A Purrrfect Escape! Wasgij Mystery #13 by James Alexander – Jumbo – 1000 pieces
A Purrrfect Escape was lots of fun! I really enjoy the Wasgij puzzles, assembling a puzzle you have no picture for is a great challenge. I never show the entire image for these puzzles that you have no picture for, I don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone. I only show the character on the front of the box that has a before and after image; that way I’m not giving anything away and I’m not showing anything new.
The sense of humor of these artists is on par with mine, and I always enjoy the situations they’ve imagined and how their characters end up. In this puzzle Special Agent Wasgij has been captured by the enemy, he has to think fast and look for a getaway. How can he escape his shackles, distract the guards, and make his way to freedom? The answer is what you have to puzzle, and it’s an interesting result!
The colors on this puzzle were bright and fun and I enjoyed figuring out the solution to Special Agent Wasgij’s tiny problem. There were several people to assemble including guards, scientists, the evil villain and his girlfriend, and even the little old lady who serves the “evil tea”.
I still have a stack of Wasgij puzzles in my closet to assemble, it has been reduced some but is still almost 5 feet high with puzzles yet to be done. I’m tackling them when I can, although I just ordered the four new ones (which add up to 6 new puzzles as 2 of the puzzles have a bonus puzzle included!) I’m slightly addicted to puzzles, and a bit off my rocker; but I’m adorable according to my husband, so it’s all good. 🤗
Policeman Dreams by Dan Hatala – MasterPieces (Childhood Dreams Collection) – 1000 pieces
There’s something about this image, I love it! I haven’t had enough coffee this morning to articulate exactly why, all I know is that this image makes me smile and was a pleasure to assemble.
I went about assembling this puzzle backwards – I started with the more difficult sections. No idea now why this was, but I started with the sidewalk/road and then the sky. The rest of the puzzle wasn’t as challenging, although the cars did take a bit more concentration.
MasterPieces quality has been improving, in my opinion. The pieces fit together very well and are a good thickness. The finish is still a bit shiny, but overall that’s really my only issue. Every once in a while I get a puzzle where the pieces aren’t completely separated, but I’ve seen that with every puzzle manufacturer. There’s never going to be a company that is perfect every single time.
The Childhood Dreams collection by Dan Hatala is nostalgic and heartwarming and focuses on moments between parents and children. There are at least 11 more in the series that I’ve seen and I would love to do every single one of them; they are absolutely gorgeous! My black belt thrift store shopper has been given instructions to buy any of this series that she can find. 🙂
Remember When by Charlie Girard – White Mountain – 1000 pieces
Remember When is another fun collage from White Mountain. How many of these things do you remember? I remember many of them, and most of the rest I have some knowledge of. I was a little old when Cabbage Patch dolls were all the rage, but I do remember signing the birth certificate for my friend’s younger sister. Is that a hideous green AMC Gremlin? Oh my!
White Mountain Puzzles really do have the best catalog of collages around, there’s something for just about everyone. Beer, wine, cereal, neon signs, stamps, etc.; there’s a bunch of entertaining collages to choose from. They don’t just have collages though, they have fine art, educational maps, historical works, and much more. White Mountain puzzles are good quality. The pieces are a good thickness with a nice variety of piece shapes, and they fit together well. Sometimes there can be an issue with image lift if a piece is placed wrong and has to be removed, but it isn’t too much of a problem in my opinion – a touch of super glue and the piece is fine. The image reproduction is very good, with excellent colors. Click the link above to see all the White Mountain puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.
There was a moderate amount of puzzle dust in the bag, with a few slightly bent pieces. The pieces were a good thickness and fit together very well. The image reproduction was bright and colorful with no fuzziness. The finished image is larger than the average 1000 piece puzzle at 24 x 30 inches (61 x 76 cm), be sure you have enough work space before you begin. The box is about the average size for a 1000 piece puzzle with the name of the title, artist, manufacturer, and piece count on all 4 sides. 2 sides have a smaller complete image of the puzzle, and 2 sides have a small partial image, making it suitable for shelving either vertically or horizontally.
Part of the reason collages are so much fun for me is that you can pick out the pieces for a small section and assemble it easily, usually without having to look at the box much. One section leads to another and another and it goes quickly and is very entertaining. This puzzle was even more fun because I remembered many of the people and things. There are plenty of words too, which I always enjoy – after the edges I usually begin with the words. For this puzzle, once you’ve assembled all the words you’re already at least 30% done and it’s easy to build off of them to start filling in.
