It’s hard to see in this picture, but this puzzle is missing a piece. Can you spot where it is?
When I started assembling each one from this big box of kids puzzles, every one I grabbed was complete, and I had high hopes that every one would be all there. Unfortunately my wish wasn’t granted and I had to send three of them to the recycling bin, including this one.
I assembled this puzzle with the educational side up, I usually do. I find them much more interesting and I love seeing what there is to learn about the subject of the puzzle.
I enjoyed the explanation of how a steam engine works, and it was interesting to see how trains have changed over the years. Just because this puzzle is only 24 pieces and geared towards children doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it or even learn something from it.
I really need to get my butt out of the house and get to the thrift store. Who knows what other wonderful treasures are waiting there for me to find?
I didn’t realize when I was assembling it that this artwork was by Ciro Marchetti – no wonder I loved the image so much, now it makes perfect sense! There are two other images in this series, New York and London. Hopefully these aren’t exclusive to Ceaco, I’d love to find them by another brand with better quality.
I was very disappointed by the quality of this puzzle. The pieces weren’t completely cut through, some so much so that I couldn’t separate them without damaging them. There was an abundance of puzzle dust that got everywhere, the fit was terrible and loose, and the pieces were thin and very easily bent. It’s been my experience that Ceaco puzzles of 750 pieces or less are better quality than their puzzles of 1000 pieces or more. I certainly won’t be assembling any more of their puzzles over 750 pieces if I can help it.
The fireworks and the word Paris were so much fun to assemble, I didn’t find them overly challenging. Many puzzlers say that assembling fireworks is frustrating and difficult, though I didn’t find that to be the case with this puzzle. I absolutely loved it!
This statue/light post was the most challenging part of the puzzle in my opinion. It was the last bit to be assembled, but I love the look of it – it’s very Parisian.
Paris is a beautiful image, but unfortunately the puzzle it was attached to was of poor quality. I can’t recommend this puzzle, but if you find the image made by another brand it is highly recommended. Even with the awful quality I found the actual assembly of the artwork to be extremely entertaining.
Some people say 300 piece puzzles aren’t worth their time – too few pieces and they just aren’t challenging enough. To those people I say, try this little succulent out, it’ll give you a run for your money!
Many times a 300 piece puzzle can be assembled in one sitting, but this one took me quite a bit longer. I enjoyed the challenge of it though, and had a great sense of accomplishment when that last piece finally went in. If I could have given myself a pat on the back I would have. Well done, Stacey!Â
This puzzle was 300 pieces of completely absorbing entertainment. I couldn’t help but get sucked in every time I sat down in front of it; it doesn’t look terribly difficult, I should be able to get it done in no time. Then you’re looking for the right piece – why can’t I see it, where does this fit in? Why does every succulent look like all the other succulents? What kind of word is succulents anyway?! Who shot JR?
*(Sometimes my train of thought goes off the rails, my apologies. Everyone knows that Kristin shot JR.)
Big World by Ciro Marchetti – Milton Bradley – 750 pieces
If I’m being honest I’d tell you I was a little bit scared to start this puzzle. Look at the image, it’s gorgeous – but I didn’t know where I would begin. Once I started sorting the pieces though, I found a few sections to pull out and start with; when they were assembled it didn’t seem so daunting to keep going and filling in from there. Sometimes I have to just jump in and get myself going, most of the time it’s never as difficult as I think. 🙂
Milton Bradley puzzles seem to have improved their quality quite a bit, I was thoroughly impressed with this puzzle and it’s quality. The pieces are on the smaller side, but not too much so. They had a good hand feel, fit together quite well, and had a very good variety of shapes. The image reproduction is excellent and did the artwork justice in my opinion, the colors are beautiful with no blurriness or fuzzy areas. Overall a very good quality puzzle.
There’s just something about peacocks, they make for wonderful puzzle images. This one is beautiful, and I wish the picture did it justice. It was one of the first things I assembled after the edges and even though there weren’t many pieces to it, it gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
This flying fish balloon and the ship below it – great fun to put together! The use of colors by Ciro Marchetti brings to mind images by Aimee Stewart – both artists produce absolutely gorgeous artwork. This one especially has a dreamy quality, a fantasy image that makes no sense but definitely looks like a world you’d want to visit (or at least I would).
I’ve been a little obsessed with assembling panoramic puzzles lately. It’s much easier on your back to not have to reach so far to put pieces in at the top; having the entirety of the puzzle very close to you is somehow comforting and I am completely enjoying working with them. I only have one more panoramic here in my stash, I guess that means I might have to arrange a shopping trip – these puzzles are good for my mental health.
Big World was more fun than I expected and had much better quality than I anticipated. If you’ve got a long enough workspace to assemble a panoramic puzzle this one is absolutely recommended – two peacock tails way up! 🦚🦚
Details:
Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Big World
Artist:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Ciro Marchetti
Brand:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Milton Bradley
Piece count:Â Â Â 750 pieces
Size:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Approx. 11 x 34 in. (27 x 86 cm)
Purchased:Â Â Â New
Quality:
Board:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Cutting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Image:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Excellent
Box:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Average, sturdy
Fit:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Very good
Puzzle Dust:Â Â Â Small amount
Piece cut:Â Â Â Â Â Grid cut
Piece shapes:Â Â Very good variety
Finish:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Slightly shiny finish, lays flat
This is a “Family Puzzle”, it has 3 different sizes of pieces so that the entire family can help assemble it. To be honest I’ve never assembled one with the family, I’ve always done them either alone or with mom. I’m such a puzzle fanatic that I enjoy puzzles for all ages, and a family puzzle has all of them in one box – perfect!
Majestic Puzzles is a new brand for me, and I was impressed with the quality. The pieces were thick and fit together very well. It’s randomly cut so there are a nice variety of shapes and it made for an interesting and challenging assembly. The image reproduction is beautiful with clean lines and bright colors and no blurring or fuzziness. All in all it’s a great quality puzzle.
I sorted the pieces by shape and then assembled it the same way, starting with the largest pieces.
It’s odd to have all the kids pieces around the edge. Most of the family puzzles I’ve worked have them all on one side. If you truly want the family to work together it seems more ideal to have big pieces on the left (for example), medium pieces in the middle and smallest pieces on the right. If the whole family tried to work on this one it would be difficult for those working on the smaller pieces to connect them to anything until the kids had finished the outside.
I sorted by size, but obviously I didn’t get all the pieces in their correct piles, there are a few holes. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between a smaller medium sized piece and a larger small piece. (I hope that made sense) 😉
I enjoyed this puzzle much more than I anticipated, the image was challenging and beautiful – a lovely combination. Jungle scenes aren’t usually images I would choose, but the different piece sizes made it more interesting and the beautiful reproduction and great fit made it quite fun. If you come across a family puzzle by Majestic I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
My Jigsaw Journal 