Thursday 22 May 2014

Taj Mahal 3D puzzle from Ravensburger

"You did it beautifully, Mummy!" (Eddie)
The iconic Taj Mahal is a famous landmark. This white marble mausoleum, located in Agra, India, was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The construction of Taj Mahal took almost 22 years. Now you can build your own mini-Taj Mahal in an hour and half or so.


Ravensburger's Taj Mahal 3d puzzle comes in  216 carefully constructed plastic puzzle pieces, including curved and hinged pieces which interlock to create a model of India's most recognisable monument.




It comes in a sturdy box, with an instructions book, and puzzle bits and pieces. You start building at the base, and work your way up. The puzzle pieces are made of plastic and have numbers on the back to make the construction easier.
The design is a work of artist Steph Dekker. The attention to detail is simply stunning.


As you can see from the photo below, each piece has a number and a little arrow pointing which way the next puzzle piece should be attached.
I was worried it would be difficult to assemble the palace, but it was a real pleasure.



Once we sorted the puzzle pieces in tens, then it was easy to construct.



You build the big cupola, and the mini-cupolas are ready-made. The whole palace measures 34x34x24.2cm.


We spent about an hour and a half, sorting and assembling. You might do it faster or slower, depending on your skills, patience and concentration levels.
This is a superior puzzle, a real gem. It is elegant and beautiful, and would make a super present for anyone who loves puzzles (suggested age 12-99).

I loved it so much, that I am thinking of getting another puzzle as a gift to our Daddy. I have seen a Leaning Tower of Pisa puzzle from Ravensburger, and think it would make a great Father's day gift to my husband, who as a paratrooper was based in Pisa. Years ago, I visited Pisa with him and even went to see the barracks where he was based.

We'll keep our Taj Mahal puzzle on display on the book shelf.



Disclosure: I received the 3d puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.

If you loved this review, you might enjoy reading a review of Ravensburger Big Ben 3d puzzle written by my friend Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.
We're going on an adventure

5 comments:

  1. That's fabulous, we've got Big Ben and will also be trying the Empire State Building. They're really realistic :)

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    1. Did you review the Big Ben, I cannot remember. I'll be happy to add a link to your review.

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    2. Actually, don't worry, I found it now.

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  2. This looks wonderful, so much better than the one I have which is ancient. Mine was foam backed and no numbers! Took days to do it. Would love to have a go at the modern version.

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  3. We are reviewing this puzzle as well and I really enjoyed it - I think the new plastic style puzzles are much better than the old style foam ones.

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