Cubax / Rastaban

The Cubax and Rastaban puzzles were designed by Turkish designer Yavuz Demirhan in 2013 and made by Pelikan of the Czech Republic. Craftsmanship for both puzzles are superb with excellent fit and finish. 

My copy of the Cubax is made of Maple and Paduak while the Rastaban is fashioned out of Acacia, Maple, Wenge and Paduak. Nice colour contrast for the latter.

Cubax

Rastaban

Both are interlocking puzzles comprising of burr pieces forming their respective shapes. While they look physically very different, I personally found the solve for both puzzles somewhat similar in terms of how the pieces moved and came apart. 

The Cubax has 13 pieces with 16 moves while the Rastaban has 9 but needs 15 moves. The Rastaban is in my view a tad harder. But neither is unduly difficult; recommended for those new to burrs or non-burrist (like me). The moves are also quite easy to remember and the different colours do help.

Beautiful puzzles and great value for money! Should you opt for either or both? Well, really no need to think...as a good and proper puzzler, getting both is a must!

A New Approach

This is my 201st post! 

Wow, how time has flown by since my first puzzle review over 3 years ago. I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all the puzzlers and readers out there who continue to read and support my blog and give me useful comments. 

However, starting from now, I have decided I will keep my blog posts short, concise and to the point, more in the style of a very brief overview of the puzzle rather than a lengthy discourse or review. I intend to try to make this blog more like a catalogue of the puzzles that I own or come my way and to feature as many different ones as I can. Very informal and casual.

It really takes a lot of time (and effort) to take nice photos, edit the photos to make them look sharp, measure the puzzles, do the writing, give comments, rate them, add links/URLs or cross-references, make sure the grammar is all correct etc;  I will still try to take good photos as I think a good picture speaks a thousand words. As for links to profiles of designers, manufacturers, sellers and other stuff, my previous posts will have most of them unless there is someone or something new to add.

This approach will allow me more time for my other interests (eg; music-concert flute, physical exercise) as well as family commitments. 

In the coming weeks, I will be adding photos of puzzles in my collection with brief descriptions and reviews. All puzzle photos will of course be uploaded to my page on Mechanical Puzzles on FaceBook. Of course I may still do a more lengthy post on certain puzzles from time to time, but these would be more the exception than the norm. I don't know how this is going to pan out as I am very used to long ramblings...so we'll have to see. 

And I continue to welcome comments as well as questions on puzzles (whether featured on this blog or elsewhere) and requests for tips and solutions.

See... I have rambled on too long already....

Thank You Very Much and Happy Reading!

Jerry

Egg

Update 24 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

Name
Egg

Designer
Wil Strijbos. For a list of Wil's other puzzle designs, click here.

Manufacturer
Wil Strijbos (under his Streetwise Puzzles label). Priced at 190 Euros each (excl S&H). Please PM me via my Profile email if you wish to contact Wil for availability.  This is a limited edition series and I am not sure if any Eggs are left.

Type & Classification
Sequential movement; trick opening

Dimensions
9.5cm cm (Height) x 7.2cm (Diameter). Weight is 0.5Kg.

Materials & Construction
Aluminium and steel.

The Egg is a large and heavy puzzle. Quality of construction is excellent both externally and internally. Everything is built to fine tolerances. Visually, the Egg sports a very nice unique magenta anodised finish with a matt texture, giving it a distinctive and elegant look. If there was a beauty contest for best looking puzzle, the Egg would definitely rank amongst the top 3 for aesthetics. 

Overview
In a puzzle world where the choice of material for most designers is dominated by either wood or plastic, Wil Strijbos stands out as perhaps the only puzzle designer to use metal (mainly aluminium) to make most of his puzzles. Not just the occasional one now and again, but quite consistently as he churns out several different designs every year (no doubt some are very expensive) but which usually sell out very quickly.  

There is a history about the Egg and how Wil took nearly 30 years to come up with the present Egg puzzle today. In Wil's own words from his newsletter....

See the picture I took (below) when I visited James Dalgety in December 2011. The date on the bottom from the EGG says 1986, so it is now at least 28 years ago that I created this EGG. This first creation will be also in the collection from Jerry Slocum, Dick Hess and in some other collections. 

