Pack-man

This puzzle is a play on the name of an old video game those of my generation knew and loved. Other than having one Pac and four ghosts, there is no other resemblance to the 80's game. I would have to say though that it is just as much fun.

This was made by Chris Enright of acrylic and ABS plastic. It's a packing puzzle that is anything but easy. I've been defeated by a childhood memory!

When I saw this puzzle at IPP I fell in love with the idea. Or rather with the memory of hamburger joints and one of the first games I got to play at home. I tried it in D.C. But made no progress. To be honest I completely forgot about it until fellow blogger Jerry wrote about it. When I read his blog, I went right now and wrote an email. Within a few weeks I received my puzzle and tossed it in my bag for future puzzling.

Last weekend I finally went back to testing and Pack-Man was the first to come out. Honestly, I was so frustrated by it that it was the only one to come out. Needless to say, I didn't manage to solve it by the end of my testing session. This one saw me with almost two hours on my hands but it simply wasn't enough time. So Pack-Man is back in my bag for next weekend.

I would definitely get this one if you can. The price isn't prohibitive and it's a lot of fun. Besides, how many puzzles can you play with and mumble over and over to yourself "waka-waka-waka"?

Mf8 stars

Yes I know that's not the official name for these puzzles but it fits the overall shape nicely. Well, the shape of the center bits anyway.

I've been blessed to meet the owner of Mf8 back in the summer of 2009. (Incidentally, that first puzzle was the crazy 4x4)  Since that first meeting, I've had the pleasure and privilege of meeting up with him quite a few times a year since then.  Dinner, drinks, a bit of peaking into the dark corners and parts bags in his warehouse.....He's trusted me with secret puzzle releases for quite some time now and has allowed me to play with many puzzles, take photos of many more and every now and again take one home.  And each and every time someone beats me to the information release over on TP.  But hey, I'd rather know and play than brag and tell.  Add to that his making my exchange puzzle for me this year as well as helping SmaZ with the manufacture of a few puzzles and you have one great guy on your hands!

It dawned on me today while I was reading Kevin's blog about his set of DaYan gems that I have not blogged about these so I'll make it up to you now.  Or should I say I'll make Kevin go spend more now.  :)

First up is the corner turning star.  I know I've not got the names right, but they are one thing on TP and something else on Mf8 and something else everywhere else you look so I'll just call them stars!  My toys, my choice of names!  This one came out in 2010, but didn't hit the market until 2011.  A nice one to play with, and not too difficult to solve.  It messes up nicely, but doesn't jumble so there is no 'real difficulty' in solving it.  Other than the obvious solving issues one has with puzzles.  I also have this one in ice-blue plastic, but since it is effectively the same, there is no point in showing another photo.

 Next we have the edge turning version of the star. This one does jumble, but in my photo I had a bugger of a time just turning the edges.  This one is very stiff. The screws are tightened down and as with all the puzzles in my collection, there is no lubrication. The corners on this one don't turn unlike the first star puzzle shown above.  This one is really pretty to me.  It reminds me quite a bit of TomZ's Curvycopter.  I think the first person to make one of these might have named it something along those lines.

Eat your heart out Kevin!  This one turns across the middle and that squiggle you see on there?  It's a signature.  We had a lucky draw at one of the Guangzhou meet-ups and I won this one as my prize.  Otis was there and was nice enough  to sticker it for me. I made Mr. Fok sign it before we left.  This has got to be a rarity.  He's such a humble man that it took me 2 years to get a signature out of him.  I don't know of anyone else who has one, but if there is someone out there, do let me know. I'd love to change my posting here.

Finally we have the last of the stars.  The Bauhinia.  That name hasn't been taken yet, and is absolutely perfect for this puzzle. IT looks just exactly like the Hong Kong flower!  It's so commonly found here, it's even on our coins!  This puzzle is just beautiful!  I first saw this one in 2010 as well, but at the time it had so many problems that it simply couldn't be made.  If you think back, Mf8 has made at least 20 puzzles either by himself, or in conjunction with DaYan and others since that time.  He did me a HUGE favor by making my puzzle, so the time from conception to production isn't that long afterall.  He did say he had a lot of projects in the works and no time to make this one...last January when I asked after it again.  I managed to steal this one after the HK Asian Championships of the WCA Cube competition kind.  We had an exhibition and Mf8 sent this new one along for display.  As we were packing up, I stole it!  But I'm an honest thief, when I see him next I'll give him the cash for it.  There's a video of it on my YouTube channel, but as usual it's mostly me blabbering on.  Watch at your own risk, I've been told I'm in need of a new camera. I'm really wondering if I'm in need of a new set of eyes because the videos look fine to me....

So there you go Kevin.  Enjoy!  And then go buy.  It's only around US$160 for the lot of them.  You can afford it you know you can, and Mrs. S....Well, a girl can never have too many shoes can they????  And for the record Kevin, I know.....

Mini Zoraida

Still on my hunt for the Berrocal minis.  This time I managed to get a copy of Mini-Zoraida!  She too was a steal. In my hunting, I know I could go to a certain seller in the UK and probably get the rest of the set that I am missing, but the fun for me is in the hunt. And no, I don't mean just going to eBay and winning an online auction.  Have you seen the prices over there?  They are insane!  The puzzle here is now on sale for $3000!   Good luck to the seller, And to the buyer....I'll sell you mine for that price.  

 Ok, enough being snarky. On to the puzzle.  Unlike Michelle, Zoraida came into my home boxed and beautiful!  I had no cleaning up to do.  The previous owner loved and cared for her as dearly as I will.  

You will notice there are two stands with her as well.  One raises the sculpture 1 1/2" above the table, the other raises her a foot.  I think we'll stick with the shorter one.  This copy came with a book as well. I'm a bit suspect though because there is no edition number written in this book.  Not a problem I guess in the greater scheme of things.  The puzzle has 25 pieces to it and as with all the other Berrocal minis, it's slightly risque.  Zoraida is a woman who has her arms wrapped around her bust.  She has no head and I'm sure you can find a joke in there somewhere. As usual, there is also a ring inside, and this time, it makes up her breasts.  I'm taking a guess here, but I think the rock inside is 2 moonstones.  

To unlock her is just a treat.  Her topmost shoe is a key!  Seriously.  Slide it down and pull it out and the puzzle will come to pieces.    As you can see from the photo below, I haven't gotten far in the disassembly.  I brought it out of the box for a few photographs, brought her to yet another newspaper interview, and then put her back on the shelf.  Time is the real issue for me, not lack of desire.  Although, she is in such pristine condition I'm almost afraid to handle her.  Which reminds me....I need to go get some more plastic boxes for these things.  The weather.....

My only complaint about this puzzle is that it was sold as number 399.  When I opened it up and took off the base I discovered she is 3996!  I took it up with the seller who claimed ignorance.  Well there is a huge difference!  399 would have been a silver edition.  Instead I got the nickle and brass one.  I did manage a price difference rebate though.  I mean I didn't get what I paid for.  I'm still happy with her all the same though.  Like Michelle, she's beautiful and she looks good on my shelf too!

Again, I would recommend taking a look at John's webpage for more information.  I also found some nice drooling e-books here, here, and here.  If you want hard copies of these, they are available at various places, but start at around US$50 and go upwards of 200.  Real coffee table books these are!

*Even if I didn't love the look of these puzzles, I'd love them just because he's toking away in almost every photo in his workshop.  Nothing wrong with a good cigar while puzzling!