I will be reviewing two of the company's wooden models, a Biplane and the Himeji Castle, both quite complex models with lots of pieces, especially the castle. I'll start by describing the Biplane, then continuing with the Himeji Castle.

Biplane

The Biplane comes in a recyclable paper envelope - another proof of how environmental conscious the company is - and inside you'll find three wooden panels with all the pieces neatly arranged and pre-cut for your convenience. This process requires a somewhat careful approach, as many of the pieces are small and fragile, and you may end up breaking them if you don't push them out gently. Thinking of that possibility, the manufacturer made sure to include a few spare parts, the ones that are most likely to break in the assembly process.

After you have finished your model, it makes for a great decorative object in a shelf or a desk. The propeller in the Biplane actually works if you spin it. The finished model measures about 18.1cm x 22.9cm x 11.5cm (7.12" x 9" x 4.52").

Himeji Castle

Compared to the Himeji Castle assembly, the Biplane was a walk in the park. If you thought building a biplane would be tricky, wait until you build something this large with a whopping 240 different pieces (including identical series of pieces, the number ascends to 300+), which took me about 6/7 hours to build, in three different sessions. The difficulty level for the castle is 5/5, the highest in the manufacturer scale.

You might be wondering, how accurate is the model of the Himeji Castle when compared with the real thing. Well, I've never visited Japan, so I can't say with 100% certainty, but from what I gathered from several photos of the castle, I found it's actually pretty close in configuration from the real castle, considering it's just a wooden model.

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With a project this size, it's understandable that you feel a bit overwhelmed at first. However, like the Biplane, the instructions are very well made and will make you feel confident as you progress further into the assembling of the castle.

Most pieces are close together (in number) in clusters and are easy to find, but there are a few that are scattered around in different panels. The reason was simply to save space on the panels and have an optimal usage of wood without wasting too much materials. When you push the pieces out of the panels, it is best to keep them laid out in the same configuration as seen from the instructions, for convenience. Sometimes it did took me a while to find a specific piece, especially in the first part of assembly, when most pieces were still unused, but after a while it got easier and easier to find them.

The assembly process is divided in two main parts: The first keeps you responsible for building the perimeter walls around the wooden panel and far side stories; the second part lets you build the higher stories, which will fit nicely with the rest of the model when all is finished. No glue is necessary for the assembly, but you can still use it in some parts, as in some cases the pieces may feel a bit loose, but won't actually fall off.

A nice finishing touch that you might find interesting is to paint the completed model. Painting before assembly would be impractical, though, since the paint could make the joints thicker or make the pieces swell, thus rendering it impossible to assemble. Since I don't have any painting skills, I better leave it with its natural look, which is rather nice, as well.

Closing Comments:

The two 3D models by Team Green were quite a joy to build. These puzzles are very fun and easy to do, even if you've never attempted to build 3D models before. While it took me a while to build them, especially the castle, I found the experience quite rewarding. To see the final model completed is indeed a great feeling, after so much time building it.

Availability: You can explore the Green Team website at GreenTaNet.com, and find all kinds of models. With animals, buildings and other interesting objects, I'm sure you'll find something to like here.

Gallery (Assembly Process):

Biplane









Himeji Castle

This is a really good looking puzzle from Creative Crafthouse, very well made and beautifully presented in a nice wooden tray. The Cigar Nub Challenge is a clean and safe puzzle for smokers and non-smokers alike, can be offered to a cigar lover or simply as a gift to yourself to enjoy a good and fun challenge.

The Cigar puzzle is actually the same as the Lox in Box, but with a different theme. This was something I overlooked when I first saw this puzzle, as it looked like any other packing puzzle. The way it was presented was enough to pass it for another kind of puzzle. But since I'm a collector and I like puzzles, I didn't mind much after all ending up with two identical puzzles. They have different enough designs to still be worth a purchase. Below, you can see the two versions of the same puzzle.

The goal of the Cigar Nub Challenge is to find a way to pack the extra wooden piece inside the rectangular frame, with the other seven pieces. The puzzle comes in its unsolved state, with the extra piece packed in its own slot. When solved, no empty spaces shall remain in the tray.

The puzzle is made from two types of wood, cherry for the light-colored pieces and walnut for the dark-toned pieces. All the pieces are laser-cut to fit with precision in the frame, and the tray itself is made from plywood. The company logo is nicely placed in the corner of the tray, with the name of the puzzle engraved at the bottom.

Since I already knew how to solve this puzzle - which I found out almost right away when I first attempted to solve it - it didn't offer much challenge. I also think the dark pieces give away too much of the solution. I understand that aesthetically it looks better with the contrasting colors, but it makes the puzzle too easy to figure out.