Maximum production at that time was less then ten. In the 90s last century a company tried to produce the EGG. The result at the end was a broken EGG, too difficult to produce they told me. So when I saw my EGG again in the collection from James Dalgety I decided to give it a try. See the result in the attachment. I’m very proud of the result and I hope you will enjoy playing with it. I’m sure it will be a nice addition to your puzzle collection. 

The object of the Egg is to separate the two halves. Both halves can rotate within certain limits. That's all the feedback one gets when you first handle the Egg. It is obvious there is something holding the two halves together yet allowing limited movement; so the challenge is to figure what this restraining mechanism is and how to release it. 

The Egg is made very challenging by the fact that the mechanism (or trick) is hidden. However, Wil has not made it so hidden that it becomes a pure guess work type puzzle. In fact this is a sequential movement puzzle, meaning that you will need to make the right moves in the correct order to solve the puzzle.

Experienced puzzlers would typically employ some of the more usual tricks as the first step to see how to split apart the Egg. I tried a couple of moves and managed to split the two halves about 10mm apart. First step crossed. From here I was able to take a little peek inside. But unfortunately not much to go on since the main mechanism was still largely hidden from view. However enough for me to start formulating in my mind some theories of how the two halves might be held together. 

This was where I remained stuck for the next several hours as I tried to grapple with the two Egg halves. I employed all the techniques I knew while trying to figure out the mechanism in a systematic and logical manner. But as in most cases, random experimentation won the day and I crossed the next hurdle. The Egg was now split apart more, about an inch or so and I was able to see more of the hidden mechanism. Although this was still insufficient, nonetheless I had something to work with, and was able to narrow down the possibilities on how the internal mechanism might work. A bit more experimentation here and there and I "broke" the Egg apart; solved!

Although not too complicated by any means, the various parts of the locking mechanism and they way they interacted to secure the two halves of the Egg is rather clever. I had read Kevin Sadler's review of the Egg on his blog and he mentioned the challenges of properly re-setting and re-solving the puzzle. I agree. Its tough. After I had reversed the steps to re-join the Egg, I found myself stuck again trying to re-solve. Took me another good forty five minutes or so (even though I thought I had gotten all the steps right) to split the two halves again. This second time round, I made sure I took lots of pictures from all angles and carefully documented the (correct) steps for re-setting and repeat solving. Thereafter, I could resolve quite easily.

From left: Pelikan Egg, Egg #22, chicken egg and quail egg.

Difficulty Rating
From my own count, there are broadly about 10 steps to solve the Egg. Steps 1 to 5 can be found pretty quickly; especially for those who have previous experience with Strijbos puzzles. The real difficulty comes from Step 6 onwards. 

Just to give some perspective; of the more recent puzzles from Wil, I would rank the Egg harder than the Lotus and First Box, probably about the same level as the Angel Box (although the latter has well over 20 steps and takes a lot more time and effort, but gives you more A-ha moments along the way). For the Egg, you could get stuck after Step 5 for a long time without further progress. No force is required; in fact a gentle touch is necessary towards the end stages. (Edit 29 Nov 2014:-With regular practice, you can solve the Egg in under 45 secs (I timed myself once).

Summary
A beautifully made puzzle that not only looks good but provides a very challenging solve. Once you get the moves correct, its quite manageable, making it a puzzle you can pick up and put down for a quick play.

NOTE: For those who are stuck, please feel free to contact me for hints. While its extremely difficult to describe the solution in words, I can email you photos of the internal mechanism to help you along. However, even with photos it still remains a difficult solve, but you can certainly deduce the process/sequence with the help of the photos. 

Pentomino Maze

Name
Pentomino Maze

Designer
Tamas Vanyo. A very prolific designer with numerous designs to-date. Click here to see his latest designs.

Manufacturer
Pelikan. Currently available from PuzzleMaster.

Type & Classification
Interlocking, sequential movement

Dimensions
10cm (Length) x 6cm (Width) and 3cm (Height). 

Materials & Construction
The frame is Maple while the pieces are Mahogany. As usual, very well made and everything fits and slides together smoothly and nicely.

Overview

This is my third puzzle from Tamas, the previous two being the Orsi and Noncsi reviewed a while back.

Pentominoes have a place in my heart. My first five wooden puzzle designs were based on Pentominoes. Aside from this, I also tend to like non-cube shaped puzzles.

