About my ratings

Perhaps because of my day job, I'm a tough rater. Everything 3/5 and above I consider worth the time and money. If I purchase on Etsy or a similar platform and the puzzle is as expected, I will give a top rating on the platform because of how seller ratings work, but here "as expected" is probably a 3/5 in most cases.

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Sir Edward Poynter, Israel in Egypt

 Artifact, 310 pieces. Most notable for unusual dimensions, plus the large thematic pyramid outlined by the pieces. 3/5




closeup on pyramid


Gateway to the Moors, Joe Cornish

 Wentworth, approx. 250. Older puzzle--still MDF though as far as I can tell--with fewer whimsies than modern Wentworth, but more two-piece whimsies. 3/5

Google, why upside down?


two-piece scarecrow

wheat sheaf?

deer



A Day at the Lighthouse

 Carol Ottenberg/Ledgewood Puzzles, 114 pieces. A nice small puzzle with good piece shapes and hand feel. I liked the lobster! 3/5






Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Multi-Season Earth Day, Tim Zeltner

 Waterford, 619 pieces. This makes a good puzzle with areas of color that only slowly become distinguishable during assembly. 6/10





Robert Delaunay, Eiffel Tower

 Artifact, 155 pieces. Charming small image with 3D element. 3/5





Tuesday, June 21, 2022

The Patterns of Life

DaVici, 180 pieces. Standard DaVici construction, with lots of globe-shaped protrusions. 3/5










Ammonite

 Puzzlapy, 98 pieces. Tricky little thing! Nice color variation. 3/5




Cloudy in the AM, Clearing at Night, Edward Kinney

 Waterford, 322 pieces. Another lovely image with unusual proportions. 6/10


plant in pot

ditto




Monday, June 20, 2022

Majestic Monarch

Fathom Puzzles, 200 pieces. This is an extremely promising puzzle from a new maker. The acrylic pieces didn't quite work for me, although they weren't as bad as I feared when I looked at them. The butterfly pieces were varied in ways that did allow me to inspect for fit rather than just trying every single one and hoping for tiny deviations, but I think I would have preferred all-wood construction to make the process a bit less trial-and-error-ish--the shiny acrylic just wasn't as much fun for me. The internal wood pieces often change color slightly so that color is not super helpful in assembly, making this much harder than its size suggests. Recommended for anyone looking for something a bit different and seriously challenging. 4/5




Carl Kahler, My Wife's Lovers

 FoxSmartBox, 350 pieces. Design is clearly a priority with this cutter and they're doing very fun things. I can't say the ones I've done so far hit perfectly for me but I am excited to keep going through their offerings because I enjoy the way they incorporate lots of whimsy-like pieces/repeating elements. 4/5 lots of cats


repeating cat edging

cat and cat-like pieces






Everglades, Edward Kinney

 Waterford, 354 pieces. Great image, fun assembly. 6/10 Stave scale





Thursday, June 16, 2022

Found Love

Zen, 298 pieces. Standard laser strip-cut with some whimsies. The colors were more varied in each stone than you might have thought--as is often the case, juxtaposition can really change from how a color comes off in a single piece to when it is fully assembled. 3/5





Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Portobello Road

 CrowPrints, 288 pieces. A nice image in the CrowPrints style, with strip-cut-ish pieces and a stylized photo turned jewel-like in coloring. 3/5