Description
The puzzle is to remove the cannonball from this curious brass cannon.
If you look down the barrel of the cannon you can see the cannonball inside but the opening is slightly oval and it stops the ball from falling out.
This is one of a group of Take Apart puzzles that some refer to as Sequential Discovery or sometimes Progressive Move puzzles. There is no simple, single move, straightforward solution. You need to find the steps, and sometimes the discovery of tools, to enable you to execute them. These tools may not necessarily be obvious and the deduction of what is a tool and what is not is an important part of the puzzle. This is a bit of a challenge for puzzlers who’ve never done this type of puzzle before but makes a great introduction to this very popular genre of mechanical puzzles.
Based on a wooden version called Cannon and Ball puzzle made from wood circa 1881-1884 that was published in Hoffmann’s Puzzles Old and New by Professor Hoffman in 1893. This puzzle also has the same mechanism as the Bits & Pieces reproduction done in the 1990’s.
We have previously sold a more cheaply made version by of this puzzle made by Enigma but the puzzle proved so popular that we decided to commission this version. The muzzle of the cannon is made from solid turned brass rather than plated cast zinc alloy. The red cannon base is made from a cast alloy metal. We have opened every one of these puzzles here at Mr Puzzle in Australia to make sure that the puzzling element is set correctly before sending them out.
The solution enclosed is also photographed and worded by us here at Mr Puzzle Australia to ensure the solution is as clear as it can possibly be.
Size: 70mm x 32mm x 30mm
Packaged in a brown kraft card box with a step by step solution worded by us here at Mr Puzzle is enclosed.
KN –
I enjoyed figuring out the solution for this puzzle – It was reasonably tricky/ challenging for a novice. Was worth the buy.
Though the quality could have been better, since I saw that the ‘canonball’ and the inside of the canon was quite dirty. I had to clean it up myself.
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SteveRex –
Reasonable price for a decent puzzle. Despite being quite cheap, it contains mechanics often seen in more expensive puzzles.
I’m not usually a huge fan of the enigma series, but if you are on the fence regarding picking this up, I would recommend doing so. In my opinion, it is on par with some of the better Hanayama puzzles.
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Charles (verified owner) –
Took about 10 minutes to figure out but it was clever and a lot of fun.
Well worth the buy!
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Charles (verified owner) –
Took about 10 minutes to figure out but it was clever and a lot of fun.
Well worth the buy!
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Myke (verified owner) –
I loved this puzzle. Didn’t take long but I had a “blast” the whole way through. Definitely recommend this one.
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jojo –
this was fun and easy the best two things in a puzzle
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Haydn (verified owner) –
Awesome puzzle but possibly a bit costly for the difficulty but still worth the buy
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Usher –
I believe some of these reviews to be inaccurate.
I have purchased 65 puzzles in the last 3-4 months.
The price of this puzzle is very inexpensive, I mean good night, how much cheaper can you get for a high quality all brass puzzle.
The quality is great.
This is not as easy as it looks, its a tricky solve, and a great looking piece for a collector. I highly recommend this puzzle for anyone.
Thank you Mr. Puzzle for carrying such unique puzzles.
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Reviews from Magento –
It was a really great puzzle and I felt super satisfied completing it, however, there was one flaw with it, a certain move was really difficult to do as it was tightened too far. But overall, great quality and looks fantastic.
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The3rdBozon – from Magento 6/01/2020 18:07 –
Simple and Fun!
Got this puzzle for a Xmas gift. It’s my first non-Hanayama puzzle (I started with Lv5 & Lv6 w/those) and this was a bit too easy for my liking. Really nice for my desk at work, and one I feel my coworkers could drop in, mess with for 10 mins, and solve. The first time was actually a little scary at times with it; I felt like I needed to use more force than subsequent solves will take, and it’s definitely one where solving it once will solve it forever. I have a few Hanayamas where I’m still afraid to re-solve (Trinity, Cylinder a bit) but this is pretty much a one-and-done. Fun! Thumbs up. Just easy and a little “fiddly” on the first solve.
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James – from Magento 21/01/2020 11:33 –
A great introduction
This a great introduction. It shouldn’t take too long to solve, and looks great – very well made. People are surprised when you tell them it’s a puzzle.
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Lenny – from Magento 24/01/2020 21:33 –
Great first up puzzle
I thought the quality and cost were exceptional. A great starting point new puzzlers. Would make a great gift also
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Yehor – from Magento 10/02/2020 7:32 –
A bit frustrating.
I solved it immediately in my head in under five minutes
But because unscrewing one part was so insanely hard, it took me several weeks
I had to look into solution to verify that my assumption was correct
Luckily in the end I managed to unscrew it… with two pliers…
I couldn’t unscrew it with my hands at all
Just s bit frustrating how much time I spent only because of the defect
Not to mention that pliers left some marks on the surface
Overall it’s a good introductory puzzle, but only when it’s working
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Michael Texler (verified owner) –
Looks snazzy.
Just get the ball out of the cannon. How hard is that?
The solution is in obscurity, for those who know brass puzzles.
Resist the temptation to use any external tools, because brass is a soft metal and scores/deforms easily.
Using any pliers or tools could actually damage the puzzle if you don’t know what you are doing.
If you are doing the puzzle correctly, no more than strong finger force is required to solve it!
There are no magnets, no spinning, not even the force of gravity is required (only to tip the cannon ball out at the end).
All it requires is at least one functioning eye-ball and a pair of working hands with moderate dexterity, connected to an enquiring mind!
All of what you need is in the brass cannon, enough said.
The red base is to display the cannon, nothing more. The wheels and axles have absolutely nothing to do with the solution. The crossbar on the cannon barrel does not come out!
A cannon by itself would look silly without a stand!
Have fun!
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