Unlike my amateurishly designed puzzles, Tamas' sophisticated version here consist of an irregular shaped maze frame to which the pieces, consisting of 12 pairs of pentominoes (connected together) must be inserted in to form a rectangular solid box.

As the name implies, the puzzle is indeed like a maze and you need to "navigate" the pieces through a single opening of the frame. Be careful here though as the frame can be rather delicate since its only connected at two places and excessive force may result in breakage.

Removing the pieces is relatively simple since its just a matter of sliding the first piece out and the rest will follow suit. 

Re-assembly (everything in reverse) is far more difficult if you mix up the pieces, their orientation or forget the order they come out. My suggestion is that you photo document your disassembly moves. Trying to first find the rectangular shape of the box with the pieces away from the frame probably won't help much since there are 2339 ways to form a 6 x 10 rectangle using all the 12 pentominoes. Tamas didn't make it easy for this one. But rest assured, there are no rotations needed here.

Difficulty Level

Easy to take apart but very difficult to put together (if you happen to choose to scramble up the pieces and lose your way). But help is at hand for those lost via either Burr Tools or www.puzzlewillbeplayed.com.

Summary
A different take on a very nice interlocking puzzle with a Pentominoes theme, fully utilising all 12 flat pentomino shapes.

Ring Lock

Name
Ring Lock

Designer
William Hu. To see more of his designs click here.

Manufacturer
Eric Fuller. From www.cubicdissection.com. Priced at US$54. 

As of this post, there are some still available from Bernhard Schweitzer of www.puzzlewood.de.

Type & Classification
Interlocking, sequential movement

Dimensions
9cm (Length) x 9cm (Width) and 5.4cm (Height). Relatively large; feels very solid and heavy. 

Materials & Construction
A combination of 6 exotic hardwoods;  Paduak, Maple, Walnut, Leopardwood, Yellowheart and Purpleheart which gives it a very nice colour contrast. Construction and fit is excellent but I would advise a bit of a "dry out" in the dry box before commencing play just to be sure that the puzzle is not too snug due to high humidity.

Overview

This is my second interlocking puzzle from designer William Hu, the first being his Box Packing.

The object is to remove the 5 irregular shaped pieces from the rectangular "ring".

This puzzle has rotations, some involving more than one piece at the same time. I counted no less than five 90 degree rotations. Overall the puzzle is not that difficult to solve, but with the rotations thrown in, its rather tricky.

Removing the first piece is relatively simple as you feel your way with the pieces that can move. Once the first piece is out, here's where the challenge begins.

I managed to solve the puzzle quite quickly, in minutes, rather than hours. Perhaps this was because I had a fair bit of experience (and struggle) with Osanori Yamamoto's Orion which bears a couple of similarities, and hence I knew what I needed to do to get the pieces out from the ring.

Difficulty Level

The Ring Lock has a level 2.3.3.4.2 solution. Easy to get the first piece (just 2 moves) removed but the challenge comes thereafter. For experienced puzzlers, probably moderate difficulty. I found the re-assembly a bit harder, so its best to lay out the pieces properly and in the order they come out so that everything can go back in reverse order.

Summary
I quite enjoyed the Ring Lock. With just 5 pieces and not that many moves, its relatively easy to repeat solve once you have memorised the sequence and rotations, which gives the Ring Lock a good amount of replay value. Displays nicely too!

Cross Box / 18 Dutch Mills

Last month, I received an email from Vaclav Obsivac or Vinco (as he is known) stating that he had a number of new items on his puzzle website for sale. 

Vinco has a very extensive website comprising numerous interlocking, co-ordinate motion and packing puzzles. He also designs his own puzzles. Prices range from less than 10 euros to about 60 euros so there is something to suit every budget. 

I ordered 5 puzzles including the 2 mentioned here. Both these puzzles are co-ordinate motion puzzles. Presently in my collection, I have 3 such other puzzles; the Choreographed Motion, CM-13 and Diz Puz.

Cross Box
Made of 3 different woods of Walnut, Ash and Plum, the puzzle has a nice colour contrast. Measuring in at 9.7 cm all around, it is a 6 piece puzzle. This one looks more "conventional" compared to the 18 Dutch Mills which is spherical with spaces. It is very well made with a nice fit and finishing. Priced at 38 euros.

