I haven’t posted a kids puzzle lately, and luckily I found a couple here that I hadn’t yet assembled. Crafty Critters was a quick, fun puzzle that was fair quality and makes for a very cute finished image.
This is only the second puzzle from this manufacturer that I’ve assembled, and overall I would say their quality is good to fair. The pieces are somewhat thin, but sturdy. There are a good variety of shapes and the fit is very nice. The colors are bright and fun; although the finish is a bit shiny. Good enough quality, although I wish the makers of puzzles for children would make them a bit more tough to withstand the sometimes not-so-gentle way children play.
As an added note, the first Creative Edge puzzle I assembled had the absolute BEST GLOW IN THE DARK IMAGE I’ve ever done or seen. It was also the best “glow” picture I’ve ever gotten. Check out Creepy Crawlies! if you’re interested, I got some great images!
This was such a fun puzzle, I had the best time putting it together! I don’t always say this about 300 piece puzzles, but this one would be even better at 1000 pieces. Each of the sections was fun and interesting to assemble, I wish there had been more pieces so I could have spent more time with each one. (The picture is a bit fuzzy, my apologies 😕)
Cats aren’t really my thing, I’m more a pooch person; but these cats are too cute to resist and the entire puzzle was completely entertaining. I did the Retro Dogs puzzle last year, it was a Christmas present from my son, and my daughter helped me with the assembly. They’re both fun collages with very good quality pieces – what more could you ask for?
These cats show 3 different sides of me, sweet, sassy, and completely weird – that’s pretty much me in a nutshell!
Unfortunately we’ve come to the end of our STEM puzzles, or as hubby and I like to call them, “bathroom puzzles”. They’re such tiny pieces that they all fit onto a paper-lined cookie sheet and I put it in the master bathroom for hubby to work on while he’s spending lots of time in there.
I didn’t get to work on this one as much as I’d hoped, although it looked like a lot of fun. Hubby did most of the work during the night when he couldn’t sleep; I woke up to an almost complete puzzle. I was pretty bummed, because Math was the one I was looking forward to the most -those blocks of color looked like so much fun! Of course I didn’t tell him that; I’m not only an excellent puzzler, I’m a wonderful wife too. 😉
This was the last of the four we assembled, and he didn’t tell me until it was finished that he’d like for me to glue them and put them all in one frame and hang them up at his work (he writes programs to run machines, so he uses Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math every day at his job). Now he’s got to put together the other 3 all over again – although I don’t think he’ll mind at all, he really had a good time with them!
I’d love for Professor Puzzle to come out with more of these mini jigsaw puzzles, whatever the subject matter may be. They’re extremely well made – the best quality I’ve ever seen on such small pieces. The piece shape is very obvious in the finished image, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the assembly for me; and once they’re glued that will lessen quite a bit.
If you enjoy mini puzzles or mini pieces, these test tube puzzles may be just the thing for you. We found them at Barnes & Noble in the US, and hubby and I enjoyed them very much! Looks like we’ll be enjoying them once more, we have to re-assemble them so I can get them glued and framed. 🖼
While not technically a jigsaw puzzle, Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard’s ship) is a 3D puzzle/model. It was unbelievably challenging for me (being new to this type of puzzling), but I’m super proud that hubby and I were able to complete it together, and my son is thrilled that he’s going to be able to keep it in his room. It was fun, sometimes frustrating, but completely worth it – it’s GORGEOUS!
CubicFun contacted me asking if I’d be interested in reviewing one of their 3D puzzles, and I was more than happy to give it a try. I love all things “puzzle”! I’ve completed puzzle balls, but this would be my first 3D puzzle that wasn’t an orb. I probably should have chosen one that was a little easier on the difficulty scale, like a building, skyline, or even one of their smaller ships; but the pirate ship just spoke to me when I saw it. It’s the one that looked like the most fun to me – good thing it was! They have many 3D puzzles in their catalog, from very easy to very complex. Click the link above to see their store at Amazon and all the puzzles they carry. (CubicFun is a Chinese company specializing in 3D puzzles)
Since this puzzle has only 340 pieces, I assumed it would be no problem at all to assemble it – I was very wrong. Apparently the puzzle I chose was an 8 on the complexity scale. Oh my. My frustrations with this puzzle had nothing to do with it’s quality, only with my brain and my ability to understand and process the instructions (new meds had me feeling fuzzy and unable to think until I got used to the side effects). The quality of the pieces is excellent, most especially the quality of the sails; they’re some sort paper, but softer and much sturdier. The pieces themselves are made of EPS foam board (no tools are required) , and are much stronger than I thought they would be. From my novice standpoint, the quality is excellent.
Hubby suggested that the tabs be a bit longer (in places where it wouldn’t affect the aesthetics), and my suggestion is to be a little more clear about the order of the assembly. Of course, I am new to models and their instructions and chose one of much higher difficulty; perhaps if I’d assembled more of them and was more up to the task it wouldn’t have been so frustrating for me.
This ship is one of their LED enhanced puzzles; it’s beautiful in the light and breathtaking in the dark! I kept turning the lights on and off once I finished to take in the effect – I’m so in love with this ship and so proud that I got it done! (with a little help from the hubby) It’s harder to capture the effect well in a picture, but I did my best…
The little details are amazing, with even the smallest pieces being accurate; the decorative accents make for a lovely finished image. Check out the front and back of the ship…
It also comes with a stand and nameplate that you build for it, they both make it seem even more beautiful and authentic in my opinion…
And what self-respecting pirate ship would be complete without a Jolly Roger? It’s one of my favorite parts of this puzzle/model. There are also lighted stairs, cannons in each of the gun ports on the sides, and even a tiny little bench near the helm for weary pirates to rest their tired feet when they’re steering the ship!
The puzzle also came with a gift of a small 3D puzzle of the Empire State Building. Look for that post in the next couple of weeks!
This puzzle was complex, interesting, frustrating, and engaging; and I couldn’t be happier with the results. If you’re a fan of models or 3D puzzles, and you’re a little more experienced with them than I am and think you’re up to the challenge – Queen Anne’s Revenge is definitely recommended.
Are ye brave enough? Arrr! ☠💀â˜
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Queen Anne’s Revenge (Blackbeard’s Ship)
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â N/A
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â CubicFun
Piece count:Â Â Â 340 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 27 x 25 in. (68 x 64 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â N/A, sent for review
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent, easy to detach without breaking or bending
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good, quite sturdy
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â N/A
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â N/A
Piece shapes:Â Â N/A
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â N/A
Overall Rating:Â Â Â Excellent, highly recommended
I received this product at no cost in order to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
Garden Room was a lot of fun, I think mostly because I enjoyed having a smaller piece count puzzle with “regular” sized pieces. Most puzzles that are 300 pieces or less have the larger, EZ grip pieces. This one was only 200 pieces, but they were the size you normally see in a 1000 piece puzzle, I had a very good time assembling it!
I am feeling brave this weekend and have started a 1000 piece puzzle from a company I haven’t tried before; plus I’m trying to finish a very large 3D puzzle that I’m reviewing. Wish me luck!
My Jigsaw Journal 