Tag Archives: Large size pieces

Back in the Saddle with Madd Capp’s I Am Horse

February 7, 2020 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

Last February, I got to meet an awesome puzzle company at Toy Fair. Madd Capp Games makes animal head shaped puzzles. Not just any animal shapes, though. These are hyper-realistic puzzles that any big-game hunter could substitute for a moldy taxidermy trophy. I was determined to try one, even though shaped puzzles are something I find incredibly daunting.

I was sent the I Am Horse 300 puzzle, which has 300 pieces. The 300 line is for people like myself who are intimidated by the larger puzzles which range from 550 -700 pieces but want more challenge than the 100 piece Lil line.

The box is really nice and sturdy, the puzzle is nestled inside with a full color poster, wasting no space. The poster’s back side is covered in great horse facts, adding to the educational aspect.

The pieces are a random cut, nicely large in size and with a great bottom texture. I found them to be gentle on my hands and easy to handle.

As I expected, this was tricky to get started. I sorted according to color as there wasn’t a frame to work off of. Once I got the nose and part of the ears together, the assembly sped up!

I love how very realistic this is!! You can see the individual hairs on the horse’s muzzle and count it’s eyelashes!

It took me 2 days to finish this puzzle and I took another 2 to seal it with polycrylic. Hime is currently getting to the horse/unicorn obsessed phase, and this was part of her Christmas present.

I am not really a horse person, but I love how this came out! Definitely will be doing more Madd Capp Puzzles in the future!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: Madd Capp Games
Title: I Am Horse
Year released: 2019
Pieces: 300
Cut-Style: Random
Finished size: 15 x 20 inches – Horse Shaped
Bonus poster: Yes
Made in China

QUALITY:

Box: Sturdy and compact,
Board: Medium weight chipboard, sturdy pieces
Cut: Steel-cut Die
Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
Finish: Semi-gloss, with great color saturation
Puzzle Dust: Minimal
Piece shapes: Random
Piece Fit: Very Good. Some of the irregular pieces make it so that pieces can only be moved in small groups.

Disability Notes: The slightly larger size pieces of the 300 piece puzzle are kind to the hands while still being complex enough to challenge lovers of larger piece count puzzles. Honestly, I want to try this brand’s 100 piece counts for later this winter when my hands threaten to swell into claws. Their 550 -700 piece puzzles are intricate and huge! I can recommend this for people with mild to moderate arthritis or hand/eye coordination.

Where to buy: I Am Horse is available on the Madd Capp Puzzles website for $14.99 USD.

Madd Capp Puzzles : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received a complimentary puzzle from the manufacturer in exchange for review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct; I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page.To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Puzzle Review

Campside Series – A Day at the Lake

June 28, 2019 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I got safely to Massachusetts last night, and today I’ll be heading up to Swanzey, New Hampshire with the Boss and his wife to camp.

MasterPieces Puzzles has a new series out this year that is perfect for this weekend, and all summer long. Their Campside series is a set of 4 puzzles that showcase the fun of both summer and camping!

I love going to camp, it means different things to different people. For me, it means walking cool forest trails, petting all the other campers’ dogs and swimming in the lake.

This is a fantastic 300 piece EZGrip puzzle. The EZGrip puzzles are made with larger puzzle pieces that are better for people with hand issues or for children learning to puzzle.

I was having a bad hand day when SC and I assembled this, so I consider it a decent test of whether or not it works as advertised.

I love all the different details and aspects of camping shown in this puzzle! It really hits all the best bits of a summer holiday in my mind.

This raccoon made me smile! The artist, Adrian Chesterman, really makes his images feel like you are really there!

It’s a picnic! Without ants!

As you can see, I had a ton of fun with this puzzle. As experienced puzzlers, it only took SC and I about 45 minutes to assemble. That being said, this is a great puzzle to do with the family, either at camp or home. SC and I thought it’d be perfect for a rainy day or after supper activity.