Rated difficulty level 4, this is on the more challenging side of things and it took me a while to find out which are the panels to push and pull to start the separation process. Once you hit the sweet spot, everything starts to move outwards and you can see the pieces slowing sliding apart away from the centre. There is a fair amount of sliding motion before the puzzle totally disentangles into the 6 identical pieces.

Each of the pieces have been meticulously glued together using the 3 different woods and really look like small pieces of art. I found reassembly easier than the taking apart and the pieces could slide into their positions without much difficulty. For this puzzle, you can actually assemble the pieces one by one and while while keeping the 5 pieces still "locked" together just before the point where they fully separate, snuggle the last piece into place...and then slide all the pieces towards the centre again to "close" the puzzle.

18 Dutch Mills
This is one of the biggest interlocking wooden puzzles I have come across. With a 16cm diameter (but actually there's quite a bit of hollow in the centre), it is humongous compared to what's commonly out there. Priced at 32 euros.

The 18 Dutch Mills is made entirely of Cherry. Very good quality of construction throughout with nice fit, but feels rather delicate. It has 6 interlocking pieces comprising of many many triangular blocks glued together. Quite a handful as all the pieces have relatively sharp edges and corners. 

While it looks great with it imposing size, one has to be very careful handling this puzzle. A drop on any hard surface even just a few centimetres high will almost certainly guarantee damage to one or more of the sharp corners.

The challenge is actually figuring out where the pieces join and then how to split them apart. Didn't take me long as with just a bit of pulling and tugging, suddenly everything came apart on my dining table. Thank goodness I had a dinner mat under it or some corners would have been flattened for sure.

Re-assembly was a bit more difficult as I pondered the 6 pieces. Unlike the CrossBox where the engagement points of the pieces are pretty well defined (partly due to the use of mixed colours) this one I had to first determine the orientation of the pieces and how they are suppose to interact. Took me a few attempts but eventually got everything back to the solved state. The rather delicate nature of the puzzle certainly didn't help much either as I was rather over cautious in my handling. Definitely harder than the CrossBox in terms of assembly but strangely, its rated only a 3 in difficulty.

Summary
Both are really great well built puzzles and value for money. If co-ordinate motion puzzles are your kind of thing, well, there are these two to consider. If not there are a huge number of other puzzles on Vinco's site with something to your liking, so its well worth a visit.

T4-III (Tea For 3) / Square In the Bag

Recently when Mineyuki Uyematsu (Mine) made available the T4 and Square-In-The-Bag puzzles, I hitched an order through puzzle designer Goh Pit Khiam to save on some shipping costs and ordered the T4-III and Square In The Bag.

T4-III (Tea For 3)

I had found Mine's T4-II (Tea For 2) pretty fun and challenging. Check out my review here.

Like the T4-II, the T4-III is a 3D packing puzzle and dimensionally the same size as its cousin, at 7.6cm square and 3cm tall. The box is walnut and the 4 pieces are Yellowheart and Purpleheart. Excellent construction and quality overall with good contrasting coloured woods used.

The object is to place all 4 pieces (T-shaped...hence the name!) inside the box. It would have been an easy puzzle if not for the fact that the box has an acrylic cover with a cut-out which the pieces have to go through.

As I already have experience solving the T4-II, I sort of knew how things would operate with the T4-III. It took me several minutes and I got all 4 pieces into the box. Compared with the T4-II, I would say the T4-III is more challenging. However, its not so unduly difficult that it would frustrate. You need to know how to orientate the pieces correctly first (outside of the box) to assess how they would fit inside and then figure which pieces to go inside first (yes, there is a proper sequence here).

Square In The Bag

Last year, I had the chance to borrow and play with Hirokazu Iwasawa's CorRECTly In The Bag, the rectangular version of the puzzle.  

What I have said in my review about CorRECTly In The Bag will be applicable here. Square In The Bag is offered in 3 versions, with the price differentials dependent on the quality and design of the cloth bag provided. The one in the photo is the most expensive of the three with a geometric pattern design and red inner lining.The wood square is a checkered design and both bag and square are beautifully made.

I already knew the solution so took me less than 30 seconds to solve this one. Square In The Bag is one of those puzzles that looks impossible to solve, yet when you solve it (or see the solution happening before your eyes), its incredible and the a-ha moment is really great!

For those living in Europe/USA, you may wish to contact UK based Satomi Beattie of CU-Japan for availability and order of these puzzles.

