The Wave Puzzle Box

Puzzle boxes are a unique challenge that test your patience and your thinking skills. There is also a degree of trial and error involved as well. The box is presented to you as a plain or ordinary box with not much to tell you about it. It is your goal to figure out the steps that are needed to reveal the secret compartment(s). Each step takes you closer to your goal of finding the treasure and completing the puzzle. 

This project stems from my interest in both puzzles and engineering. My goal was to make a puzzle box that would still be challenging even after the builder built the box and saw all the inner workings, which is not something that one typically gets when they purchase a puzzle box. I think a LEGO puzzle box is a perfect blend in really showing that a complex puzzle can be made in a relatively compact size. I hope you all will enjoy the project as much as I have and will support it so that others can have the opportunity to build and enjoy it as well in real life.

Now on to the description of the project and what the photos are showing you. (I went with a black background as it felt too washed out with white.)

So the first thing you will notice on the puzzle box is the mosaic. The mosaic was made from a photo of a wave that I have. I have a strong love of the ocean and the sea, so a wave made for a great way to start the puzzle off. I will try not to give too many hints about how to solve the puzzle, but some of them may be necessary to describe the project. So what you will see is the mosaic along with the round dial. The round dial is the key that is needed to obtain the technic axle that is required to solve the puzzle. The technic axle is protected by a combination lock that when unlocked will release the axle. So what is the combination to the lock? Well, the answer to that is hidden in the mosaic itself. Can you find the combination in the mosaic?

Once you have the axle, you can move on to solving the rest of the puzzle. As you can see in the photos there are a number of compartments and boxes that have to be moved. Many of these are held in place by other components. Some of the boxes act to prevent other parts of the internal mechanism from operating. Your goal is to figure out what order and how to interact with the various parts to release the boxes or move the boxes to get to the final solution. The holes in the box are a clue as to areas that you will need to rotate or push something to advance in the puzzle. There are no dead ends. There are some steps that can be performed out of order. Also, some items may need to be moved multiple times, so the same hole may be used more than once.

Once you have reached the end of the puzzle, you will crank up the hidden box through the mosaic and access the prize. In this instance I have shown a LEGO Minifigure, but you could put anything in it that you would like. Likewise, there is a second compartment area that must be released prior to being able to access the main area where you could further hide an additional treasure or prize. 

The photos show various stages of solving the puzzle box. I have included some additional photos where I have removed the outer parts of the box in attempt to allow you to see some of the inner workings of the box. 

Depending on how you count steps for solving the puzzle it requires between 25 and 50 different movements to solve the puzzle. It is 1750 parts.

Thank-you for taking the time in viewing my project and I look forward to your support.