I’ll be definitely looking to collect the rest of the Campside series for my summer puzzling!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: MasterPieces® Inc.
Title: Campside – Day at the Lake 300 Piece EZ Grip Puzzle
Artist: Adrian Chesterman
Year released: 2019
Pieces: 300
Cut-Style: Grid
Finished size: 18x 24 in
Bonus poster: No
Made from recycled materials
Made in China

QUALITY:

Box: Sturdy but lightweight, 8 x 8 x 2 inches
Board: Medium thickness, recycled chipboard
Cut: Cut with a steelcut die
Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
Finish: Semi-gloss
Puzzle Dust: Minimal
Piece shapes: 4 different shapes that repeat, Large size for easy handling
Piece Fit: Excellent, small clusters of pieces could be moved without falling apart

Disability Notes: I found this puzzle to be easy on my hands and the many bright colors to be easy on the eyes as well! This is definitely a puzzle for (almost) all ages and abilities!

Where to buy: Campside – Day at the Lake 300 Piece EZ Grip Puzzle is available on the MasterPieces website for $12.99 USD.

MasterPieces Puzzles: Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received a complimentary puzzle from the manufacturer in exchange for review. The opinions are my own. All links are direct, I do not make money from them.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Puzzle Review, Uncategorized

Basket Case Family Pieces Puzzle: A Review

September 3, 2018 PuzzlePaws Leave a comment

I know that most people with disabilities have families. Okay, all humans pretty much have families, but what I meant was; most of us have kids. My kids have fur, and do more damage to my projects than help…oh, wait, just like real kids. Nevermind that! Anyway, not having human children, I borrow my friend’s. I play auntie and Godmom to a small horde, who sometimes like to help out with my hobbies.

A few days ago, I “borrowed” Minion 1 and Minion 2 from their mom. Minion 1 is 8, and loves puzzles. Minion 2 has just turned 5 and while he likes puzzles, his attention span is hit & miss (SC Edit: He has the attention span of a ferret on speed!). Anyway, I’d gotten some of Cobble Hill’s new Family Pieces puzzles, and the boys were keen to do one.

Top-Minion 1, Far Left -Minion 2, Bottom Center- Me!

The Family Pieces Puzzles come with 3 distinct size pieces. Large for young children, Medium for older children, and small for adults.

Sorting didn’t take long with three pairs of hands! Minion 1 was a little miffed he had less medium pieces than his brother’s large ones, but once we started, he was helping everywhere!

Some of the edge pieces were tricky to find! We had a blast matching colors and seeing who could complete more kitten faces. At the end of the assembly, Minion 2 was starting to get a bit bored, as we were down to the small adult shapes. Still, he rallied to help place the last 4 pieces and complete the puzzle!

There was lemonades in celebration!

PUZZLE SPECS

Company: Cobble Hill
Title: Basket Case
Year released: 2018
Pieces: 350
Cut-Style: Random
Finished size: 24″ x 18″
Bonus poster: No
Made from recycled materials
Made in USA

QUALITY:

Box: Sturdy, Mediumweight, 10″x14’x2.5″ Matte-Linen Finish
Board: Thick and sturdy pieces, good for all 3 sizes of pieces
Cut: Steel-cut Die
Image Quality: Excellent, great color saturation
Finish: Satin, with great color saturation
Puzzle Dust: Minimal
Piece shapes: A good mix of traditionally cut and irregular pieces
Piece Fit: Very Good, but loose. You cannot pick up multiple large or medium pieces and move them, but the small pieces could lock together and be moved in small batches.

Disability Notes: I can definitely recommend this for any multi-age family, or for a person whose hands have good and bad days. The boys had fun and the full assembly only took about 2 hours. My hands didn’t ache after assembly, and the difficulty level was certainly up to adult standard. I can happily recommend a large piece puzzle for people with fine motor skill issues, or arthritis.

Where to buy: Basket Case is available on the Cobble Hill website for $15.99 usd.

Cobble Hill Puzzle Company : Website / FaceBook

Disclosure: I received a complimentary puzzle from the manufacturer in exchange for review. The opinions are my own.

Thanks for reading, and please click the Follow Button under my profile on the right side of the page. To support posts like this in the future, consider joining my Patreon!

Little pieces make a bigger picture