Orion

Name
Orion

Designer
Osanori Yamamoto. For other designs by Osanori, click here.

Manufacturer
Pelikan.  Currently available from PuzzleMaster.

Type & Classification
Interlocking, sequential movement

Dimensions
7.2cm (Length) x 7.2cm (Width) and 3.5cm (Height).  

Materials & Construction
A combination of 5 solid hardwoods giving the puzzle a very beautiful contrasting finish. The square frame is Mahogany while the pieces are Wenge, Acacia, Paduak and Maple. As with all Pelikan puzzles, the quality and manufacturing is superb. Fit is snug and overall everything feels a bit tight but the pieces can still slide ok. Those living in humid countries may have to "dry out" their puzzle before play.

Overview
Designed in 2014, this is a very recent release and like the earlier Mysterious Galaxy and Galaxy Z, bears a space themed name, "Orion". 

Object is to disassemble the 4 pieces that interlocks with the square frame. At first glance, the four pieces (which resemble jigsaw pieces) all look identical. However, as you start playing, you will discover that only two of the 4 pieces are identical. The frame also has a protrusion at one of the inner corners.

All the pieces can move in rectilinear fashion, sideways, up and down. When they are spread sufficiently far apart, each of the pieces can also rotate. I tried various moves for the pieces taking into account their shapes and notches and that one particular corner of the frame; all the while sure that one of the pieces had something to do with that special corner. However, it turned out I was barking up the wrong tree. After being stumped for several days, I threw in the towel and checked the solution, only to discover that the way to extract the first piece was not what I had expected. I had over-complicated things and missed the obvious. 

Firstly all four pieces must be in their correct orientation relative to the frame. Then the right sequence of moves for each of the pieces must follow next and only then can the first of the 4 pieces be removed. I counted 14 moves to get the first piece removed. Once the crucial first piece is out, the rest is easy. Reassembly is the reverse of everything.

I am not certain if the original solved state of the puzzle has everything lined up ready to go or one has to rotate the pieces around the frame to get them in the right positions. My guess is that it would be more difficult in the case of the latter.

Difficulty Level

Very difficult. But relatively easy once the first piece is out. And you need to make sure that the correct piece goes back into the frame first, since all look similar and can get mixed up. The wrong piece means you'll end up stuck. Not a whole lot of moves and with some practice, manageable for repeat solving.

Summary
A very interesting design with just 4 pieces and the frame. Looks deceptively simple (as compared to the high level burrs out there), but is anything but that. The subtle differences in the shape of the pieces add to the complexity and challenge.  And since it comes in 5 different contrasting coloured woods, the puzzle also displays very nicely.

5 Minute Puzzle That May Take Longer

Name
5 Minute Puzzle That May Take Longer

Designer
Andy Turner

Manufacturer
Eric Fuller. Website www.cubicdissection.com. 36 copies were made in 2010, each priced at US$49, currently sold out.

Type & Classification
Interlocking; 3D Packing.

Dimensions
7cm (Length) x 7cm (Width) x 6.5cm (Height)

Materials & Construction
The box is made from Oak and the pieces are made from Bubinga or Paduak. Mine came with Paduak. Construction, fit and finish is excellent. All the pieces with their pegs fit snugly but smoothly into each other and the box. Nice contrast of colours between the woods.

Overview
This puzzle which has a somewhat long and unusual name (what a mouthful) came to me courtesy of Goh Pit Khiam. The puzzle consists of 6 pieces; 4 of which are cube blocks and the remaining 2 are double cubes glued together. 

From the exterior it looks like any other ordinary 3D packing puzzle. Once you start removing the pieces, you will discover that its anything but that. Each of the 6 pieces have holes drilled into the sides with a peg sticking out from one of the holes.

Apart from figuring out how to slot the cube blocks back into the box (which is actually pretty easy if its just on their own), the challenge is also getting the pegs to fit into the correct holes of the other blocks, so that all the blocks will come together and fall nicely into the box. Something that probably takes more than 5 minutes and it certainly took me way much longer than that. In fact once you scramble all the pieces, it can become very confusing. 

Thank goodness the holes are only on 2 sides of each cube while the double cubes have pegs and holes on just one surface. But even then I still had a fair bit of trouble packing everything back; one or two blocks just won't fit (damn pegs!). Good thing I always photo-document each step so I can refer back if necessary.

