We all spend too much time on our screens. We are all guilty of it, even it that means it is just a television screen rather than a phone or tablet. After a long day we do all like to sit down and relax and we will switch on the TV, play the games console, or tap away on our phones. Whilst it is good to relax and let the mind wander and recharge, there are other ways to relax and unwind without the aid of a screen – to name a few you can read a book, do crosswords or puzzles, knit a cardi or, as my mum likes to do, jigsaw puzzles.
Jigsaws are an excellent way to challenge yourself, get your brain working and help you relax all without any need for rushing. Jigsaws come in all shapes and sizes, with various degrees of difficulty levels to suit all ages. Whilst my mum loves doing traditional jigsaws on the table (the large flat type that take up all the table space), she also likes something that is a little bit different and really loves 3D jigsaws. Ravensburger have an excellent range of 3D jigsaw puzzles, and my mum especially likes the London buildings landmarks range. With that in mind, she was absolutely delighted when she received Buckingham Palace to put together.
Most of us that will remember jigsaws being tiny pieces of different shaped cardboard with different tabs that all need to join together to create the bigger picture. 3D jigsaw puzzles are similar but definitely not the same. They use plastic pieces, some parts may also be hinged, which slot together to create a solid 3D structure, and no glue is required to hold it all together.
The Ravensburger Buckingham Palace 3D Jigsaw Puzzle has 216 pieces, all in varying shapes and sizes. When completed, it creates a 3D model of one of the most famous buildings in the world, measuring 38 x 12.3 x 10.9cm.
Everybody knows Buckingham Palace; it has been home to the British monarchy since 1837 and is currently home to Queen Elizabeth II who has reigned for 69 years (she is now 95 years old). Originally built in 1702 as a large townhouse, it was acquired by King George III in 1761 and the next 75 years were spent making improvements and additions to it, getting bigger and bigger at the time before evolving into the palace we know today. The building boasts imposing dimensions, concealing a 77,000 m² interior behind the 108 m long, 120 m wide and 24 m tall limestone façade. It truly is a magnificent building and a big tourist attraction in the heart of our capital city. And a great model for a 3D jigsaw puzzle.
The jigsaw comes with 216 pieces and there are two ways to assemble it. You can do it the hardest way by eye just like you would with a regular jigsaw; sorting, finding and trying different pieces until you find the correct piece that fits or you can do it the easier way by using the numbers on the back of each piece to assemble in numeric fashion. Either way, you will end up with a great looking model of Buckingham Palace that you can put on display should you wish. And no glue is required, screws, nails, rubber bands, clips are required to hold the structure together!
My mum loves her jigsaws so she set about assembling it the way she knows and enjoys by sorting pieces and trying to find the right ones to fix into place, she didn’t want to use the numbering system as she thought that would make it far too easy and take away any enjoyment and sense of accomplishment. She was also fully aware that if she did get stuck she also had the fall back option of looking at a number or two on the reverse of each piece to give her a gentle nudge it the right direction.
Whilst only having 216 pieces it isn’t a massive puzzle to complete but it still took her a couple of hours (stopping to make a few cups of tea along the way) to assemble it, building it in her preferred way without using the numbers. It made it much more of a challenge to build it by eye, logic and some luck. The sense of accomplishment was plain to see as she was going along and when she had finished. It now sits smartly displayed on a shelf (she now has her eye on the Night Edition of the same puzzle that use LED technology to light up the palace in different colours).
She found it a bit of a challenge to do without using the numbers, but not too difficult. She found that the plastic pieces were very sturdy and seem very durable (definitely a lot more so than cardboard pieces) and wasn’t worried about damaging the pieces. The completed puzzle is very sturdy, looks good and the attention to detail and quality (including the Beefeaters and the Union Jack flying above the palace) is excellent.
This is an excellent puzzle for jigsaw lovers or even model builders and is suitable for all ages from 10+. A perfect and satisfying way to ditch the screentime.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £19.99
Available to buy from Amazon here.