Update 23 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com
Note: Most puzzlers would have received their Christmas presents by now, however, in order not to reveal any spoilers, there will be no photo(s) of the solved puzzle posted here. Instead there is a password protected link further down the page for you to click on should you wish to see them.
Name
Bean Bag Drawer 2. This is the actual name as stated on a card which came inside the packaging.
Designer
Hiroshi Iwahara
Type & Classification
Trick Opening Puzzle Box
Dimensions
13.5cm x 9.5cm x 9.5cm (the largest of the Christmas presents this year)
Materials & Construction
Combination of at least 4 different woods including what appears to be cherry and maple More information once the solution/specs are sent to me early 2016. Construction fit and finish is excellent.
Overview
To find the hidden compartment. Multiple moves (can't give the exact number at this moment as not fully solved) required to open the box.
Solution
WARNING: The link here shows the partially solved state of the puzzle. Password - hiwahara
There are spoilers. DO NOT click on the link if you do not wish to see it.
Difficulty Level
I only managed to solve this puzzle partially. There are two stages and the second has eluded me so far, despite getting some hints from Otis Cheng. Like Iwahara's 2014 present Confetto Box 2, which I solved halfway (without realizing there was more), the Bean Bag Drawer 2 surpasses its 2014 cousin in terms of difficulty. This latest present appears very difficult, for me definitely... not merely by Christmas Presents standard but also measured against other puzzle boxes I gave played with in general. But it seems that quite a few puzzlers have managed to get this one solved!
Summary
This is my second puzzle from Iwahara and certainly won't be my last. From what I can tell, the general consensus is that Iwahawa designs are clear favorites among puzzlers who go for Karakuri presents (alongside Kamei puzzles). A large and great looking puzzle box which displays beautifully.
For information on Karakuri Christmas Presents generally, please click here.
Update 23 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com
A Very Happy New Year everyone!
Here's my first post for 2015...on my fourth and last Karakuri Christmas present which I received a couple of weeks back last Christmas.
This puzzle box was designed and made by Hiroshi Iwahara from the Karakuri Creation Group.
This box is made (most likely) from Walnut with a different (unidentifiable) wood for the internals. There are also a number of steel parts (rods) inside the puzzle. Nothing more to add about its quality and construction other than its excellently made with very tight tolerances throughout. Everything moves and slides smoothly as intended.
This first three presents (see my last three blog posts) were very easy to solve, including #2 the "New Parcel Cube" from Akio Kamei, which was the hardest of the three. The Confetto Box here surpasses the previous three in terms of difficulty. In fact when I first played with it for the first few minutes...I said to myself...hmm, this one looks like a tough one!
The goal of this puzzle is to slide the side panels of the box (partially) open, as shown in the photo. To do this, the first moving panel needs to be found, which I did, after a bit of pushing here and there on all the sides. Thereafter I slowly discovered the rest, but not without some experimentation (and difficulty) especially for the first couple of panels.
In a way its similar to a traditional multiple-moves Japanese puzzle box. However, Iwahara's box is different in that there is greater (and more subtle) "interaction" between the panels, facilitated by the internal mechanism, which makes this puzzle not that easy. It takes a bit to understand how the puzzle is suppose to work. I am still not too sure how the internal mechanism functions (although I have a vague idea) as only a glimmer of the insides is visible. Peeking in, all I can tell is that it looks pretty intricate.
And unlike the more typical traditional box, there is also no internal space or cavity (for storage of small items) to be found as none of the panels on the Confetto box can slide more than a quarter open. It would appear the box was intended solely as a puzzle. Well, unless I am way off tangent here, the solved state of the puzzle is the one as shown in the photo above.
If anyone who owns this box knows otherwise and has managed to go beyond this stage, please PM me.
[Edit 1st Jan 2015 - Apparently what I have solved above is only half the solution to the Confetto Box 2. Peter Hajek had emailed me after reading my post to say he had reached the stage I was at and that he believed there was a hidden compartment in the Box. A short while later, he emailed again to let me know he had solved the Box fully. He very kindly gave me some instructions and following them, I also managed to solve it.
The Confetto Box 2 is much more difficult than anticipated and is definitely the hardest of my four presents. Just look at the intricate and complicated internals and you can see the work and craftsmanship that went into the puzzle. A really great puzzle box. For the price, also a lot of puzzling and value for money]
