to achieve the job you desire.

I looked into how much it would cost for the materials to make the gimmick that you receive for this trick. I can tell you that the materials for the gimmick will cost around $20. Of course you could probably save some money and cut down on costs if you buy in bulk but that's besides the point.

In my opinion, this trick is worth well over $100.
This is an extremely visual trick that can be performed up close and completely surrounded!
This trick requires virtually no special moves or sleight of hand!!
It can be learned and performed flawlessly in less than an hour!!!
It can be added to your existing card routine and requires no deck switch!!!!
The box is fully examinable by The Spectator!!!!!

There is no doubt in my mind that it took several hundred hours of hard work to perfect the construction of this trick. Take a step outside of your own life for 10 seconds and try and understand the amount of effort it takes to create a jaw dropping reputation making magic trick of this quality.


2. Cards / Card box

Some people gave it a bad review because it does not come with a deck of cards. Other people gave it a bad review because the gimmick that you receive will be of a mandolin backed bicycle deck.

Let me start by addressing the mandolin backed card box. Did you watch the advertisement for this trick? Did you notice that he is using a maiden backed deck of cards in the advertisement? I'm almost willing to bet that you did not notice. You cannot get mad that it comes with a mandolin backed gimmick when you can see very clearly in the video that a mandolin backed deck of cards is exactly what he is using.

Why use mandolin backed cards?

If you have ever tried to use a dry erase marker on the back of a bicycle Rider backed box then you will know that dry erase marker does not fully erase from a standard bicycle Rider backed box. The mandolin backed box has a "plastic like" coating on it which will allow you to draw on the box with a dry erase marker and it will fully erase leaving your box neat and clean for the next spectator.

It is true that this trick does not come with a complete deck of cards. Are you a magician? Then I'm sure that you have a red deck of bicycle cards floating around somewhere.

The gimmick that you receive will allow you to transform the red deck of bicycle cards that you already have into a mind-blowing reputation making magic trick.

I have showed my card routine to well over a hundred people. I use Penguin Magic marked cards (the marked cards are MAIDEN backed) which you can get on this site for $10 and little door. In other words I have a MANDOLIN backed card box with MAIDEN backed cards inside. Even though I have performed this for well over a hundred people NO ONE HAS EVER NOTICED.

One of the most beautiful things about the little door is that you can add it to the deck of cards you are already using for your card routine and perform your card routine AND little door WITHOUT having to do a deck switch (or a box switch for that matter)


3. Adhesive got on my card box

One of the reviews that I read said that he gave it a bad rating because some of the adhesive from the gimmick got on his card box.

I have purchased gimmicks in the past that did not last as long as they could have because the creator could have used a better adhesive or higher quality material.

It is obvious to me that Roddy chose the adhesive that he did because it makes it much easier for you to apply the adhesive and it will without a doubt hold this gimmick together for a long long time.

If you end up with some of the adhesive on your card box DO NOT try to rub it off with your finger. Doing this will only spread the adhesive and create a sticky film all over the card box which will be very difficult to get rid of.

I also had a situation where some (not much) of the adhesive ended up on my card box. I was able to fix this very easily by using the corner of a cloth and some rubbing alcohol to remove The Unwanted adhesive. It is important that you only dab at the adhesive do not rub it because the alcohol will damage the appearance of the card box. If you are careful and you take your time, you will have a completely flawless card box and a gimmick that will not separate because of an inferior adhesive.

4. Come fully assembled / I messed up the gimmick and can't fix it

There are negative reviews because this trick does not come fully assembled and ready to go right out of the box. One person referred to it as arts and crafts. The other person was upset because they damaged their gimmick during the assembly process.

I would definitely not refer to this trick as requiring arts and crafts. I had my gimmick fully assembled in less than 5 minutes. Without giving away how the trick works, I will say that you need to be very careful while removing the "unneeded portion" of the gimmick. The person who messed up their gimmick had a hard time removing the "unneeded portion" of the gimmick and ended up removing parts of the gimmick that are needed.

I also had a little trouble removing the "unneeded part" of the gimmick and I would recommend that if you have this problem to use a small pointy objects such as a toothpick to remove The "unneeded portion" of the gimmick. Again I am sorry for being very vague but I do not want to give away any information that will expose the trick. I will be posting in great detail exactly what I am talking about referring to this in the discussion part of the penguin magic page that you will be able to view after you purchase your trick.

As was stated earlier in this post the adhesive used for this gimmick is without a doubt permanent (very high quality) so you need to take great care in making sure that you do not mess up during the construction of your gimmick because the adhesive will bond immediately. Once it is bonded it will not come undone without destroying the item.

I WANT TO MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT ASSEMBLING YOUR GIMMICK IS VERY QUICK AND EASY BUT NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH CARE.

