Rant Review: Disney 100 Retro Reimagined Santa Mickey 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ceaco Silver Select, artists uncredited)

I don't really give a damn about Disney in general or Mickey Mouse in particular, but I like the vintage art used for this puzzle, and I couldn't pass it up when I saw it on sale for $6. (Amusingly, I came across this Target exclusive puzzle on a steep discount at Walmart.com. It was sold by a third party, of course, but having this arrive in Walmart packaging and seeing "ONLY AT TARGET" emblazoned across the top of the box when I opened it up still elicited a chuckle from me.) I expected this one to be quick and easy. Most of it was. But that middle section, with Mickey dressed as Santa Claus? That took as long as the entire rest of the puzzle. His face was easy, but the sea of indistinguishable red and white that made up the bulk of those pieces was a significant speed bump impeding my progress. I've done crazy-ass photomosaics and such, so this is nowhere near one of the toughest puzzles I've done, but that middle section turned a quick and easy 1,000 piecer into a multiple day project. The first couple of days I worked on it, I tackled it after I was done with work and dealing with assorted other responsibilities, so I simply couldn't muster the patience to get through it. On the third day, I resigned myself to shape sorting the remaining pieces so I could just power through it. My mind simply didn't want to wrap around the way those pieces were going together, for whatever reason. Even looking at the completed puzzle now, I really don't get why that section was so relatively tough. Things just happen that way sometimes, though; were I to do this puzzle at a less hectic time of the year, it likely wouldn't have taken me nearly as long. As things are, it represents a weird anomaly in my regular puzzling.

This is the first puzzle I've done from the Silver Select series. I noticed no real difference in the quality of the actual pieces, but the packaging is greatly improved over the standard Ceaco/Buffalo puzzles. The sturdy cardboard box with its sliding drawer is a massive improvement over the glued-shut boxes of their standard line, and the resealable bag is a nice inclusion, as well. A poster is also included, and is actually large enough to be of help, should you need it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another puzzle in this line!

Here Comes Christmas! 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Ingrid Slyder)

This quick and easy 500 piecer was just what I needed after that last one! It also felt appropriate since we had just watched our town's Xmas parade, though it was not quite as grand as the one depicted here! (Ours did feature a whopping FIVE Grinches, though!) The red border made it simple to pick out all edge pieces during sorting, and the art was varied enough that there was very little ambivalence over which area each piece belonged in. The multiple trees, marching band, and crowds presented a mild challenge, but this remained a pleasant evening's puzzling. I had a good many bent tabs, though fortunately, none of them were splitting. This was definitely more lax quality control than I typically see in a Ravensburger puzzle, but none of the bent pieces were so bad as to prevent them fitting together, or mar the look of the completed puzzle. I might be more annoyed about the bent pieces if I hadn't gotten this so cheap. (Thank you Target 50% off sale!) I still have ten more holiday and winter-themed puzzles to go, so on to the next! 

Rant Review: Evening Performance 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Buffalo Games, art by Darrell Bush)

I'm a sucker for snowy scenes, cabins, and aurora, so adding this to my cart during the recent sales was a no-brainer. I decided to tackle it after finishing that Rockefeller Center 1,000 piecer last week, as I often like to do a smaller puzzle as a bit of a palette cleanser between larger ones.  

This took me twice as long to put together. Really. 

Looking at the art, there are obviously some rather dark areas, but nothing that looks particularly problematic. The central area with the cabin, deer, and much of the surrounding snow flew together practically on its own. From there, things got trickier. Still, I've done far more complex puzzles, so nothing to worry about. Just do a bit of simple shape sorting and power through it, right?

This is where I was reminded the hard way that Buffalo is a value brand marketed toward casual shoppers in big box stores. False fits were all too common, and not easy to spot when many of the pieces were a dark smear of some shade of blue. Thus, whenever a piece seemed to fit, I had to second-guess myself, then go through every other piece of the same shape to see if there was one that seemed to fit just a bit more snugly. This was indeed the case with annoying frequency. I finally grabbed my high-powered flashlight and used it as an aid to better see the dark smears of paint on each piece to help me complete the darker areas. From there, the gradient in the sky made it a breeze to assemble, and the puzzle was done at last!

I've done a couple of other puzzles from Buffalo recently, but the art on those made it very easy to avoid false fits. I won't be avoiding Buffalo, as I still find the slightly loose fit and overall level of quality perfectly acceptable for the price point, but this puzzle served as a reminder to be vigilant of the difference between a pretty puzzle and a fun puzzle in the future! A challenging design can be fun, but you have to be able to trust the puzzle itself not to throw in an additional handicap that turns it into tedium.

