Al Bus

Any witch or wizard worth their wand and in need of transportation, because they are too young to “aparate” or too old to bother, knows all that is required is to hail the bus. As a muggle myself, I am told this is exactly like hailing a bus in my own mundane way. But for the wizards of the world, the bus that arrives is quite, quite different. The Knight Bus is a vibrant purple, triple decker AEC Regent III RT which travels at magical speeds, magically avoids obstacles in its path, and magically squeezes through spaces that are frankly too small. How does it do all this? By magic, of course. Harry Potter, who needs no introduction, once asked Stan Shunpike, the conductor of the bus, why the muggles didn’t hear them?  "Them! Don’ listen properly, do they? Don’ look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don’", he replied. Ahem. Well then, I guess we better pay attention, because this fantastic beast of a puzzle requires a lot of concentration.

From the incredibly creative mind of Spanish musician Jordi Gallen comes a remarkably surprising adventure fashioned in clear homage to the best selling wizarding world of J K Rowling. I am an unabashed big fan of those books, and jumped at the chance to acquire one of Jordi’s new 3D printed puzzles, regardless of whether it would be “any good” as a puzzle, although early comments on the wizarding wireless seemed positive. I have been waiting patiently to praise this in fact incredibly good puzzle for some time now, indeed for a very specific time, and the time has come. Although this offering is technically being released a few days early, it is officially timed to coincide with the magical date of July 31 – Happy Birthday Harry Potter!

Jordi Gallen entered the magical world of mechanical puzzles during the pandemic, and stumbled upon the “ministry of magical puzzle discussions” (MPD) after a suggestion from the talented wizards at Cubic Dissection. He discovered a worldwide community of like minded folks and was hooked. He explains his inspirations and favorite designers: “I really enjoy sharing this passion with my two daughters. We have a magnet soma cube and we love it. We play a lot with this puzzle and I got so interested in it. Searching some info about the Soma cube I found so many interesting variants on Oskar van Deventer's YouTube channel. I also really enjoy Dr. Volker Latussek and Yuu Asaka's designs.”

He began building simple puzzles based on things he saw and new ideas of his own, and before long wanted to make more complex creations. “Then I realized I didn't have the skills to do it myself and I thought about contacting someone with a 3D printer and a 3D modeling service. I googled that and found a workshop 2 blocks away from my home in Tarragona! I contacted David from Filarte3D and he managed to print the design I sketched on a piece of paper. I was so lucky to find David, an engineer with a Master degree in fast prototyping. He did an awesome job fixing the design issues of my puzzles.”

Jordi’s earlier puzzle design (Flip Top Box Modular Series), a changeable multi challenge packing puzzle, actually sparked an idea for what became the Al Bus, based on something someone mentioned they had tried when solving it. “I instantly knew I was going to design a puzzle with that. I visualized a tall, narrow cage with a centered opening. My 9 years old daughter was reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and I just couldn't resist the temptation of designing something she could be interested in.” Jordi also incorporated his home life into the clever name of his new creation. “I wanted to use my mother tongue, Catalan, and found this play on words between the name of the great wizard Albus Dumbledore and the Catalan words for inside the bus which is al bus.”

Design and production of the Al Bus took Jordi seven months “and that's ok for me”, he comments. “For me designing must be fun. Prototyping took so much longer than I expected, from the initial 1 month to 6! But the design process made me so happy, so it worked for me.  My thoughts were always to make something for me and if at the end there was any chance to share it that would be a bonus. This is something that makes me happy, it is not about making money, is my hobby and there's no pressure.” He faced many challenges and credits his engineering neighbor David with being invaluable to solve many details. He also mentions his friend Patrick, who lent support and advice to improve the design. “I told David so many times "This is the very last iteration, I swear!"”

Jordi explains how much a labor of love the Al Bus is for him. “This is a very artisanal 3D printed puzzle. Al Bus has 9 different filament colors. It takes 25+ hours just to print each one and then David makes his magic assembling everything. The assembly of the parts must be very precise and he is aware of it. The words used in this puzzle are an essential part of it. I don't feel confident speaking in English but I had the generous help of my sister in law, Maria, and my wife's cousin, Gemma. I also had the help of my niece Núria who has a degree in art and design. She did an awesome job with an essential piece of paper of the puzzle. I aged the papers used in Al Bus instead of using printed aged paper to give it a better feeling. I really love how it turned out even though it is a ton of work!”

Al Bus is a wonderfully whimsical object, which can be appreciated by fans and those with no prior knowledge of the source material alike. The production value is extremely high, and there is so much more going on than imaginable or meets the eye. There are many, many details to discover in this magic bus, and there is even a bonus trunk! Which requires a bit of magic to open, I might add, although that should come as no surprise. What kind of puzzle is Al Bus, exactly? Well, that’s hard to describe, because there are so many different types of puzzles hidden here, and they are all enjoyable. The experience is split up into distinct objectives, which are revealed as the puzzle is solved, and which Jordi explains “had to represent my general solving process: 1st-Experiment, 2nd-Observe, 3rd-Deduce”. The final puzzle, the idea that sparked the entire project, is actually very, very challenging. But never fear, Jordi has even designed an easier and harder method for this step, allowing the solver to achieve “puzzler” or “wizard” status, as they choose. The whole experience feels remarkably like an adventure, which is how it was designed to feel, after all. “I wanted it to be more like what you'd find in an adventure in a magical world.” It is indeed, simply magical.

“I wanted to make an enjoyable and not so difficult puzzle but also add some little things / Easter eggs for those people like me that enjoy taking time on things like this. As a cellist I spent most of my life working on little subtle details that make the difference. I know this is not something many people would enjoy and it is ok but I hope someone does!” Anyone who is a fan of the wizarding world will appreciate these little details and the thought and care that has gone into this production. For anyone else, these little references are not essential to the overall enjoyment either. I’m certainly hoping we will continue to see more from J G Puzzles, in due time and at the right tempo. “I have an idea for a new design. I would like to put together my two passions: music and mechanical puzzles (a music box and a SD cello).” That sounds like music to my ears.

A ride on the Knight Bus will cost you eleven Sickles, and for thirteen you can get a hot chocolate, too. Which sounds like a nice sort of nightcap for the journey. So feel free to sip on some cocoa while exploring the Al Bus, it’s a perfect potion. However, if, like me, you might be up for something a little bit stronger, never fear, I’ve got just the thing to toast this night time trip down Diagon Alley.

I’ll readily admit that the Negroni cocktail is not for everyone, and not for the faint of heart. But you might not be able to resist this one, because of how cute and magical it looks. Just be forewarned, it does not taste like grape Kool-Aid! For this wizarding variation on the classic, we needed a “London Dry” style gin, because this bus ride happens in London, after all. To achieve just the right hue, the gin is infused with butterfly pea flower tea, which is a common magic trick used in any purple colored alcohol actually. It’s magic because unlike straightforward purple food coloring, butterfly pea flower changes colors when exposed to acid, such as lemon juice, and turns from a royal azure to a regal plum! A few additional ingredients which are clear or light straw in color keep this drink in the “white Negroni” family, even if the drink is actually purple! Wands up – Cheers!

The Knightcap

1 oz butterfly pea flower infused London Dry gin

1 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco amaro

½ oz Salers aperitif

½ oz dry vermouth

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass over a large clear cube. Knight Bus logo lime wheel garnish, optional.