I hope that I have addressed some of the questions that you might have due to some of the bad reviews regarding this trick. I would like to sum up this review by saying that I have never met nor talked to Roddy in the past so I have no reason to defend his trick. When you take into consideration how easy this trick is to perform, how amazing this trick is for The spectator to experience, and the fact that you can perform this trick literally anywhere at any time. When you consider all of that, I can say with complete and total honesty that this is the greatest trick I have ever had the pleasure of performing.

I understand that there are over a hundred reviews for this trick and it is not very likely that Roddy McGhie will read my review, but if by some strange chance you do read my review Roddy, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks for your contribution to the magic community. I am in debt to you and I can't wait for your next jaw-dropping creation.

I purchased this from Roddy directly, and now I bought a backup from Penguin. This has gone to the top of my list of things I've picked up in the last year. It's probably in my top five tricks of all time. It's essentially angle proof, easy to do (with a little practice, naturally) and never fails to get a good reaction. When you erase the little door the spectator's view of reality is shattered. They have entered into a Road Runner cartoon and are usually speechless. This is the kind of trick that makes me love the art of magic.

I just can't say enough great stuff about this trick. The AUDIENCE REACTIONS are OUTSTANDING. But - I have a secret quest for my performances. I like effects that fool me - make me actually think I am a magician - EVERY time I do them. This is one of those few pieces of ART that blows my mind even though know what I'm doing here. IT IS SO ELEGANT ANDTHE POTENTIAL of altering the reality of your spectators' minds is just beyond my belief. I've been around a long time in magic. Magic Castle member. Pro for over 30 years. Maybe once a year something comes out that I think is actually superb. This is it. The concept is great. The construction is AWESOME. When you slide that door open YOU ARE DOING REAL MAGIC. Buy two or three because you will never not want to have this with you and you will want backups. Roddy - you have given my work a very special effect. Thank you! Make us more new stuff that is this great!!!!

I bought this directly from Roddy as soon as I could; once I saw the teaser trailer I was hooked!
Its a great trick; super simple and great visuals.
I would highly recommend this trick.

1.How easy is it to do?
Its a very simple trick, there isn't really any "slight of hand" just a natural move that is super simple to do and will fly by everyone. That being said, PRACTICE. If you want to preform well, practice; but, we all know that.

2.Is there a gimmick?
Yes.

3.Can you make the gimmick yourself?
No.

4.How long will the gimmick last?
This depends on how well you take care of your card box's. It has the potential to last a long time if taken care of. (I have had mine for a couple months now and it still looks/functions great)

5.What are the Angles like?
The angles are great, I have done this surrounded and not been caught.

6.Is it examinable?
Yes! wipe the ink away and hand the box right out to spectators. They will be blown away!


The Bottom Line... Get this trick now!!

I want to give this 5 stars, but there's a few things preventing that from happening. Mostly little personal things, but that's what reviews are, personal.

First, the positives.

- Looks amazing. If you liked what you saw in the trailer, then you won't be disappointed.

- Easy(ish). I'm no sleight of hand expert, and I was performing this 10 minutes after watching the DVD

- Well taught. Roddy did a great job of going over practically everything.

- The gimmick. Extremely well made.


Now, the bad.

- DVD + Online Instructions. I really don't get this. The DVD itself might not even be 10 minutes. Yet, the instructions to set up the gimmick are through an online link that's included. My only guess is they forgot to put it on the DVD.

I like the trick. The only problem i have is that if you do not set it up 100% right the first time, there is no way to fix it.
It should come complete.

There are very few tricks that elicit a kind of giddy, school child like sense of amazement, wonder and magic. I've shown this effect to numerous people, magicians and lay people alike and the reactions are unlike almost any other trick I perform. People just don't see it coming and when you open that door, they just smile, laugh and giggle with a sense of wonder and amazement that magicians long to create but rarely do.

The toughest part of the trick is drawing the door. It's not hard really, you just have to draw the lines straight and in the proper place. There are a two other moves, but they are not at all difficult and with just a bit of practice, you will be performing this the next day.

Based on the reactions Little Door gets, it gets my highest recommendation and is the best trick I have purchased in years. It's just that good!

I always like to ask fellow magi what their 3 favorite close-up tricks of all time are....no restrictions. I get a pretty wide variety of answers but the "Invisible Deck" and the "The $100 Bill Switch" are among the most frequent responses. Occasionally, "Scotch and Soda" are in there too. "Little Door" is so magical...it just looks great! I can't really get into the method here but I can say this, if you liked the promo video, you will be all over this one. This is a pleasure to perform...oh yeah, did I mention that you can hand everything out!!....even cleans up in a couple of seconds...an absolutely perfect opener!!....so do yourself a huge favor and hit "Add to Cart".....Peace.

This is by far one of my best effects! Its takes you back to the cartoon days when someone would draw a tunnel and go thru it then someone else would just crash into the mountain. This is amazing! I mean you draw a door in front of them you open that door on the case and show them the card thru the door on the case and then you or them erase the door and try as they may no sign of the opening can be found.

Simply put this effect is amazing and I dare no I double dare you to find an effect with more bang for your buck than this. I gladly endorse this effect.