Juno Makes a Fantastic Case for Collecting Boxes!

Card Case from Juno

Let me start by saying that there are no spoiler photos in this blog - there are some photos that some might think show too much but I have hidden all the important stuff and what can be seen is visible within 5 seconds of looking at the puzzle.

I told you about this gorgeous puzzle last week - the Card case went on sale last Sunday and sold 120 copies in just a few days (as I write there are still 21 left for sale) and you should definitely consider buying one. In summary, it is beautiful, tactile, fun, with a nice pair of Aha! moments/you sneaky bastard moments. Is it difficult? Not terribly - I really enjoyed the challenges - there are 3 in total and I still have the last one to do.

Juno's Cases so far

Juno has called this the card case because it is the right size to hold some credit cards. I had initally thought that it might be able to hold a pack of cards but that is not so. As a wallet, this seriously fails...If you put your credit cards in it, it's going to be a real problem when it comes to paying for stuff. Even when you know the solution, it takes a good few minutes to get it open and, I don't know about you, but this will not fit into either trouser pocket (pants to you yanks) or jacket pocket to carry it around. I guess it might be good at slowing Mrs S down in her shopping but she has her cards on her phone for that unfortunately. I think that I have all the other cases that he has made and I am certain that many of you will delight in reminding me that they are actually boxes which Juno has named in such a way as to allay my aversion to collecting boxes. It was a sobering thought when George informed me and the world that if bread fits inside then they are all boxes and Juno began adding loaves to my puzzles as a joke. In fact, if we accept that they are boxes if they are cases or called boxes then Juno has tricked me into buying quite a lot of boxes over the years. I had to think how much I have spent on this little lot (I REALLY hate to think that Mrs S might find out!)

Cases and boxes from Juno

Right, sorry about the side-track. Back to the Card case...

This beauty is instantly recognisable as Juno's work. He has made them from Bubinga (Sap wood), Jarrah, American Rock Maple, Golden Sassafras and Plywood (Oak + Poplar core). It's a nice comfortable puzzle to play with due to its' size at 112 x 86 x 55 mm and the very nice tactile bevelling on the edges. Juno has classified it as a hidden maze-type puzzle box (another reason that it's Ok for me to own) and as you play with it, you will be able to partially see the hidden paths and reach the goal if you persevere in your efforts. He also states that there is more than one challenge to the puzzle. Apart from opening the puzzle the next step is to remove the red-coloured slider at the top without using an external tool. After that has been done Juno has given us a second, much more difficult, maze to try and navigate blind.

As I have already said, the maze quickly becomes visible once you start to play but not quite all of it. Some parts you need to deduce during your navigation. If you have worked on a Revomaze then this will be right up your street (the mazes are nowhere near as complex as them). Once you have worked your way through the maze a bit then you suddenly realise that you haven't really made any progress. Something is odd about this puzzle and then you will have to Think© (just a little bit) to interpret some of the clues that Juno has put in front of you. First Aha! moment under your belt and then you have some more work to do and it is quite fun. I tried to do it without mapping and managed quite a lot of it but eventually did need to take some notes on the paths. After about an hour (because I'm rubbish at boxes) I had the maze removed but this has not completely opened the box - the red slider was still trapped:

First stage done but it's not open yet
what little you can see of the maze is NOT a spoiler

The next step to finally opening it shouldn't take you too long if you are used to boxes. For me, I am not terribly bright and I thunk© and thunk© and thunk© to no avail. Time for an iced coffee - it is bloody hot in the UK just now. The room where I puzzle is currently 30.6ºC and the thermometer in the sun on the back of my house is reading 44ºC - Ouch! My study where I write the blog posts is at the cooler front of the house but I have a bit of a space problem just now:

I really must tidy up before "she" starts throwing things away!

After my coffee, I had a little brainstorm and my "what if I" moment turned to a final solution - delightful and clever. 

Fully solved and ready for reassembly with the other maze
Once you have seen the other maze, you will realise why it is so much more difficult.

Obviously I had to buy this to ensure my collection remained complete but you also should buy it - it is a lovely idea, absolutely stunning to look at and play with, might work as a credit card wallet and is pretty reasonably priced ($192AUD is about $136USD, £112GBP or €133) - this is not one that will break the bank. Juno has produced a lot of them with the aim to prevent the puzzle flippers making a fast buck and ruining everything for everyone.

Now I need to go and lie down because of the heat - hopefully the cat won't join me! 😱😱😱