Tag: Sunsout

Review: Five Cent Piece

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Five Cent Piece by David Behrens – Sunsout – 1000 pieces

Five Cent Piece is a beautiful puzzle from Sunsout that I enjoyed very much! The fit was looser than normal for a Sunsout puzzle, but that’s in the positive category for me. The artwork is stunning and makes for an excellent puzzle.

Sunsout puzzles are of very good quality in my opinion. The pieces are thick and sturdy and feel good in your hands. They use a random cut, which gives a wide variety of piece shapes and makes for a more interesting assembly. I prefer a grid (or ribbon) cut, but I also enjoy the random cut every now and then; it’s nice to change things up and work a random cut puzzle just to keep your brain limber! Normally a rectangular Sunsout puzzle has quite a tight fit, this puzzle was a bit looser and I enjoyed that very much. The image reproduction was excellent with a slightly shiny finish which can cause glare under lights. Click the link above to see all the Sunsout puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.

The finished puzzle is 23 x 28 inches (58 x 71 cm), a bit larger than the average 1000 piece puzzle, and would be beautiful framed. Sunsout boxes are large and square and have the name of the puzzle, artist, and manufacturer along with piece count on all four sides – easy to shelve either vertically or horizontally.

The artwork by David Behrens is beautiful, emotional, and moving and also makes for excellent puzzling; his art has been made into many jigsaw puzzles. Click the link above to see all puzzles available from this artist at Puzzle Warehouse. I especially like Flags of Our Fathers. Gorgeous!

Five Cent Piece was about medium difficulty, with just the right amount of challenge to make for a fun puzzling experience. The assembly was never tedious and it was fun to watch each piece turn into part of a beautiful piece of art. Thumbs up! 👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All opinions are truthful and 100% my own.

 

Review: Horse of Iron

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse.
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Horse of Iron by Werner Willis – Sunsout – 1000 pieces

This is quite an impressive puzzle – when I look at the picture the word “majestic” comes to mind. It’s hard to tell from the picture but the train is 3 feet long! (Side note: this is probably the best picture I’ve ever taken of any puzzle – yay me!)

Sunsout puzzles are good quality. The pieces are thick, and they fit together well. Their rectangular/square puzzles have a much tighter fit than the shaped puzzles; I prefer the looser fit of their shaped puzzles, but that’s just me. The image reproduction is very good, they work with many wonderful artists, and they have an excellent catalog that includes a great selection of shaped puzzles. As an added bonus they are an environmentally friendly company that uses recycled board and soy-based inks.

I’ve only recently started working shaped puzzles, and I’m really enjoying them. Sunsout has an excellent array of shaped puzzles, and several other manufacturers make them as well. Click here to see all the shaped puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse, they’ve got something for everyone. Give a shaped puzzle a try, they’re fun and a good workout for your brain!

I was able to pull all the edge pieces for this puzzle and start there; usually it isn’t easy to find all the edges of a shaped puzzle, but this one has a white border that was easy to spot. This puzzle has a LOT of edge – more than 250 pieces! By the time the border was assembled I had the puzzle 1/4 done. 🙂

The bottom section was about medium difficulty and fun to assemble. The top section was much more challenging – still fun, but I had to take more breaks because it overwhelmed me at times. It doesn’t look like it would be that difficult, but believe me it was. I had about 100 pieces left when mom and dad stopped by and she helped me finish it up. It’s a gorgeous puzzle that definitely makes a statement. The finished puzzle is 36 x 24 inches (91 x 60 cm) it’s quite impressive!

The artwork by Werner Willis is amazingly detailed and beautiful; this was my first puzzle of his and I’d love to find more. I enjoyed Horse of Iron very much, it was a challenge but I certainly was proud of it when I was done!

I’m sorry to say it’s no longer available at Puzzle Warehouse, but I’ve certainly been inspired to work more shaped puzzles, and have even added a few train puzzles to the ridiculously long wish list – including another shaped puzzle with trains and an interesting retro collage from White Mountain called Travel by Train. All aboard!

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Sunsout Puzzle Preserver (Glue)

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw PuzzlingLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 

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I don’t glue most of the puzzles I complete, but I have glued several puzzles for framing. This was my first time using Sunsout Puzzle Preserver and I liked it!

Some puzzles I’ve purchased specifically to frame after assembly, a Marine Corps puzzle for my husband last Christmas, Vintage Love Letters to hang in our bedroom, and several golf puzzles for hubby’s golf room. I’ve done my share of gluing puzzles, and while it seemed daunting at first, it’s really not difficult at all.

Sunsout Puzzle Preserver is very easy to use. The applicator brush is built into the lid so you can’t lose it, which is handy for those of us who can be absentminded and lose track of things. And the glue itself is opaque, so you can see where you’ve applied it, but dries clear and quickly.  I think the high gloss finish brightens up the colors of your puzzle.

Also, if you have a puzzle where the piece shape is obvious in the finished image, gluing it can soften the look of those lines and make it look more like a picture instead of a puzzle. I recently reviewed a Eurographics puzzle called Tsuki Hoshi that my daughter loved – but the piece shapes were very obvious. I glued it for her using Sunsout Puzzle Preserver and the shapes were quite muted afterward! Check it out before and after…

Tsuki Hoshi by Haruyo Morita – Eurographics – 1000 pieces

You can tell especially in the moon and the lighter top portion of the puzzle, it looks more like artwork and less like a jigsaw puzzle. I was extremely pleased, it looks beautiful!

