Ravensburger Buckingham Palace 3D Jigsaw Puzzle (216 Pieces) Review

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This 3D jigsaw puzzle is of Buckingham Palace which is situated in the capital city of London and houses the British monarch, who is currently Queen Elizabeth ll and she has reigned for over 60 years. Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 but was known as Buckingham House initially and has been the home of the British monarchy since 1837 when Queen Victoria moved in. This a place that hosts important events connected with the Royal Family and is a very popular tourist attraction so this jigsaw could even be suitable as a souvenir for a person who has visited the palace.

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This jigsaw is part of a collection by Ravensburger of famous buildings and monuments from around the world including some of the most recognisable ones from London like Tower Bridge or Big Ben in which a person could create with them their own model village full of spectacular buildings if they wanted. This jigsaw essentially is Buckingham Palace as it looks during the day when there is daylight and this means it doesn't light up as the night edition of this is capable of doing which makes the night version look pretty spectacular in the dark.

The jigsaw has 216 individual pieces of varying sizes and shapes that slot together with numbers on the back so you can use the numbers with the instructions that are included to put it together if you get stuck or the level of challenge you want. It incorporates 2D jigsaw puzzling as the walls of the palace are put together as you would a normal 2D flat jigsaw with the only difference being the pieces are assembled upright.

This jigsaw is educational as well as a puzzle because you are going to learn about history and architecture through building this which may lead to a passion or a deep interest in these fields as well as broadening your overall general knowledge. You may also gain more general skills like patience and problem solving through completing this puzzle which are important and useful skills to have at your disposal.

The puzzle in terms of likeness to the real-life building is high quality and you would instantly recognize it as being Buckingham Palace as it replicates it in the minutest of details like the balconies, the columns, the windows and architecture that are all unique to this building and are distinctive features as you even get the surrounding fence and gate included to complete the look. However, if there is an issue with the puzzle it is a common one with 3D jigsaws and although it is 3D it can feel and still look 2D as it is printed, admittedly in high quality, onto flat pieces so you can't feel or touch certain parts of the building as they are flat. Also, the puzzle can appear a little cartoonish rather than like a photo which could have made the puzzle seem more realistic and would have been more detailed.

The puzzle is a large one when completed and when separated has many smaller pieces so will require a large clear surface area when assembling it like a clear table to keep track of all the individual pieces so they don't get lost. It is very advisable not to put them or allow them to be on the floor as they could be trodden on or a pet could chew them up.

The pieces are small in size and made of plastic so as a consequence are not suitable for small children as they could be swallowed and be a choking hazard. As they are made from plastic which can be a long-lasting material and a durable one so they should keep a long time even with repeated use if reasonable care is taken with them and are used as they are intended.

This is a puzzle that looks really nice when finished so this makes it perfect for displaying but you will have to find somewhere with the appropriate room as it is a quite large puzzle that will take up plenty of space and somewhere that somebody can't catch it by walking past and knock it off as it is light in weight so can be pushed or moved with little force. You may want to display it on a shelf in which case there will inevitably be the problem of dust but the puzzle is robust enough that if you do dust or clean it it will not fall apart but you should still be careful and apply the duster gently.

When you have finished with the puzzle and want to disassemble it and pack it away it may be a good idea to put the pieces in sealable see-through plastic bags so you can see what they are and they are safely contained and kept together. The pieces will all fit back into the box they came in and the box is small enough that putting it away in a drawer or cupboard will not be an issue.

There is no glue or tools needed for this puzzle so this means there will be less mess made and less fiddling about such as holding the pieces together whilst waiting for the glue to dry if that even works. The puzzle pieces slot into each other nicely on an individual level with little force required and will stay connected together. However, when connecting different complete sections together it can be tricky to align them properly so they slot together correctly, for example, putting the palace building section on the base part or putting the roof on the palace and when you manage to do this they do stay firmly and tightly in place. As the pieces don't need to be forced to fit together this means they are less likely to break especially the connecting parts of the pieces which are particularly vulnerable or become bent so that the puzzle pieces don't work anymore.

Although intended as a single person puzzle you can easily do it in a pair or a group by either working on the different sections separately or by taking it in turns to put it together or one could guide the other and this may make the puzzle an even more fun and enjoyable experience.

Replayability is very low as it is not a puzzle you are going to do repeatedly as there is only one challenge and the pieces only fit together in one way but you could try to see how fast you can build it by maybe putting the pieces together in a different order than you did originally.

The level of difficulty is not that high and is fairly straightforward to put together as there are not that many pieces to it and it is easy to ascertain which piece goes where. You can group parts together like the roof or the exterior of the building to help make it easier to put it together. You should be able to complete it by just looking at the picture on the box but there are numbers on the pieces to help you if you really are struggling and this activity should only take a few hours to complete. I would say this is definitely suitable and solvable for beginners who are new to this type of challenge.

In conclusion, this puzzle is fun to put together as all the pieces slot together in a straightforward manner that doesn't take too long to complete and that isn't particularly difficult so is suitable for 3D jigsaw novices and when finished with makes a nice decorative piece that a person could show off to family members or friends and is ideal for someone who has an interest in historically famous buildings and monuments.