4D New York City Skyline Time Puzzle

by 4D Cityscape

Product Features

• Contains 700 pieces
• Educational
• Glow in dark streets
• Skyscrapers are completely detailed
• Teaches Time line of the city

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 3 inches ; 1.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002T1HG82
• Item model number: CTY-4D101
• Manufacturer recommended age: 8 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,849 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #3 in Toys & Games > Puzzles > 3-D Puzzles
  • #38 in Toys & Games > Puzzles > Brain Teasers
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

This puzzle recreates Manhattan’s famous skyline not only in three dimensions using scale-model buildings, but also along the axis of fourth dimension time, spanning 101 years of its architectural history. The puzzle includes 120 plastic buildings that depict the city as it appeared as far back as 1812 through to 1971 with the addition of the World Trade Towers, and into the future in 2013 with the completion of the Freedom Tower. Including icons such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and the United Nations, the buildings fit into pre-cut holes in a traditional 2D jigsaw puzzle composed of 575 pieces that form the city’s street layout and islands. The streets glow in the dark, emphasizing the city’s insomniac nickname. Includes a Time Poster that includes a history of the city. The online educational feature includes more than 2000 facts. Ages 12 and up. Assembled 28" x 12" x 4".

Product Description

This puzzle recreates Manhattan's famous skyline not only in three dimensions using scale-model buildings, but also along the axis of fourth dimension time, spanning 101 years of its architectural history. The puzzle includes 120 plastic buildings that depict the city as it appeared as far back as 1812 through to 1971 with the addition of the World Trade Towers, and into the future in 2013 with the completion of the Freedom Tower. Including icons such as the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and the United Nations, the buildings fit into pre-cut holes in a traditional 2D jigsaw puzzle composed of 575 pieces that form the city's street layout and islands. The streets glow in the dark, emphasizing the city's insomniac nickname. Includes a Time Poster that includes a history of the city. The online educational feature includes more than 2000 facts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4D CityScape Puzzle, December 12, 2009

By 

Marcos C. Augusto - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 4D New York City Skyline Time Puzzle (Toy)

I am certainly not into puzzles but this one takes the prize as the most fun and geographically interesting puzzle i've ever seen and put together; It does take a lot of effort to string together all pieces of the puzzle, specifically the bottom first layer and the final 120 buildings layer, but i imagine that's what puzzles are for. I became so engrossed with it towards the end of assembling the bottom layer that i ended up having a "puzzling" marathon session that lasted for 8 1/2 hours of non-stop, head-breaking matching pieces and final assemblage, almost an act of obsession !

The detail of the pieces, particularly on the tiny buildings, was rather surprising and amazing, considering their size and the price of the item.

One recommendation that i found very useful and not mentioned in the manual is to get a base (wood, plastic, etc) large enough to serve as the assembly base, as there are so many small pieces in this puzzle, so many buildings and assorted detailing, that you might as well have a base to display the end result permanently, or at least until the puzzle is fully put together and ready to be transferred to a more permanent location.

A few minor disappointments were the fact that the Metropolitan Museum building is not included in the puzzle (arguably the biggest tourist attraction in New York City and major historic building), the detailing on the bridges, compared to the detailing on all the 120 buildings, is non-exhisting, and the same can be said about the World Trade Center Twin Towers, which the manufacturer decided to include with the puzzle as well as having their own places on the final assembled puzzle, even though they don't exist any longer.

Overall, a highly recommended item; Just be prepared to become unwittingly obsessed with finalizing the puzzle and have some water or other liquid handily available, or like myself you might end up dehidrated in blissfull obsessiveness !

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great except for a few glaring errors., June 21, 2010

By 

R. Sagar (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 4D New York City Skyline Time Puzzle (Toy)

Terrific idea, great puzzle overall, marred only by a few details being totally off. Too bad they call 5th Ave "central Park East". They did away with the Hudson north of where it meets the Harlem River, and Central Park South is called 57th St (if at all, should be 59th). They should have looked at a map!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Creative and Fun Puzzle for Adults, December 31, 2010

By 

la lectora "Karen" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: 4D New York City Skyline Time Puzzle (Toy)

Although this puzzle has some design/manufacture weaknesses, I must say I really enjoyed it. It has 2 layers--the bottom layer shows major streets in Manhattan, with buildings outlined in their locations. The second layer is an overlay with cut-outs for the plastic buildings that are included. The problem is that the puzzle is printed on a foam backing, which makes each piece rather maleable and because most are cut in the same basic shape, most pieces will fit with any other piece. You have to be very conscious of the color shades and fine details of the picture in order to get it right. When I got the edges finished, I found that I had one side 28" long and the opposite side was 24" long. I don't think this is a puzzle for children or people with poor vision. The 126 plastic buildings/bridges each has a very tiny number on the bottom. You have to use a magnifying glass (one is included) to see the numbers, which correspond to the name of the building on a chart. Three or four of the buildings didn't have a number, but that was no problem--at the end you could see where each one fit. I wrote the number on each piece with a fine Sharpie, and then we sorted them by the date they were built (according to a chart that's included). We started placing the buildings chronologically, so that we could see the city grow. I wanted to improve my knowledge of NYC, and this puzzle was helpful. And it was really fun to do. This is a very creative and enjoyable puzzle that will help you learn about a great city.