I prefer to apply it by pouring the glue directly on the puzzle and spreading it around with an old credit card, I find it gets applied more evenly that way. I did use the attached brush for gluing Paris Opera House, but it ended up needing a second coat. I didn’t have that trouble when I used my regular method.  Be sure you put wax paper or plastic wrap underneath your puzzle so if any seeps through you won’t damage the surface beneath. Also, be careful not to apply too much, or it can get tacky – I went a little crazy the first time I used it. Oops!  😉  It’s a high gloss finish, so if you prefer matte I would use a different glue.

This is the before and after for Paris Opera House. In my opinion it sharpens the definition and makes the colors pop. You can see the darker colors more, but showing the shaded areas defines the arch of the ceilings. Compare the ceilings – the after picture shows more depth and the colors are brightened. I think it’s gorgeous!

Paris Opera House – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces
Paris Opera House – Masterpieces (Masters of Photography) – 500 pieces

I’ve used this glue on puzzles from Masterpieces, Sunsout, and Eurographics, and it has turned out beautifully every time. Like I said, I don’t glue most of my puzzles, but for the ones I do I would definitely trust Sunsout Puzzle Preserver. It’s only $3.99 at Puzzle Warehouse for a 4 ounce jar that will do 2 or 3 1000 piece puzzles. That’s an excellent price compared to Amazon at $6.60!

 

 I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed are truthful and 100% my own.

Review: Santa’s Highway

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Puzzle reviewsLeave a comment
This post is sponsored by Puzzle Warehouse. 
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Santa’s Highway by Jim Todd – Sunsout – 1000 pieces

Santa’s Highway is a great shaped puzzle from Sunsout. It was so much fun that it went together more quickly than normal for a 1000 piece puzzle. Another puzzle for Christmas in July! 🎅🤶

While I’m not a big fan of the way Sunsout rectangular puzzles fit together, their shaped puzzles are altogether different. The fit of their rectangular puzzles is very tight and you have to work at putting two pieces together – really press down on them. The shaped puzzles they produce fit together differently and I enjoy the fit much more. Sunsout has an excellent catalog of shaped puzzles, click the link above to see Sunsout puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse.

Sunsout quality is very good in my opinion. The pieces are thick and sturdy and fit together well with a random cut that gives you a wide variety of piece shapes. The image reproduction is excellent with a slightly shiny finish that can cause glare under lights. Their boxes are large and square with the name of the puzzle, artist, and manufacturer along with the piece count on all four sides – making it easy to shelve either vertically or horizontally.

The finished puzzle is 27 x 32 in. (68 x 81 cm) which is an impressive size! It’s one thing to read the number and have an idea in your head of how big it is, and it’s another thing to actually see it. It definitely makes a statement, and would look amazing framed – or even better, glued and mounted on foam backing that is cut to fit the shape. It would make more of a statement in it’s highway sign shape I think. This puzzle is part of The Highway Series by Jim Todd – gorgeous puzzles shaped like highway signs with scenes from along the route; they’d make a great wall hanging for a car enthusiast or frequent traveler! Click the link above to see all the Highway Series puzzles and others from this artist available at Puzzle Warehouse.

Santa’s Highway went together quickly as it was easy to pull out sections to assemble. Unlike rectangular puzzles it isn’t as easy to start a shaped puzzle with the edge. I started with the cactus and reindeer flying across the moon, then moved on to the map and pictures. One after another each section went into place quickly because it was so much fun to assemble that I couldn’t leave it alone! Also, I loved how the edge looks beveled; it makes the puzzle even more striking and distinctive. I had a great time with it and am now looking at getting Lincoln Highway from this series to assemble next – it has gorgeous scenes from Historic Pennsylvania Highway 30. Another one added to my wish list, which is getting quite large! 😉

This puzzle was a wonderfully entertaining assembly and I enjoyed it from start to finish! If you enjoy Christmas or shaped puzzles, or even want to give shaped puzzles a try I highly recommend Santa’s Highway. Two thumbs way up! 👍🎄👍

 

I received this product at no charge in return for an honest review, all opinions are truthful and 100% my own.

 

Polar Bear Plunge

On By Stacey at myjigsawjournalIn Jigsaw Puzzles, Thrift Store PuzzlesLeave a comment
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Polar Bear Plunge by Michael Searle- Sunsout – 63 pieces

Another fun kid’s puzzle, and the first I’ve done from Sunsout. I thought it was very good quality! With the temperatures around here lately it was nice to think about a brisk plunge into chilly water to escape this oppressive heat. 🙂

The pieces were extremely sturdy and a good size for kids and they fit together very well. For some reason it looks like the puzzle didn’t lay flat in the picture, but it did. I’m not a photographer, I just do the best I can. The image reproduction was nice and crisp, with beautiful colors. The box is very large for only a 63 piece puzzle, though it’s been my experience that most Sunsout boxes are larger than the norm. All around a very nice kid’s puzzle!

I’m enjoying assembling all these thrift store kid’s puzzles. It’s fun to put one together in only a few minutes, and I’m enjoying checking out the quality of so many different brands. I think all kids should do jigsaw puzzles, it’s a great activity for your brain! Mom finds so many amazing puzzles at the thrift stores, it’s a cost-effective way of trying out different brands – or for keeping up with the demands of a child who loves puzzles!