I do wooden jigsaw puzzles and take pictures of them.
FoxSmartBox, 439 pieces. Nicely detailed themed whimsies, which are very much FoxSmartBox's strength, though prices are drifting up so it's not much of a deal v. Liberty. Still I'll probably keep buying them for the variety. 3/5
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| These were supposed to be flipped but I guess it's an upside down tea party |
Basis, 148 pieces. Detailed, unique connectors in this four-color map puzzle provide visual interest, but render it fairly simple to do overall. I liked the variation. 3/5
Stave, approx. 70 pieces. Charming Teaser with a lot of spaces that look like they should interlock but don't. 7/10
Nautilus, 539 pieces. Fairly standard spiky-leaves-like Nautilus cut with a nice underlying image whose variations eventually appear after you stare at the pieces long enough. 3/5
DaVici, 210 pieces. Charming and fun as usual, but I gotta say--clearly the whimsies are mostly mom-and-child because that makes for cuter whimsies, but in the Noah's Ark context ... it is greatly disturbing. I mean, a breeding pair is bad enough as a bottleneck! 3/5
Stave, approx. 60 pieces. Tiny but cute, with a little bit of difficulty because the feathers are all similar in color. 6/10
Unidragon, 1000 pieces. Disclosure: I received this and another from their new line for free, in return for a review. It's certainly possible that this affected my judgment, but I'm very happy with this puzzle and, if they keep this kind of design, they've probably outpaced Wentworth in my judgment. I've never been super fond of heavily engraved whimsies, and this one doesn't have that. Instead, it has texture based on the image--the pictures don't show it well, but if you run your finger over the completed puzzle you can definitely feel it, and the last picture shows that there are both glossy and matte portions on the image, which is neat. The border has geometric pieces/connectors, transitioning to curvier styles in the rest of the puzzle. The printing is good--no laser-darkening problems with the white sky.
The closeup on the multi-piece candelabra and partially interrupted horse shows what are probably chips in a couple of places, but you can also see that the fine details have been preserved in the birds around. Overall a big step up for Unidragon (I confess I have also tired of "multicolored animals" after doing so many during the pandemic and I'm happy they're continuing to expand beyond those). 4/5
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| lots of pieces |
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| I was hoping this closeup would show the texture but I don't think it does |
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| but you might be able to see a little texture in the reflection off the glossy bit in the middle bottom |
Liberty, 607 pieces. This shaped Liberty is quite a challenge with all the subtly varying greens and some elaborate multipiece whimsies. Even a non-Christmas-lover like me can likely find something to enjoy. 4/5
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| some color-line-like cutting--there are several other candles like this |
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| good dog |
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| interacting/multipiece whimsies |
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| stockings, fireplace, cat; little girl holding teddy bear just out of frame |
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| full tree with lights |
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| robot |
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| rocket and dinosaur! |
Waterford, 346 pieces. Nice traditional theme with good colors. 6/10
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| one-handed flip |
Liberty, 419 pieces. There's a cute bonus puzzle here, a first for Libertys I've encountered. The puzzle itself is difficult because of the darkness outside the words and jaws/claws of the beast--it would have been easier to flip the puzzle over and do it on shape alone after those were done. I did not make the 3D alternate solution because I saw someone say it was hard to get to stay together and that's not the fun I'm looking for, but overall it was a very good puzzle, with Gorey-specific whimsies evoking the Addams Family. 4/5