Charlie Girard has become one of my favorite puzzle artists; his collages make me happy and there are so many to choose from. If you’re a fan of collages click here to check out all of Charlie’s puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse. The first page alone has 4 or 5 puzzles I would love to do!
Remember When brings back memories for me, although I don’t recall seeing any signs instructing hippies to use the back door. 😉 The image is colorful and fun and makes for a great puzzle. It’s no surprise that I’m giving two thumbs up to this collage – definitely recommended! 👍👍
I received this product at no cost to facilitate this review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
I REALLY like sugar skulls! Though sugar skulls are used to decorate gravestones for The Day of the Dead in Mexico, they’ve become a popular image in western culture, especially for Halloween decorations. I love them because they’re beautiful and interesting, and represent a holiday that celebrates the lives of friends and loved ones instead of mourning them. So – did I want to review this puzzle? Absolutely!
Sugar Skull Cookies was extremely enjoyable to assemble; I loved that it wasn’t too easy and had a great time working color by color and seeing all the cookies take shape. Surprisingly it didn’t make me hungry for cookies!
Cobble Hill puzzles are excellent quality and I never hesitate when buying one. The pieces are thick and linen covered which provides a great feel in your hand, and they fit together well with a random cut that makes for an interesting assembly. Their image reproduction is beautiful, and they have a great catalog of puzzles to choose from. Click the link above to see all the Cobble Hill puzzles in stock now at Puzzle Warehouse.
There was a bit of puzzle dust in the bag, and a few pieces still connected or with bits of paper hanging off the back. It wasn’t too bad, but can be annoying when you’re trying to sort, etc. The box says that the puzzle is random cut, but it seemed more grid cut to me – there were some odd shapes – perhaps it’s semi-random? Anyway, a good variety of piece shapes and they fit together very well. The image reproduction is detailed and beautiful with a gorgeous matte linen finish that feels good in your hand. The box is about average size for a 1000 piece puzzle with the name of the puzzle, manufacturer, piece count on all 4 sides; 2 sides have a small complete image and 2 sides have a small partial image making it easy to shelve either way for collectors.
This was about a medium difficulty puzzle. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for anything too simple or too challenging, this puzzle falls right about in the middle. I started with the pink, red, green, and blue cookies, working them one color at a time. I hadn’t worked a Cobble Hill puzzle in a while and it was nice to work with such lovely pieces on such a fun image.
These cookies are so beautifully decorated that I don’t know if I’d be able to eat them. Looking at all the sweets/candy puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse, there are so many puzzles that look both deliciously fun and just plain delicious! Every time I review a puzzle I look at similar puzzles and end up adding several of them to my wishlist – the total cost of my wishlist right now is over $600! 😮 I’ve added several sweets puzzles today, including another cookie collage from Cobble Hill called Ugly Xmas Sweaters that looks like so much fun!
Sugar Skull Cookies was an excellent quality puzzle with an image that made for an extremely fun assembly. It wasn’t too easy or too difficult; it was Goldilocks – just right! If this image is one you like, it’s definitely recommended. 👍
I received this puzzle at no cost to facilitate this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.
Church by Joseph Burgess – Milton Bradley – 1000 pieces
This is another of the premium Milton Bradley puzzles that we’ve found. Previously I assembled Train Station, Eden Central by Thelma Winter and enjoyed it very much. Click the link above to see that post. I was thrilled that mom was able to find another puzzle from this series, but a little bummed that it’s missing one piece. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun to assemble!
This was the first puzzle with artwork by Joseph Burgess that I’ve assembled, and I have to say his artwork is beautiful and makes for an excellent puzzle; I’d love to work more of his puzzles. I’ve looked through the puzzles with his artwork available at Puzzle Warehouse, and I recognize several that I’ve noticed before and had already added to my online wishlist (and the wishlist I keep in my head 🙂 )
The quality of these premium puzzles is excellent, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed assembling them. The images are gorgeous and make for great puzzles; the pieces feel almost soft, fit together very well, and have a beautiful matte finish. The series has 3 puzzles each from several artists including Royce McClure and Dominic Davison. I’m hoping we find more of them, I love the quality and the pictures are attractive and calming and make me happy while I’m puzzling them.
