Boxing Kangaroo by Yoh Kakuda - KCG - KY-51

This is another awesome puzzle box from Yoh..I’m continually impressed by not only the design skills but also the impeccable craftsmanship!

Here’s a description from the KCG:

“This work was designed as a Christmas present for 2021.

This is a kangaroo with an imposing appearance.

If you carelessly touch it, it will fight back.

I named this work after the striking lyrics of a song.

However, I didn't know boxing kangaroos were well known.

(Song "I'll Have To Dance With Cassie")”

Crafted from Cherry - Magnolia - Padauk

Revomaze Aqua V1 - Chris Pitt

My first foray into the Revomaze world was back in 2009 when I tormented myself with the Blue version.

I thankfully had help in eventually solving it from fellow puzzle solver Brian Pletcher.  The satisfaction of finally being able to examine the interior of the maze is not to be taken lightly, it’s quite the rush!

Now that brings me to this Aqua version more than a decade later.

Puzzlewanderer has an excellent blog on this puzzle, here’s an excerpt:

https://explorepuzzles.com/en/revomaze-review-rhapsody-intro-aqua/

“The appeal, beauty and complexity of Revomaze, is the mechanism.

It took me a while to understand it from reading at first, so pay attention to the details.

How it basically works, is you have an aluminum sleeve.

In the sleeve, there is a springed metal pin.

We’ll get back to this pin later, so try to remember it.

Inside the sleeve it looks like there are two metal bolts, one from each side.

In fact, this is actually a rod, also called the shaft, or the core.

Around this shaft there is a cut maze.

Here is when things get interesting.

The maze is cut in different depths, resulting in many layers, or heights, of the maze.

Remember the pin we talked about at the beginning? Good.

That pin navigates the maze. It is static inside the sleeve, while YOU rotate, push and pull the shaft.

And because the pin is springed…

If you navigate the pin from a high path to a lower path, you cannot go back the same way.

This is called a trap, from which your way is back to the start!

All of this may still sound simple to you. Let me clarify –

Everything is completely hidden from you.

You can’t SEE the maze itself, only feel it.

Your goal is to navigate your way through the unknown maze, until the shaft reaches it’s ending position (shown in picture).

Then you can remove the shaft and see with your eyes what exactly was in the maze and how it looks like.

Because of this intricate and unique mechanism, the Revomaze actually incorporates elements of the Maze and Dexterity puzzle types.

Revomaze Aqua is the easiest puzzle in the series.

It was released because the original easiest Revomaze in series, Blue, was reported as too hard as a first puzzle.

Yeah, you heard me right.

The easiest puzzle in the series was too HARD.

Even though I did Aqua after I’ve solved several, much harder Revomazes, there still were some parts that got me thinking.

Let me tell you this –

The maze itself is brilliant.”

JailBreak by Bits and Pieces

This is another quality puzzle from Bits and Pieces, it has a rather simple opening sequence but still very nicely made.

Jerry wrote about it:

“At first sight, Jailbreak looks like a precision component part of some complicated industrial machinery. Although measuring slightly less than 2 3/4 inches in height and 1 1/8 inch across, the puzzle is pretty heavy and has a hefty feel to it. I have wanted one of these and managed to acquire one from Sloyd as they appear to be the only online retailer that had a few units available.

Two circular brass blocks are connected by 5 steel solid tubes (looking like a cage) and within the cage sits a brass ball bearing on a support attached to the lower block.

As the name implies, the object of the puzzle is to get the brass ball bearing inside the "jail" out. The puzzle itself comes with instructions on how to do this. But even without them, it would not take very long to figure out the mechanics of the construction (and mechanism) to figure a way out for the brass ball bearing.

This is not a very difficult puzzle but would still pose a bit of a challenge in the beginning. Jailbreak is pretty solidly constructed and the quality and finish is good. Overall, a nice item to collect.”

Octagon Box - Akio Kamei by Bits & Pieces

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this reproduction, the solve sequence is not something I was familiar with but that’s not very surprising considering I don’t collect puzzleboxes.

If you ever get a chance to grab one of these I highly recommend it.

Here’s an excerpt from Brian’s Blog in 2010:

“I recently purchased Octagon Box from the last CubicDissection auction. It is a Bits and Pieces reproduction of Pile of Disks by Akio Kamei. I had seen it before on Rob Puzzle Page, where he lists the many Bits and Pieces boxes he has purchased over the years. He said this was one of his favorites, so I was happy to see that Eric was selling it. Jeff also did an entry about this puzzle.”