Closing Comments:

The Cigar Nub Challenge is definitely not a difficulty level 8/10, as it's described in PuzzleMaster's website. Even though I knew the solution I think it's at best a 6/10, since most experienced puzzlers will quickly solve this one due to the color choices. But whoever rated it already knew the solution as well... Nevertheless, I think the puzzle is a great gift to a puzzle lover or as mentioned above, a cigar lover.

Availability: You can find the Cigar Nub Challenge at PuzzleMaster for $17.99 CAD. The see other puzzles by Creative Crafthouse, click here.

Are you fascinated by all things Da Vinci? Do you like the feeling of searching for clues and decipher codes? Do you like to present your family and friends always with something unique and intriguing? Well, then the Puzzle Pod Cryptex might be the perfect choice for you. I've seen all kinds of puzzles that can store gifts inside: 3D Mazes, Puzzle Boxes, but this one is yet another interesting and fun way to surprise a loved one.

The Puzzle Pod is essentially a custom puzzle. In other words, you make the puzzle for someone with a key word and give them clues in order to unlock the pod. It's that simple, but quite ingenious and original. You can use it pretty much for any kind of gift or to keep other things locked from others. It also functions as a coin bank.

The mechanism of the pod is very simple to understand and resetting to any 5-letter word you want, but a step by step guide is included with the puzzle. When you set the pod to a new word, it unlocks by aligning all five rings in the direction below the arrow (raised marker) at the base of the pod. Here lies the essence of the puzzle. It's up to you to create all the clues necessary for the other person to discover the secret word. You can set up a whole game of adventure around it. There's no limit to what your imagination can come up with.

Inside the pod, you can put any kind of object large enough to pass through the opening, which measures 7cm (2.76") and that isn't bigger than 19.7cm (7.76"). The pod is made from clear plastic, not actual glass. There is also another version of this puzzle for wine lovers, which locks a bottle of wine or liquor, although there are restrictions to the size of the bottle - most standard 750ml bottles will do.

Closing Comments:

The Puzzle Pod Cryptex is a great way to get a gift to someone who has everything. It's an original way to get your friends and family involved and engaged in a fun activity, and make any special moment memorable.

Availability: The Puzzle Pod Cryptex is available at Brilliant Puzzles for $29.95 USD. You can also get the Vino Vault here.

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What surprised me first about the design of the Cast Galaxy was its actual size. From the pictures it looked a bit bigger, but when I first looked at it in person, I was a bit disappointed by its small size. I guess I was expecting it to be at least 10% bigger, since there are other bigger Cast Puzzles, and it would look fantastic just a tad bigger.

Nevertheless, despite the size, the puzzle looks gorgeous. I love astronomy and anything space-related, so combining two of my favorite subjects is just amazing. The Cast Galaxy was designed by Bram Cohen, who also created the Cast Marble and Cast Rattle. The theme for the Galaxy is "Knot". Are you prepared to untie this one?

The Galaxy consists of two pairs of identical pieces, as each pair has its ends cut at different angles. Other than that, the pieces are pretty much the same. The pieces are shaped like hooks and in its initial state it forms a symmetrical shape in the form of a spiral galaxy, its arms extending outwards. The puzzle is coated with a silver finish, but I would've liked to see contrasting colors. Like any other Cast Puzzle, your task is to take the puzzle apart and put it back together. Rated as a level 3/6, this should probably be a walk in the park, no?

Well, the first part of the puzzle - taking it apart - is not that difficulty, since the pieces move and slide quite easily. While it looks like it might come apart in a random fashion, or chaotic if you like, the solving process is actually something you have to do orderly and simultaneously with all four pieces. If you're familiar with the concept of coordinate-motion, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Even though you have to perform the exact same steps for taking it apart and putting it back together, the second part of your task is curiously much harder, because it's difficult to get all four pieces to move at the same time. I reckon I must've taken 10 times longer to put it back to its original state. It's all about dexterity and good hand-eye coordination. You know what you have to do, but your hands refuse to cooperate. After several successful attempts, I can now do it effortlessly. You see, practice makes perfect...

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The Cast Galaxy is not a difficult puzzle at all, but it challenges your motor skills like no other Cast Puzzle. The solution is not that complex like other Hamayama puzzles, but its symmetry and simplicity are rather beautiful, and for that, the Galaxy is now one of my favorites from the Cast family.

Availability: To get a copy of the Cast Galaxy, or any other puzzle in the Cast Series, visit PuzzlesdeIngenio.com.

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Built in the shape of a keyhole, the puzzle is basically a 3D maze comprised of two intertwined pieces that should be separated and then rejoined in their original position. Rated by Hanayama as a level 4/6, you will face a nice challenge with the Cast Keyhole, even though it never gets frustrating enough to give up on it.

