Ravensburger The Earth - 540 Piece puzzleball
by Ravensburger
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Category: Toy
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: RavensburgerBrand: Ravensburger
Audio: English (Unknown)
Release Date: 2007-07-15
Model: 11118
Product features:
- Features perfectly crafted, curved puzzle-pieces
- Can be easily assembled together to form a solid, smooth ball
- No glue required
- Includes both a plastic base stand and metal rotation stand
- 540 piece set
Toys and Games Reviews of Ravensburger The Earth - 540 Piece puzzleball
Customer Review: Great puzzle; several flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
This was an extremely fun puzzle. I stayed up late at night working on it. If you don't "cheat" by using the numbers on the backs of the pieces, it is an excellent way to learn and review geography. The pieces have a great, smooth feel to them. They feel solid and seem to be waterproof (plastic or plastic-coated). My wife and I had a great deal of fun with the puzzle and would recommend it for most ages down to about age 8, depending on a child's interest in learning and an adult's ability to teach and to interest children in learning. It might be a bit tedious for kids too young or too impatient.
The puzzle is fairly solid and rigid when completed (thanks, probably, to my use of tape on the inside). It spins well in the metal stand. I disagree with the reviewers who faulted the stand--it was easy to use and did not require distorting the puzzle. I also disagree with those who wrote that it cannot be constructed in sections. That's exactly how I did it.
I gave this item 5 stars in the provided categories and would have given it 5 stars overall if not for these flaws:
1. The numbering on the back is great for the ocean areas that have virtually no distinctive features, but can ruin the experience and the learning for the land areas and the oceanic areas that have features. The numbers should only be provided for the featureless oceanic areas.
2. The box and on-line advertisements very clearly state that the puzzle requires no gluing. This is simply false. Many, if not most, connections are not solid enough to stay together well enough to support the weight of other connecting pieces. Some simply fall apart when lightly touched. There is no way this puzzle can be constructed without adhesive. Once I accepted that, and started using tape, I really enjoyed putting it together.
3. The instructions are pretty good, but do not give the full story. They indicate that the puzzle must be constructed in a certain way (South Pole to North Pole), but this does not lend itself to constructing sections, such as continents, and then assembling them, and it is also not the best way to finish the puzzle. Finishing the puzzle effectively took some creative engineering (which was fun for me, but not intended per the instructions).
4. Many, if not most, pieces have discontinuities across their connections--i.e., the words and features printed on the outside do not line up perfectly. It's not terrible, but it doesn't look like a normal puzzle.
5. The picture on the box of the completed puzzle is deceptive. It shows no discontinuities and a perfectly smooth surface. (It's probably a prototype.) Even with creative engineering, very meticulous construction, and liberal use of tape on the inside, my completed puzzle has many connections that are not perfectly smooth. It also has many discontinuities.
6. Many pieces are almost identical in shape and connection points. In other words, it's possible to fit many pieces together that are not supposed to be together. I had a few oceanic sections fitted (and taped) together, only to discover later that they were not in the correct place (by looking at the numbers and after connecting additional sections). A "real" puzzle, even one with significantly more pieces, has very few or zero connections that are identical. You should always be able to tell with 100% certainly whether a connection is correct--even in a featureless area.
In spite of these objections, I recommend this toy, but hope that the manufacturers would improve their products in the future.
Description of Ravensburger The Earth - 540 Piece puzzleball
The latest and greatest innovation from Ravensburger, this unique three-dimensional puzzle inspires a world of wonder among both kids and adults. It's specially crafted from sturdy, curved plastic pieces that fit securely in place to form a round, smooth ball. Once completed, proudly display it anywhere using the included sturdy metal V-shaped stand. No glue required. 540 pieces. Measures 8.5" diameter.Jigsaw Puzzles Toys
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