A mechanical puzzle blog from a grown man who should know better!!
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Sunday, 3 April 2022
Pelikan's Best Release Ever!
Not my photo - this was done for Jakub by
Ivan Danik I unpacked them in a hurry after work and Mrs S was distinctly
unimpressed with 8 puzzles arriving I moved them into my study as
quickly as possible to prevent violence occurring!
I have written this ahead of release date due to work pressures. My goodness
what a week and a bit! Having returned from a week off I have had to pay for it
dearly by working my little butt off - 2 weekends in a row and some late
finishes at work have meant that trying to solve the latest Pelikan release has
been a huge challenge. I have not managed to solve them all yet but I have
beaten 6 in a Herculean effort. Let me say, that effort has been worth it - I
think this might well be the best Pelikan release ever.
We have (from back left):
The Cup designed by Ad van der Schagt (also designed the
Fourfold puzzle)
Onto the puzzles and I will start with the centrepiece which I have not even
attempted yet - it is the pick of the bunch and deserves my full attention
and not a quick fiddle and fail.
Castle Builder Set
Castle Builder Set designed by Tamás Vanyo (made from Oak)
This incredible design and work of art created by Jakub and Jaroslav is a sort
of freeform pattern creating puzzle (I am not actually certain how it should
be
classified). I saw this design from Tamás back in January when he published it on his
FB page and it intrigued me. The beauty and intricacy of the pieces were
unusual and I was hopeful that it might be produced in large numbers for the
puzzling world to try. I was not surprised when Jakub showed it to me - he is
probably the only craftsman that I know who would take on such a huge
production challenge like this.
Even the instructions are beautiful!
The aim is to build a castle with a path from the bottom level to the
top that doesn't involve jumping. This sounds easy and just a matter of
lifting the pieces out of the frame and placing them where you want them.
BUT...whilst each of the pieces trapped in the frame seems to have a 2x2
footprint and looks like they should lift out, they won't actually come out
easily. There is a gap in a corner and they will slide around but this was not
helpful in my early casual play. I remembered the previous framed puzzles that
Pelikan had made and realised that the frame comes apart allowing the pieces
to be slid out and also shows why they are trapped:
The pieces have protruding feet!
From here, it can be seen that the pieces are based on a 3x3 footprint with the
consequence that they cannot lift vertically out of the frame and also means
that constructing your castle requires more thought than just placing the pieces
just where you want them for the stairs and paths to line up. This will need a
fair bit of space to spread out and then some considerable thought to design
your own special castle. I have not yet tried to solve it yet due to time and
space constraints but can't wait to get to it - it will be a fun new challenge
and when finished will look absolutely stunning on display! This will need to go
on the sideboard in my dining room - don't tell Mrs S!
Alexander has taken the puzzle world by storm over the last few years. He has
designed some of the most complex and yet still fun interlocking packing
puzzles I have ever seen and I just cannot resist his stuff. Luckily for us
puzzlers, Jakub also agrees that his designs need to be made available to the
world. The fun thing (just like Osanori-san) is the ability to create
something that looks simple, with only a few pieces which aren't even that
complex but requiring real thought and experimentation to solve. Sliders 2 is
simply amazing but it comes with a warning...it might frighten you too.
When it arrived, the 4 pieces were placed in the 3x3x3 box in such a way that
I seriously struggled to remove them - this was a hint of things to come.
After 5 minutes of swearing and upsetting Mrs S, I got my pieces for the photo
and realised that this was a lot different to the
previous Sliders challenge
(and, I think, better for it). The 2 sliders are identical which means that
the puzzle can be solved in any orientation and interestingly they are held in
place without intruding into the puzzle space - they purely block the entrance
and oh boy, the really block it! The aim is to create a 3x3x3 cube from the 4
pieces and place them such that they completely fill the entrance (there will
be empty cubies below that top face).
Having solved it (with a considerable struggle), I went to Burrtools and found
that there are 21 possible ways to make a 3x3x3 cube but only 9 assemblies
that have a complete face. This is going to take you quite a bit of thought
and I would not be surprised if you need a little hint (I did). Alexander
contacted me before I started to play and told me that...
This took me quite a few hours to solve and is probably my favourite of
this release - it is super difficult, super fun and frightening too. I would
very much suggest that you don't leave this in the solved position for storage
because once you have forgotten the solution the chances of dismantling it
blind without using a Burrtools file is pretty low. Well done Alexander and
Pelikan for a fabulous creation!