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Beautifully made in two contrasting colors, silver and gold, as done many times with other Cast Puzzles, the quality, however, is actually even better than previous puzzles, because the thick coating doesn't scratch that easily - a big plus for every Hanayama aficionado. I have a few Cast Puzzles that are heavily scratched because of the quality of the coating applied. I guess Hanayama learned from their mistakes.

The Keyhole is moderately difficult, as any 3D puzzle should be, but with just a little patience it's possible to solve it within 10 minutes on your first attempt. You will encounter several dead-ends as you navigate through the maze by twisting and turning the two pieces. The puzzle is equally difficult to put back together, as the maze is tough to memorize.

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The Cast Keyhole by Vesa Timonen is definitely a great addition to the Hanayama family and a worthy purchase if you like Cast Puzzles. Along with its stunning design, the puzzle also offers a good amount of thinking with its unusual maze.

Availability: I got my Cast Keyhole from PuzzlesdeIngenio.com. Wordwide shipping available. Check out the others in the Cast Series.

Twisty Puzzles - I love to collect them, but as much as I'd want it, I'm not very good at solving them. I can solve a traditional 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube with some algorithms, a 2x2x2, of course, and maybe a few more variants that are similar in difficulty, but that's it. When things get more complex, though, I just like to admire them for what they are and won't dare venture further.

This, unfortunately for me, is the case with Justin Eplett's Pocket Cube - 4 Color Edition. Am I disappointed for it? Of course not. The puzzle looks gorgeous, despite the fact that it scares me to try and completely scramble it - It could become unsolved forever, and I don't want that...

The Pocket Cube is a perfect example of "looks can be deceiving". At first glance, it looks like a regular 2x2x2 puzzle with a smaller cube fused within one of its corner pieces. The reality, however, is that the puzzle is far from a simple 2x2x2. It's actually a 3x3x3 puzzle disguised with bandaged corner pieces. The puzzle also shape-shits in other unusual forms by simply turning and rotating it a few times on its axis.

This puzzle is yet another great Twisty Puzzle manufactured by Meffert's in collaboration with the original designer, here beautifully made with purple stickers for the main cube and blue green yellow for the smaller cubies. It turns very well, but with a little bit of lube it might be even better for speedcubing. The Pocket Cube can be solved into different states, so for better or for worse, there's lots of different solutions for you to try. As for me, I'll just keep it on my Twisty Puzzle shelves to keep the others company.

Closing Comments:

The Pocket Cube is a great addition to any Twisty Puzzle collection, whether you can solve it or not. If I were to get only puzzles that I could solve, I would have only a fraction of my current collection. It does look stunning among the others and really stands out.

Availability: You can get a copy of Justin's Pocket Cube at PuzzleMaster for about $20 CAD. Click here for other Meffert's puzzles.

Role playing is part of our childhood. We all have done it in the past, but as we grow up we forget how fun these activities were...Until we get an excuse to let the kid in us run free and explore other possibilities. Cops and Robbers has always been a popular choice when it comes to imagining a different reality, and Raf Peeters, once again, succeeds in delivering a great game made by SmartGames.

Road Block is a packing puzzle with a twist, where a seemingly possible arrangement might not always be the correct solution. It's up to you to use logic and strategy to find a way to block all escape routes of the gangster's car and become the smartest policeman in town. Are you up for this demanding task, Officer?

The goal of the game is quite simple to understand, but it can get pretty tough as you advance to ever-more difficult challenges. Road Block consists of 11 pieces, although only six are part of the challenge itself. In other words, you will only be moving the six pieces with police cars in order to solve each challenge.

You start by rearranging the building blocks into the corresponding places as shown on the game booklet and position the red car in its starting spot. The real challenge begins next, as you try to pack all the six pieces with police cars in the remaining empty spaces. You have to use all six pieces, even if you think the red car is already blocked with four or five pieces.

I found that placing all the pieces in the game board isn't the most difficult part - That's easy, as there are countless ways to do it. The pieces are shaped as known polyominoes, as used in other packing puzzles, with a mixture of Trominoes and Tetrominoes. The challenge, however, lies in finding a way to use those pieces in an efficient manner to block all exits for the red car. There is only one solution in each challenge, which complicates things on the harder difficulty levels.

The game can be quite challenging, but I reckon the difficulty levels can be deceiving. There were several times when I spent more time on a supposedly easier challenge than on a harder one. It depends greatly on how you tackle each challenge, and how lucky you are to find the correct solution earlier. But, as pointed out in the game booklet, you shouldn't go at it head-on by trying to pack the pieces right away. Stop > Think > Plan > Execute. And you'll be able to solve any of the 60 challenges.