Six Key Mine - Robert Rose by Bits and Pieces

Years ago Bits and Pieces had a great reputation for stocking nicely crafted puzzles that had no longer been available from the original designer/craftsman.

Many of their ‘reproductions’ were really quite nicely made and available at a very reasonable price point.

This particular puzzle is certainly from that era and one that I was happy to acquire.

Here’s an excerpt from Jerry’s Blog:

“The Six Key Mine puzzle was designed by the late Robert Rose who sadly passed away several years ago. This puzzle won 1st prize in the 2003 IPP Puzzle Design Competition.  It is one of the more unusual looking all-metal puzzles in the sense that it is neither squarish, rectangular, cylindrical nor just a sphere per se (like the Isis).  Rather the puzzle consists of a polished aluminium hollowed-out sphere or ball with six aluminium pegs inserted into its sides, which gives it an almost alien UFO kind of look. The original version by Robert Rose was also made entirely of aluminium except that the pegs there were anodized red instead of powder coated blue, as it is in my version which was made by Bits & Pieces.  Bits & Pieces also re-named the puzzle "Einstein"; as to why this is so I can't figure out. My puzzle is well made and of good quality. The pegs fit properly into their respective holes and can even be adjusted with a small screwdriver to either have a very snug or slightly looser fit.”

Lighthouse - Doug Haig by Bits and Pieces

This cool puzzle is a nicely made reproduction by Bits and Pieces.

Here’s an excerpt from Boxes and Booze about the history of this classic design:

“This one can be found somewhat more commonly as a reproduction, and many may not know its true origins or provenance.

The story involves two magicians, as many good tales do. If you have ever read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, a book I highly recommend, you will know what I mean. The first magician was named Doug Haigh, who lived in Bradford England and discovered his love of magic at the age of 40. He was a prominent member of his local magic society, becoming its president in 1971. The second magician was named John Ergatoudis, a mild mannered civil engineer by day who was also prominent in and president of his own local magic society in Leeds. John became famous for amassing one of the foremost private collections of magic memorabilia in the world, which was auctioned off in 2005 after his death the year prior. The two must have met at the Northern Magic Circle, a prominent regional society with members from across the North of England, the UK and even overseas, to which both of their local chapters were affiliated. Doug Haigh was the president of that society as well, in 1975.

Doug Haigh was also a puzzle and magic trick maker, with metalworking and lathe skills. John Ergatoudis was a generous friend, and member of the international puzzle collector community. He commissioned a small set of brass puzzles from Doug, to give out to his friends as gifts. Over a period of eight years, Doug created puzzles for John, each based on classic Victorian wood turned treen puzzles from Professor Hoffman’s Puzzles Old and New, although with occasional new “twists and turns” of Doug’s invention. He made just one design per year, and only made ten of each type, keeping a few for his family and giving the rest to John, who never sold them, but gave them as gifts or trades. Later, the puzzle company Bits and Pieces reproduced a few of Haigh’s original designs. Their Lighthouse reproduction, which had a little “diamond” prize inside the lamp, was given as an exchange puzzle during the International Puzzle Party in 2000 and has become a coveted collectors item in its own right. The very rare Haigh originals were presented in a display stand case and can be distinguished by a tiny embossed “H” stamped at the base.”

Windmill Burr #2 by Juno

I just recently acquired this puzzle that I missed out on when it was released.

Of course it’s from the brilliant puzzle craftsman Juno, drop by Pluredro to see what he currently has to offer.

Here’s Juno’s Description:

“An interlocking puzzle designed by Junichi Yananose (Juno) in 2012. He decided to put a cube inside the puzzle in 2017 to give more contrast with the colour of the timber.

The shape of the puzzle is similar to his former design Windmill Burr released by Mr Puzzle as a Limited Edition in 2010. Because Juno doesn't have a good sense of naming puzzles, he just added #2 to the name of his new design.

Disassembling the puzzle may not be too difficult since the pieces will eventually come apart by the number of attempts. However, it is diabolically difficult to find a unique solution of the puzzle, and assembling it even with computer aids.

Burr Tools, the most popular computer program for interlocking burr puzzle lovers says that it requires 18 moves to take the first piece apart with or without the internal cube. Well, could you find a shortcut solution which requires less than 10 moves?

A shortcut solution can be easier to understand the orientation of the puzzle pieces and it makes it easier to physically assemble the puzzle using only two hands.

The solution to this puzzle will be supplied upon request by Burr Tools file format.

Size: 90mm x 90mm x 90mm

Number of pieces: 13 (12 pieces + cube)

Material: Queensland Maple, Zebrano, Bubinga and Victorian Ash”