Rant Review: Rockefeller Center Joy 1,000 Pieces Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Pierpaolo Rivero)

This Rockefeller Center scene is my first Xmas-themed puzzle of the season, following the winter-themed one I did a few days earlier. The jovial mood is captured very well by the artist, and there are nice little scenes playing out all across the ice. I knew that tree was bound to be the toughest part of the entire puzzle, and it damn sure was! A few false fits certainly didn't help matters any. It's a good thing the tree only takes up a relatively small amount of space! After knocking it out, the buildings, which normally might have posed a bit of a challenge, were a joy to put together! 

The quality is more less typical of other recently-produced Ravenburgers I've done, with a slightly loose fit. The actual piece quality is as good as expected, though there seemed to be more dust than usual. Even after two siftings, there was still a noticeable amount remaining. I'm beginning to think Ravensburger has someone at the factory specifically to toss in an extra handful of dust before the box is sealed! The typical lack of poster is normally not an issue for me, as I rarely use them, but one would have been appreciated with this one. Still, I enjoyed putting it together, even as I cursed that tree a couple of times. I have more than a dozen winter and holiday-themed puzzles to do, so on to the next!  

Rant Review: Music in Montreal 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Eeboo, art by Caroline Bonne Müller)

Eeboo is new-to-me brand. They've been on my radar for awhile, and seem like a good company I would like to support. I grabbed this on sale a couple of months ago, and decided to use it to commence my winter and holiday-themed puzzles! I quite like the scene depicted here, though I do worry for the trumpet player's lips. Those mouthpieces are awfully cold in this sort of weather! The art style is nice and colorful, and the overall vibe is festive and inviting. The difficulty is about average, perhaps a bit easier. After completing the border-- I think it's worth pointing out that this is only the third time I've pulled every edge piece during my initial sort, which was quite nice-- I started putting the musicians together. This was pretty easy, and once they were done, the rest filled in rather quickly. Based on the art alone, this puzzle was a hit!

Unfortunately, the quality was subpar. Many pieces were damaged, with bent and/or splitting pegs. It's pretty normal to run across a few such pieces, but there were dozens of damaged pieces, and this was a brand new puzzle. I'm also not a fan of the super glossy finish. The back also has a coating to increase sturdiness. I've heard Eeboo's pieces described as having a greasy feel before, which seemed an odd description to me, but I now see what they meant. I don't hold this against Eeboo, however, as what sort of finish you like is purely a matter of preference. The fit was good, with few false fits, and completed sections held together well. There was practically no dust! 

A poster the size of the box is included, and while I rarely use these, it's always a nice inclusion. There is also a QR code for an artist-selected playlist, though I can't personally attest to its quality. (It requires a Spotify account, and I wasn't inclined to sign up just for this.) It's a neat inclusion, nevertheless! I have two more Eeboo puzzles, and I'll be getting to them eventually. I'm hoping that the QC issues I experienced with this one were just a bit of bad luck.

Rant Review: Forsythia 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Bonjour! Buffalo Games, art by Bente Schlick)

I saw this in a Reddit post a couple of weeks ago, and immediately had to have it! As luck would have it, I was able to find and order one on sale for $6 within minutes. (It's still on sale as I type this! Go get it!) The art is beautiful, most definitely frame-worthy! It took significantly longer to assemble than I expected, as all the foliage wound up as little blobs of color on each puzzle piece. I knew going in that the flowers and grasses would be the most difficult part of the puzzle by a wide margin, but it was a good bit harder than I anticipated. This is easily the longest it's ever taken me to put together a 500 piecer, but the end result is well-worth it! I'll be keeping an eye out for other puzzles featuring Schlick's art in the future.

The quality is pretty much as expected from Buffalo, with thin, sturdy pieces that fit together well. I had no trouble with false fits, and there was little dust. The only QC issue I encountered was an assortment of uncut pieces, maybe a dozen or so altogether, that were still hanging together in pairs. Not a big deal, especially for the rock-bottom price. I had no trouble separating the puzzle into sections for easy reassembly later on, whenever I decide to frame & hang it. The puzzle hung together at least as well as a typical Ravensburger, and that's all I ask! A poster is included, and also features a brief bio of the artist. 