Closing Comments:

Road Block, just like many others from SmartGames, brings something new to the logic game scene. Taking a simple packing puzzle and transform into a whole theme takes vision and creativity, and deserves recognition for what it accomplishes - To have an excuse to play Cops and Robbers, whether you're a 9 or a 31 year-old kid, like me...

Availability: To get a copy of Road Block by SmartGames, you can visit Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or any other Amazon website near you.

Links:

SmartGames Official Website

The Babylon Tower, the Missing Link, the Whip-It...What do they all have in common? Why, they were all released in the same year, of course, in 1981 - The golden age of the Rubik's Cube. Ever since then, countless variations were made, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, some of them were pretty good, others, should've never seen the light of day... Unfortunately, the Circular Bean Tower by Muzi (a.k.a Capuzle), belongs in the latter group, but keep reading to find out why.

The design of the Circular Bean Tower is nothing short of ambitious: comprised by twelve columns and five rotating discs, for a whopping 60 beans total, you can be sure to have a huge challenge on your hands. To get an idea of the sheer size of the Capuzle, the original Babylon Tower had six columns with six rows, which added up to a total of only 36 balls. In theory, the difficulty is about twice as hard, but add the fact of the poor movement of the puzzle and that adds up to an infinite amount of frustration.

The goal of the puzzle is similar to any cylindrical sliding puzzle: remove the purple bean with a star and with the empty space you'll be able to mix the puzzle by rotating any of the five discs back and forth, and moving the beans up or down the columns. When you feel the puzzle is well mixed, try to get each column with a single color.

The problem with this puzzle is its movement, which is very stiff. The rotating discs move relatively easy, but trying to get the beans up or down the columns is a major headache. Some beans can move effortlessly, but most of them get stuck and you need to apply a generous dose of force. Now, clearly the puzzle was not very well though-out, or the quality of the materials is subpar, or both. I can still give it the benefit of the doubt, as my copy could've been a faulty sample, but I'm sure there's more copies out there like mine and if so, let me know your experiences with this puzzle. As you can expect, I didn't spend much time playing with this puzzle, because it's basically impossible to find the patience and work around a stiff mechanism.

Closing Comments:

I really wanted to like the Capuzle, because the design is very interesting and ambitious, but the poor mechanism eliminates all the fun out of it. Had the mechanism been functioning 100%, it could've been one of my favorite sliding puzzles. As for now, it will just be another puzzle taking up shelf space.

Availability: The Circular Bean Tower is available at PuzzleMaster for $11 CAD.

If you're an avid puzzle collector, like myself, you're bound to come upon similar concepts and ideas over the years, albeit sometimes presented with a different design, but still the general idea is there. This is exactly what the designer of the Caged Golf Ball - unknown to me - did. Is it worth it even if you already own a similar puzzle? Read on to find out.

The Caged Golf Ball, as the name suggests, has a trapped golf ball enclosed between four wooden bars, apparently making it impossible to remove the ball, unless some kind of trick is to be performed. This is partly true, however it's not a trick per se, but a well known and simple force of physics that will certainly amaze anyone.

The puzzle is made from monkeypod wood, a common type of wood used in more affordable puzzles, but don't be fooled by its low price tag. To be honest, I really like this kind of wood. It has this pleasant smell that will perfume any cupboard you put it in, and for an affordable type of wood, it gives a nice quality to the puzzle without appearing too cheap. It measures 10cm x 7.6cm (4" x 3").

Without revealing too much about the solution of the puzzle, which can be quite challenging for a casual puzzler, I can give you a hint that its principle is similar to a well-known Hanayama puzzle, the Cast News. If you haven't solved it yet, well, then I recommend starting with the Hanayama puzzle, since it's easier to perform the required moves, because it's made of metal.

The wooden mechanism, as it's expected, doesn't work flawlessly, and even if you're doing the right moves, it may still prove inefficient. If you think you're doing the correct movement, keep at it and eventually you will unlock the mechanism and reveal the secret of the Caged Golf Ball. The difficulty of the puzzle is rated as a level 2/5, and this is true if you're an experienced puzzler, but if you're not, it can be as challenging as a level 4/5.

Closing Comments:

The perfect gift for a golf aficionado, the Caged Golf Ball can still be a great challenge for anyone interested in puzzles. Responding to the question above, yes, if you're a puzzle collector it's really worth getting this puzzle for its original and unique design, but if you know the basic principle behind it from other puzzles, or you're not into golf, then it's up to you, since it won't give you a proper challenge.

Availability: As of the time of writing this review, the Caged Golf Ball is currently out of stock at Brilliant Puzzles. However, if you still want to check out other golf related puzzles, there's a few options available here.