044 - Balloon Review By CJ: Sissy Star System by Alberto Falcone

Several months ago Alberto Falcone released a second trio of DVDs, this time with two aimed at twisters.  You can find a distributor near you by visiting Alberto's website http://albertofalcone.com/

The DVD is of the highest quality, it is easy to navigate, and Alberto's instructions are easy to follow, despite English being a second language.  A negative aspect of the instruction is that he does not always communicate how much you need to inflate the balloon and in some instances does not communicate the bubble size that you are needing to make.  For intermediate or advanced twisters, this does not pose a serious problem.  

The basis of the DVD is what Alberto calls the Sissy Star, named after his daughter, and every model uses the star as its foundation.
As Nippy says, let's see what we have...

Normal Size Flower
The first model on the dvd is a lovely flower.  It is also featured in Balloon Magic #48.  It is a great introduction to the Sissy Star System.  This one took me a couple tries to get the length of the 160s correct.  It was worth the effort and this will be added to my delivery bouquets.

Large Size Flower
The design for this flower is the same as the normal flower, you just replace 260s/160s with 350s/260s.  This flower scales up very well and did not take any longer to make than the normal size.  The size of the flower is impressive and has a great impact.  The flower itself is very heavy and the stem that Alberto teaches does not give it adequate support.  Alberto also has two layers of leaves under the flower where it attaches to the stem, I did not think it was necessary for either looks or stability.  It is the same for the normal size flower.

Red Rose
When I saw this on the title, I was interested to see what it looked like.  This design requires 6 stars to create it, plus an additional two balloons for the inside and stem, all 160s.  There was a lot of effort involved in making this one and I was not impressed.  There are many other faster and more elegant rose designs on the market.  I will say that the method of connecting stars to each other has potential, but I have yet to explore it.

Elegant Sword
This is one of the quicker designs on the DVD and could be made when you have 4 or 5 minutes.  The sissy star is used to create a very nice guard for the sword.  The blade and the hilt leave a lot to be desired, but that is an easy fix.  On a whole the design isn't the best, but the part made using the Sissy Star System works.

Big Cake
This cake is pictured on the front of the DVD and it was what initially drew my attention.  The David Grist cake is a timeless classic, but sometimes something a little more elegant is needed, this is that cake.  Prior to this design, models were getting easier as you learned the system better.  This cake brought me to a halt.  The design itself is not difficult, but it is very detailed and bubble size/consistency are key.  My first attempt produced a lopsided cake that bulged in places.  By my third attempt, I was impressed.  I have already made this for a couple clients and have made the purchase worth it.

Hi CJ, wow what a review! Your attention to detail is amazing and I know all forum members will appreciate your efforts. I can see now why this DVD took so long to review - the designs look very complicated. I can't wait to see the rest. Thanks so much.

Cup Cake
Right on the heels of the big cake is this adorable little cupcake.  This one will take some practice.  Bubble size and consistency are everything on this one, mistakes are easily seen.  This is a picture of my fourth attempt.  This is a solid design and will definitely be used again.

Sea Star
This is a small and relatively quick model.  It is supposed to be a star fish, it creates an attractive star, but I do not immediately think of a star fish.  I think this design would make great wall art if made out of 350s.

Long Neck Turtle
This is my favorite design.  The shell Alberto creates using the system has an excellent shape and can be made quickly.  With the detail that goes into the shell, the head was disappointing and the art work too simple.  Adding 260s for the eyes helps the face some.  Use a different head designs and you have one of the best looking turtles out there.