311 piece wooden puzzle, "Plum Blossoms" by Ito Jakuchu; Artifact Puzzles, USA.
I could tell immediately after dumping out the pieces that this one was going to be a challenge. The monochromatic background and maze-like twists of branches of this plum tree, along with what turned out to be another irregular border (a feature I love), gave me no easy places to start.
What fascinated me the most about the puzzle was that the piece shapes were very elaborate, yet by and large featured knobs and holes that fit together without any splits or other tricks. I had assumed that tendrils or tessellating patterns would be much harder, but this shows that (with a really tough image) a more traditional piece shape can still be really hard. I can't say that this was the most fun puzzle of the bunch, as the image is pretty boring, but I got the challenge I was looking for. I also think I'll keep this one together for the time being, as I lending it out to beginner puzzlers may not be a good way of making friends.
Completed in 5 hr., 41 mins. with no box reference. 65.8 secs./piece; 55.4 pcs./hr. Difficulty rating: 6.6/10.
311 piece wooden puzzle, "Plum Blossoms" by Ito Jakuchu; Artifact Puzzles, USA.
I could tell immediately after dumping out the pieces that this one was going to be a challenge. The monochromatic background and maze-like twists of branches of this plum tree, along with what turned out to be another irregular border (a feature I love), gave me no easy places to start.
What fascinated me the most about the puzzle was that the piece shapes were very elaborate, yet by and large featured knobs and holes that fit together without any splits or other tricks. I had assumed that tendrils or tessellating patterns would be much harder, but this shows that (with a really tough image) a more traditional piece shape can still be really hard. I can't say that this was the most fun puzzle of the bunch, as the image is pretty boring, but I got the challenge I was looking for. I also think I'll keep this one together for the time being, as I lending it out to beginner puzzlers may not be a good way of making friends.
Completed in 5 hr., 41 mins. with no box reference. 65.8 secs./piece; 55.4 pcs./hr. Difficulty rating: 6.6/10.