Alfons is one of the absolute masters of clever burr designs and he has been
adding more and more puzzles to
Goetz' Burr zoo
over the last few years. This wonderful design which looks like a 10 piece
burr (an unusual number) actually has 2 hidden pieces inside. As the name
implies the external whales and internal whales dance around each other a fair
bit before the puzzle comes apart. It has been gloriously manufactured using
bright vibrant woods (Wenge, Padauk, Purpleheart, Maple and Cherry) and the
attention to detail is stunning - the whales have eyes made with contrasting
dowels that have been shaved flush with the surface. It is this craftsmanship
that brings us back to Pelikan again and again.
The movements of the pieces are smooth with the fit being just tight enough
where needed to keep it stable and the internal whales (which you realise are
there when suddenly a beady eye is looking at you) slide freely as required
using gravity to manipulate them. The initial pathway is a lovely bit of
experimentation without too many false paths and actually seems pretty logical
for the first 15 moves or so. A few of the moves need precise placement of the
pieces first which caused me to be blocked for quite a while - I thought that
I knew what I had to do but it wouldn't work and only after an hour or so of
searching for a hidden path did I realise what I had done wrong before
continuing on my way. About 20 moves in I got stuck...the puzzle was quite
stretched out with several pieces that looked like they should be removable
soon but I just couldn't find the release mechanism. Back and forth I went
before I suddenly found a very lovely compound move involving a bunch of
pieces at once and Aha! The first piece came out. The puzzle has a perfect
challenging level of 27.6.6.2.2.1.1.2 and the removal of pieces 2 and 3
are still a tough challenge despite being only another 6 moves each - the 2nd
and 3rd pieces took me another hour to remove. The pieces remain well held in
place, if a little squishy, as they slide and partially rotate on each other.
There doesn't seem to be any rotational shortcut and even after 3 pieces have
been removed the whole thing stays together without collapsing into a heap.
This was a fabulous challenge, extremely well made and my second favourite of
the bunch.
The whales have been released
Maybe if you are a genius you can assemble it from memory or even work it out.
I will definitely be using Burrtools to put it back together.
Dr Latussek is, quite probably, one of the most clever and interesting puzzle
designers in the world just now. He creates challenges that are much more
involved and require a lot more understanding than most other designers. A
huge number of his designs are too difficult for me because I seem to have a
mental block with certain pattern type challenges and block packing puzzles
but I am aware that many other puzzlers absolutely adore his challenges. I
just wish that my brain worked like his does. It was with considerable
trepidation that I picked up the Soma Squartata from the pile sent by Jakub. I
did not understand the name and once I had removed the pieces from the box
(Volker always instructs a special delivery arrangement), I was extremely
frightened by the complexity of the pieces - this does not look like a Soma
cube! Luckily for me, Volker always sends me extra information when Jakub
sends the puzzles for me to review. This time the extra information included
an explanation of the name and the complex shape of the pieces.
This puzzle IS based on a Soma cube shapes but for each of the pieces of a
soma cube, a quarter has been removed leaving a sort of spindly more complex
shape:
Using just one piece as an example it can be seen how it has been
carved out leaving just a "quartata"
All seven quartered or squartata'd
The aim of this incredible puzzle is, as with all soma cubes, to place the
pieces into a cube formation and back into the box so that the opening is
completely covered. Initially I was very frightened of this because I thought
it might be one of those anti slide type puzzles that Volker seems to love and
my brain doesn't understand. Thankfully, that is not the case. It is "just" an
assembly puzzle with an extra constraint of requiring the top face to be
complete. To me, this was a fabulous fun challenge - it is basically an
interlocking challenge - I have ben enjoying the TICs over the last few years
and this is similar without the rotations. I did find a couple of assemblies
that did not have the completed face and this will be useful for storage. The
requirement of the completed face really adds to the challenge and allows you
to home in on the one unique solution. It took me quite a few hours to find an
assembly that would work but the fun prolonged by the need to place the pieces
in the correct order otherwise the assembly gets blocked. For once, a puzzle
from Dr Latussek that I found challenging and still very possible - a huge
amount of fun which has been beautifully made from Wenge and Acacia by Jakub
and Jaroslav.
Osanori-san designs fabulous packing puzzles which I have reviewed many times
on this blog but he also is very well known for his stunning interlocking
designs that require a very well hidden sequence of moves to dismantle (some
of my favourites have included the various Galaxy puzzles (see
here,
here and
here). This gorgeous
creation in Ash and Wenge has a beautifully edged frame and 4 pieces
interlocked inside. Obviously the aim is to take it apart and this is much
easier said than done.