Difficulty Level
For me it was very challenging. The puzzle came to me solved, so I had some advantage but even then...? Knowing that the solved state has no holes visible on the outside of the blocks does narrow the possibilities and provides some guidance but it is still not easy. 

Summary
A departure from the usual 3D "pack-the blocks-in-the-box" type puzzle. Would appeal to expert puzzlers. First of its kind for me and I was very lucky to get my copy from Goh who was willing to part with it.

More Wire Puzzles!!

Update 24 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

After I had solved the Panic Attack loaned to me by puzzle designer Goh Pit Khiam, he passed me a another two more to try! I had decent success with the Panic Attack, so I decided to try my hand with these two new ones while I was on a roll.

I couldn't believe it when he handed me the C&U and Twin Tangle puzzles. To call them wire puzzles are a bit of an understatement...these two are humongous puzzles...real solid stuff fashioned out of thick steel rods! Solid and indestructible! They are probably the largest and heaviest wire puzzles I have come across so far; well, not that I have come across that many....

The C&U was designed by Jean-Claude Constantin. When stretched, it measures a whopping 17cm from top to bottom...huge!

The C&U looks impossible to separate, short of sawing the rods apart. But again, all illusory. It is not a difficult but rather tricky puzzle. There is a technique to it and once you figure it out, repeated solving becomes a cinch. Took me a several minutes to disentangle but a little longer to reconnect the two parts. No force whatsoever necessary 

The Twin Tangle (invented as early as the 1900s and had the name "Devil's Claw") on the other hand is one tough cookie. Like the C&U, this one is also very hefty and big around 7.0cm square per M.  It is much thicker and bigger than the version by Hanayama, the Cast Devil. 

Consisting of two parts bent into the shape of an M (or W if you like), the difficulty quotient for this one far exceeds the C&U. Instead of minutes, the Twin Tangle took me several hours over a few sessions to get it untangled. And even then, I solved it purely by chance, pulling, twisting and tugging, through trial and error rather than any systematic approach. But I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to assemble the two "M"s to the original state and eventually resorted to the solution. 

Both the C&U and Twin Tangle are great wire puzzles; the latter being a very much harder solve but featuring a rather elegant solution. The C&U and Cast Devil are available from PuzzleMaster. The bigger Twin Tangle is available from Mr Puzzle retailed under the name MM Wire Puzzle. And not forgetting to mention, the prices for these puzzles are also inexpensive, really great value for money!

Seven & A Panic Attack

The last couple of evenings I had the opportunity to play with two very different puzzles. Both while challenging, were not unduly difficult. Fun (not frustration) was the order of the day.

Seven
The last time I came across something entitled "Seven" was the thriller movie with Morgan Freeman and Brat Pitt. If you have not watched it, do so...you won't regret it.

Seven (the puzzle) is no less thrilling. It is a 2D packing puzzle by Minoru Abe, who is very well known for his cute and whimsical, colourful and some extremely difficult sliding block puzzles. Minoru Abe puzzles are retailed by Torito in Japan. Unfortunately they do not ship internationally. Your best bet is to buy from CU-Japan unless you happen to have a friend who lives in Japan who can get it for you. My copy came to me courtesy of puzzle blogger Roxanne Wong, who got me a copy while in Tokyo last year during IPP33. 

As far as I know, Minoru Abe designed only two packing puzzles, the "Seven" and the "9 Puzzle" (the latter which I will review another day). If anyone is aware to the contrary, please drop me a note, thanks.

The Seven consists of 7 pieces (all Hexominos; ie 2D or 3D shapes made from 6 square units) and the accompanying tray. Object is to fit the red piece outside of the tray into the tray with the rest. None of the pieces are identical. The pieces and tray appear to be made of pine with the pieces painted over to give them that colourful look. Very well made with both the tray and pieces really thick and chunky and nicely packaged in a blue cardboard box. One corner of the tray has been deliberately cut away to leave space in the packaging for the red piece that needs to go in.

It took me about 5 to 10 minutes of fiddling with the pieces to solve. Only one solution I think. A rather pretty and fun packing puzzle that is not too difficult.

Panic Attack
I am not a fan of wire or string type puzzles. In fact I have only a few in my collection, one of which, the "Tricky Dick" which I had blogged about quite while back and the others are several handmade jungle puzzles.