Rant Review: Look Out, Little Pigs! 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Dean MacAdam)

This was a pretty simple and straightforward puzzle. The only tricky parts were the apple-laden tree branches and the Big Bad Wolf's engine of destruction, and even those came together quickly once a few key pieces were placed. This is the first of MacAdam's puzzles I've done, though I've had a couple of them for awhile. The art is varied enough that I didn't feel the need to do any real sorting beyond pulling out the edge pieces. From there, it was easy enough to simply pull most of the pieces from any given section-- brick house, tree branches, stick house, etc.-- as I went through my trays that further sorting felt unnecessary. I quite like the art, but should note that the piece with the middle pig's open mouth and his little pointy teeth was oddly creepy. Its rendering is unlike his two brothers, and there's just something unsettling about coming across an extreme closeup of it when shuffling pieces around. I was glad to place it and be done with it! 😂

Rant Review: Ophelia 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Buffalo Games, art by Laura El)

 

I don't often do puzzles smaller than 500 pieces, but when I ran across this in Target a couple of weeks ago, I simply couldn't leave it behind! I love the art style and the whole vibe of the piece. At only 300 pieces, and large pieces at that, it was dead easy to complete, but an enjoyable puzzling experience all the same. It served as a perfect buffer between the frenetic Flash puzzle I had just completed and the very busy puzzle I have on deck next. The quality is typical of Buffalo, i.e. not amazing but decent, and perfectly acceptable for a cheap puzzle from a big-box retailer. The large pieces are thin and sturdy, fit together well with no false fits, and there was very little dust. A poster is included. I rarely refer to a poster when doing a puzzle, but it's always nice to have the option! I know Buffalo's glued boxes are divisive, but I just slip my box cutter blade into the seam and run it around the box, and it opens it with no damage. It's not ideal packaging, but I've got no issues with it at this price point. 

On a semi-related note, I noticed after getting this that a puzzle I've had on my wishlist for a while now features art by the same artist. After enjoying this one so much, I may need to go ahead and pull the trigger on that one soon!

DC Collector's Edition: The Flash 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger)

I found out about these Ravensburger puzzles featuring DC superheroes recently, and slapped price watches on several of them so I could grab them when they went on sale. Looking them all over, I may have peaked with my first puzzle from the set, as this one may well be the best of the bunch! The Flash is the coolest of all superheroes; he's not my number one favorite, and he may not be yours, but I maintain that he is the coolest, regardless. The selection of characters makes for a vivid and interesting image, and the rendering of the Flash as he zips around faster than the eye can follow will be familiar to anyone who has read the source material. 

The pieces seemed a bit softer, and the fit a bit looser, than usual. Not enough to really ding the quality, but it was noticeable. The art is varied enough that it was generally easy to figure out where most pieces went, though it was easy to get some pieces of Grodd and the Black Flash mixed up. The Flash himself gave me the most trouble. All of the linework and cross-hatching made for a rather confusing jumble of pieces, so I found it easiest to simply set those pieces aside and assemble them last. 

This puzzle took me a bit longer than I expected, but I really enjoyed it. I'd like to see another one set at the Flash museum, featuring Wally instead of Barry, with a different assortment of rogues. Keep some of the most iconic ones such as Grodd and Mirror Master, but mix things up by adding villains such as Dr. Polaris, Girder, and Magenta, and replace Reverse Flash with the uber-creepy Zoom. I have no idea how likely that is, but I would definitely buy it. I wouldn't even wait for a sale! 

I spent some time trying to figure out who the artist was, but came up empty. There is no artist credited on the box, and I could find no credits anywhere online. There are areas where the inking style looks like Kevin Knowlan, but not consistently enough for me to be certain. While I wait for the rest of these puzzles to go on sale, I have another in the series that I snagged the day after this one. I'll be getting to it soon! 

Rant Review: The Mystic Maze 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Magic Puzzle Company, art by Boya Sun)

 Be aware that there are spoilers ahead for the final version of the puzzle! 

Magic Puzzle Company has been talked up quite a bit, and I'd been looking forward to doing one for some time now. It turned out that a recent Target sale that pretty much allowed me to get two for the price of one netted me my first pair of them! I've seen numerous people claim that MPC puzzles are the best they've ever done, enthusing about their quality and creativity. It was quite a lot to live up to, and I was a bit apprehensive that the experience might be a bit of a letdown after so much hype. 