It becomes clear quite quickly that the name of the puzzle comes from the fact
that the 2 pairs of identical pieces have been arranged symmetrically in
several directions (rotational in the X/Y plane and also in the X/Z plane).
There are quite a few moves possible and I found myself getting stuck several
times in a loop because the symmetry seemed to force me to do something which
the moves on the other side just reversed. After about a ½ hour of fiddling I
suddenly made a breakthrough and found a move that did not seem to force me
round in circles and from there the pieces dance around each other a bit
before finally the first piece can be removed. It is a nice clever sequence as
one would expect from Osanori.
The pieces and the frame are symmetrical too
Having taken this apart in the evening, I left it overnight and set to the
reassembly from scratch with only a very vague memory of the sequence I had
previously found. The challenge is absolutely perfect! It takes a lot of thought
and discovery (with several false starts) to reassemble the puzzle - the sense
of satisfaction for someone like me who is terrible at assembly puzzles like me
was fabulous. This one is right up there with the Galaxy puzzles in my opinion.
JB4A
JB4A by Osanori Yamamoto (made from Bubinga and Maple)
A release from Pelikan would really not be complete without one of
Osanori-san's wonderful small packing puzzles. This is one of my favourites so
far - it is made from a gorgeously coloured and grained Bubinga and is a
seriously fun challenge. As always, there is a small shape to be made (this
time a 3x3x3 cube) from some pretty complex pieces with what at first looks
like a rather large opening which you might think would make the puzzle much
easier. However, the end result has to have the pieces completely covering up
all the openings once finished and with such a big gap this really limits the
options. The large hole on the top does allow initial easy insertion but these
pieces are quite large and complex and then movement and access get blocked
pretty quickly. Looking at the shape of the small columnar hole in the box
gives an idea of what is going to be required/possible during the solve but
actually doing it is another thing entirely.
No spoiler here
These puzzles look almost trivial when first picked up (especially with the
large entry hole) but the reality is that they are a proper challenge for any
experienced puzzler. I really enjoyed it - the puzzling time for me was about 2
hours and the sense of satisfaction at the end was fabulous.
TILL
TILL by Dr Latussek (made from Garapa)
This lovely chunky puzzle design by Dr Latussek looks wonderful in the yellow
wood. It is named after Till Eugenspiel who was an early 14th century resident of Saxony and a prankster
responsible for a "chapbook" on which his name sake owl and mirror could be
found. The aim of the puzzle is to use the pieces to create mirror symmetric
shapes using 2 (easy) or 3 of the pieces (harder).
I am terrible at pattern finding and symmetry puzzles but the size and tactile
nature of this one was quite appealing. It is a nice thing to sit in an
armchair with and fiddle with 3 relatively simple shapes and put them together
to try and find mirror symmetries. I have found 3 symmetries using 2 pieces
and 2 solutions using 3 pieces. Interestingly one of the three piece
assemblies has mirror symmetries on several different faces. This is a really
nice gentle challenge that is suitable for all grades of puzzlers - I think
kids would find this fun and might help teach them about symmetry.
This last puzzle in the current release is one that I have not had time to
solve yet. It is absolutely stunning made from American Walnut and Cherry.
This will be a very tough puzzle to dismantle - I love these specially shaped
burrs but the combination of rings, boards with burrsticks through the centre
do make for a tremendously difficult challenge. It has a level of
22.6.5.2.1.2.2 to take apart and will include quite a few sideways movements
of the rings as well as the burrsticks. I always seem to struggle to find the
appropriate shifts and then get lost. I look forward to trying this new one as
I have never seen a burr from Ad before.
All these puzzles should be available from Pelikan within a week or so - whatever you buy, you will not be disappointed, they are all lovely to look at on display and really nice challenges to puzzle on. I am sure that for those of you in North America who would prefer to buy more locally then they will arrive at PuzzleMaster not long after that.
Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was a lot of work over a short time but I had to try and do such fabulous craftsmanship justice.
DeleteHey kevin, would you have an idea of the price on "Castle Builder Set"?
ReplyDeleteI’m afraid I’m not told the full price list in advance. They are all ready for sale so it shouldn’t be too much longer.
DeleteAbout 500 CAD, quite the steep price but the puzzle is incredible.
Delete