Buffalo Games Quiet Fire
I recently purchased this 1000-piece Buffalo Games Quiet Fire puzzle, mostly because I love tigers and love the picture. This puzzle is part of the Hautman Brothers collection. It did turn out to be an enjoyable puzzle, but it also did take some effort just to get to the pieces.
Opening the Box
This was the first time I’ve ever encountered such difficulty simply opening a puzzle box. The box appeared to be simple to open. There was no clear wrap around it, no tape, etc. So, went to remove the lid…and it wouldn’t come off. I kept trying and came to realize that the lid was glued on all four sides! I had to break the glue seal all the way around to get the top off. This glue job did result in some damage to the inside of the box…which I thought was just ridiculous and totally unnecessary.
Once I got it open, I noticed that the pieces were just loose in the box…not encased in a plastic bag, like a lot of puzzles are today. Still, all of the pieces were there, and there was no puzzle dust, so all was good in that respect.
Putting it Together
I put the edges together first…well, most of them, because it seemed like I was missing 3 edge pieces for a time. As I studied the almost complete-border, I came to realize that something was not quite right. In reality, I had some of the edge pieces placed incorrectly on the bottom border. What was odd, to me at least, is that they not only fit nicely, but looked correct as well. So, I had to move them over to the right, little by little, until I found where they truly went.
That’s the first time I’ve encountered pieces that actually fit in more than one place…which was a little disturbing. It was just that one section that was like that, though, thank goodness!
Working Onward
This was another puzzle that sorting by color worked well on. I decided not to save the green for last, as in the previous puzzle I did (Cabin in the Wild), so I concentrated on doing all of the green areas first. That worked well for doing the green, but left me with all of the brown and orange pieces. Some of these pieces were a brownish-orange/orangish-brown color.
The result was that I did all of the areas surrounding the tigers first, which made for an odd-looking unfinished puzzle…for a time. My sons came in to help me with this puzzle at times, and made the comment that I should not have left the tigers for last. Well, either way, the tigers were challenging. I think it really helped to know that all the pieces I was left with were parts of the tigers, and not something else.
Finishing Up
Once most of the tigers were done, it got exponentially easier…and I let one of my sons place the last few pieces in, as I am wont to do. I’m such a nice Mom! I try to promote the fun factor, and I don’t mind if someone else puts the finishing touch on, so to speak.
To Sum it Up
Opening the Box = Very difficult
Puzzle dust = Not one bit
Thickness = 1/16”
Quality of pieces = Very Good
Easy to connect = Mostly (having some pieces fit into 2 places = not so good)
Enjoyment factor = Lots of Fun
Even though there were a couple of issues with this Buffalo Games Quiet Fire puzzle, I still recommend it as a fun and challenging puzzle to work. This puzzles’ finished dimensions are:
26.75” X 19.75” OR 68 cm X 50 cm.
It fit on my puzzle board very well, so I was happy about that. No matter what type of puzzle you choose to work, Happy Puzzling to All!