I was immediately impressed by the quality. The packaging was well-designed and sturdy, the pieces contained within resealable envelopes. One of these cautioned that it was only to be opened after the puzzle was assembled. I'd avoided all discussion about MPC puzzles apart from general comments about quality, so I had no idea what to expect from this. I set it aside and dumped the pieces from the main envelope into the box top for sorting, and set about my work. I wound up not actually sorting much, and mostly kept all the pieces together. I separated out the edge pieces, some of which were clearly intended to go within the puzzle's interior, and the various oddly-shaped pieces into their own tray. I grabbed one of the two included posters to help begin assembly, and things went fairly quickly from there. The art has a simple style that belies the complexity of the overall design, and I greatly enjoyed taking in the details as I pieced it together. The scene depicting the hero weeping as he is forced to kill a monster struck a chord with me, as someone who has been in situations in which I had to hurt another person to prevent greater harm. Regardless of circumstances, hurting someone else hurts you as well. There are many notable scenes depicted throughout the puzzle art, but this one held a particular poignancy. 

Once the puzzle was assembled, I opened the secret envelope. Two more envelopes had to be opened to access the secret pieces, so there is definitely no possibility of seeing them by mistake! I knew by now that sections of the puzzle would need to be shifted around, and a sheet was included to show exactly which ones needed to go where. It was pretty obvious which ones needed to be relocated simply from looking at the art, but the sheet is a nice inclusion to ensure that anyone who does the puzzle will have a helping hand if they need it. Shifting these sections created an opening in the center of the puzzle, in which the portal is to be built. There is no reference image here, so box-peekers like me may find it a tad tedious to begin with, but the shape of the opening makes it easy to pick out the edge pieces. The art on those pieces gives you the clues you need to hit the ground running from there. 

The overall experience was a lot of fun, and almost completely lived up to the brand's hype. The box promises no puzzle dust, and while there is a tiny bit, it's about as close to "no dust" as is likely possible. (Seriously, it's about the amount of dust you get from five Ravensburger pieces!) The pieces are my favorites I've ever encountered, and were a joy to work with as I assembled the puzzle. My one gripe is that the fit of the pieces was rather loose. Given that the interior sections that need to be shifted around have their own edges, the loose fit is not necessary for the secret section. On the contrary, the loose fit makes it more difficult to move those sections without them crumbling! Given MPC's attention to detail in every other aspect of quality, I can only assume that this must have been a conscious decision. I really have no idea why they decided on such loose-fitting pieces. It doesn't ruin the puzzle or anything, though it can be a bit annoying at times. It certainly won't prevent me from doing more of their puzzles in the future!

Rant Review: Hammer: House of Horror- The Mummy 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Aquarius, art by Joseph Smith)

I enjoyed the puzzle montage of classic Hammer horror movie posters I did last year, so I've had the trio of smaller puzzles featuring some individual posters from that montage for some time now. I saw this for an irresistible price last week! While this poster isn't a patch on the poster art for the 1932 Karloff-starring Universal original, it's quite moody and atmospheric, with a striking image offset by bold, colorful lettering and the requisite recoiling actress. Aquarius have cropped out the bottom chunk of the poster, so the credits (along with a sizeable portion of the actress) are missing. 

Putting this puzzle together unfolded pretty much as I expected: everything went together quickly and easily except for the titular mummy and the dark sky behind him. The highlighted areas of the mummy went together fairly easily and served as a staging ground, and from there, it was a matter of buckling down and brute-forcing my way through all those dark pieces. This was made slightly more difficult than it should have been due to all the false fits. 

It had been awhile since I'd done an Aquarius puzzle, and I'd forgotten how loose the fit tends to be with their pieces. The wonky piece shapes alleviated this somewhat, giving fewer possibilities for false fits than would otherwise be the case, but it still led to some annoyance. Pieces were very glossy, and several were bent or otherwise damaged right out of the box. On the positive side, there was not very much puzzle dust. Given that their puzzles routinely cost about the same as puzzles of comparable size from companies such as Ravensburger and Galison, this is not really up to snuff with the level of quality I expect for the MSRP. For the sale price I paid, however, it's pretty much in line with what I'd expect. If you enjoy these movies, or just like the art, these puzzles are definitely worth getting. Just be prepared for glossy and rather loose-fitting pieces. 

Rant Review: Peace 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Michael David Ward)

I recently grabbed a few smaller puzzles from Ravensburger's Puzzle Moments line to serve as palette cleansers between larger puzzles, and this is the first of those I tackled. I really like the serene, colorful art, and while there are areas that would be a challenge in a larger size, at 300 pieces, it all just flew together. The quality was on par with the Ravensburger I did last week, though there was much less dust owing to the much smaller size. I can definitely see myself picking up more of these in the future!