Panic Attack was loaned to me by puzzle designer Goh Pit Khiam. I had mentioned to Goh that I found wire puzzles too difficult and frustrating and he told me to give Panic Attack a shot. And I am very glad I did. And I also did not for a moment panic while playing with it.

Panic Attack (as marketed by PuzzleMaster) was designed by Kirill Grebnev and was entered for the IPP26 Puzzle Design Competition under the name of "Love Secret", which subsequently was changed to "Clear Heart". Check out the interesting reasons for the change on Kirill's site.

The object is to get the yellow loop completely off the wire heart. At first glance Panic Attack seems like its impossible to solve; no way out for the loop. But this "impossibility" is more illusory than anything else! I am not sure if readers here would agree with me, but wire and string puzzles are probably the biggest group of puzzles which resemble "impossible objects" (things that appear to defy physical laws)....at first sight.

The first evening playing with Panic Attack, I couldn't figure it out and left it. However the next night, out of nowhere I extracted the loop within minutes of trying! With a bit of practice I even managed to repeat solving it in seconds!

It is not too difficult as a puzzle, but pretty tricky. A nice a-ha moment when you solve it. What I like about it is that the design is relatively simple looking. You know its probably hard, but It doesn't intimidate and put you off....unlike the wood and rope puzzles where the rope is so long, it entangles even before you start to seriously work on the solve. And certainly Panic Attack is also nowhere near the difficulty of a puzzle like Tricky Dick.. I am now even seriously considering other similar type wire puzzles to buy!

Both Kevin Sadler and Gabriel Fernandes have reviewed the Panic Attack on their blogs so you may wish to check out their comments.

More Metal From Wil Strijbos

Update 23 October 2017 - Dear Reader, please check out my new puzzle blog and e-store at http://mechanical-puzzles.com

The last time I received new puzzles (Nipple Bolt and Low Number Bolt) from Wil Strijbos was in January this year. Since then Wil has been rather quiet and most of us Wil fans were wondering what new toys (of his own design) he would be coming up with next. 

He was supposed to turn out an egg-shaped puzzle in time for Easter but that didn't materialise. What's on the cards in the months to come is this egg puzzle and a trick padlock of some sort.

Well, last week a package arrived containing the "4 Piece Metal Puzzle" and the "Heart In Heart". 

4 Piece Metal Puzzle
This one looks just like a jigsaw puzzle, connected together like a jigsaw puzzle but unfortunately, cannot be simply separated like a jigsaw puzzle.

It is really very well made, with a nice matt finish although I would have preferred something like a bright red over the sombre dark green. Made of aluminium, its fairly large at 7.6cm square with a thickness of 1.5cm. Tolerances are very good. Solid and heavy!

The object of course is to split the 4 pieces. Intuitively you will just want to push the pieces out like a jigsaw puzzle, but wait....it gets stuck against each other such that none of the 4 pieces can dislodge from the others.

This puzzle is the 4 piece version of a Hanayama cast puzzle that came out a while back. Go to the Hanayama website and take a look and see if you can figure out which one I am talking about.

Because I had solved the Hanayama version (which is in the more difficult range), I knew how to go about this one and very quickly got the 4 pieces apart. For the novice or beginner, the 4 Piece may pose a fair challenge (just like how it was for me the first time solving the Hanayama puzzle). A fine touch is needed to solve this one.

Heart In Heart
This is a very tiny puzzle at just 3.4cm square and 1.2cm thick. When I opened the (relatively) large box it came in together with the 4 Piece Metal Puzzle, It was so small and flat that initially I couldn't find it amongst the bubble wrap and sponge bits and thought Wil had forgotten to ship it.

The Heart puzzle is brass and aluminium and overall construction, fit and finish is very good, although still a tad below the 4 Piece Metal Puzzle.

The silver heart is recessed into the square brass piece. Object is to remove the heart and split it further apart. I don't want to spoil anyone's fun. Suffice to say, the heart is dainty and so you need to be gentle with your hands (and without force whatsoever) separate the pieces slowly.

But as you fiddle with this one, you will probably quite quickly figure out what needs to be done, so its not too difficult. Putting it back together is also not as taxing as some other similar puzzles of this genre.

Both are high quality nice puzzles, not too difficult nor overly expensive (together they costs Euros 60). And if you are a sucker for metal ones like me, definitely a must-have!