Dial Case

Juno’s sequential discovery puzzles are legendary – so much so that recent releases have pretty much sold out instantly – sometimes leaving some long-term supporters and collectors disappointed. As a result Juno has recently introduced a new idea to ensure that his long-term supporters can still access his new sequential discovery puzzles: in the week running up to the release he invited folks to send him a picture with three or more of his previous sequential discovery puzzles currently in their collection and that would allow them to effectively reserve a copy of his new release…

The announcement mentioned he was expecting to have around 180 copies available, so there was every chance that a significant number would still be available for sale at the appointed time for those with nimble fingers and fast broadband.

Being older and less nimble, I made use of the preferential route, with my copy making it to the sunny climes of Barnt Green in double-quick time…. where it duly sat on the desk mocking me for quite some time: there’s a pretty obvious first “move”, although I hesitate even to call it that… but the second step eluded me for a long time…

I wasn’t unhappy mind you; it does look gorgeous on the desk. Juno is a magician when it comes to picking stunning bits of wood to craft into puzzles –and the silky oak on the top of this one is dreamy.

I spent a long time exploring the way that big dial would spin and spin and spin, and ever so occasionally for some reason, not spin. It was only when I spotted something super subtle that I managed to scrabble together the tiniest bits of a brainwave and then manage to make some serious progress.

That pretty much opened the flood-gates for some serious dismantlement (which actually seems to be a word!) and my play area was soon strewn with oddly shaped little pieces of puzzle that had previously managed to totally confuse me… but there was more to do.

At the start of this journey you have a rectangular block with a pair of knobs on the top, what seems to be a large dial embedded in the case and a strange recessed (possibly a?) drawer on the one end…

Having dismantled a goodly proportion of the puzzle, at least one of those elements is still there, and mocking me – I can feel Juno grinning somewhere and urging an aspirant puzzler to Think (c) just a little more.

That final locking mechanism is truly classic Juno – imaginative and ingenious – with a delightful “A-Ha!” when you crack it.

Even when you get to the very end, Juno still has the last laugh with his little treasure telling you to go all the way back to the start again. Really cute touch.

Another sequential discovery gem in Juno’s ever-increasing canon.