Love this map! I ordered this in August of 2016 and I think there may have been some changes made recently based on other reviews. My map came in a large cardboard tube and was inside a clear plastic package within the tube. No issues with it being too tight or scratching the product when I unpackaged it!
The states are outlined on the gold scratch-off layer of my map and on the layer beneath it so I didn't have issues there. The gold also came off quite easily with a dime/quarter, contrary to other reviewers. My only gripe with the map is that I was hoping for more vibrant colors underneath. I'd give it 4.5 stars for that if I could, but I felt the product still deserved 5 stars more than 4.
I cut the map down a bit so that it would fit on a 24x36 framed cork board, and I'm using pins to mark cities I've been to with my boyfriend. The pictures attached should give an idea about the colors and marking under the scratch-off layer!
I did not buy this product for itself alone but a chance for my 88 year old father to enjoy the memories of two careers (the Air Force and a small business jet manufacturer) with extensive travel. When I first gave it to him, he related how he and his fellow pilot had made 19 stops to deliver a small business jet from Wichita Kansas to a Japanese client in the 70's. We traveled those miles island by island with stories of eccentric clients, tiny airport refuelings, and numerous colorful cultural and business oddities of international travel while he and I sat at the dining room table in his home in Kansas. His truly amazing long-term memory, charisma, and story-telling skills recreate these experiences for his audience to enjoy. Dad showed me Mom's favorite island (Madeira) but found his favorite, Santorini, too small to plot. The map provided the perfect partner for these memories. It was a beautiful experience that will be repeated over and over again as we enjoy his map together in the years to come.
I was impressed with the quality of the map. The big deal for me was this is a proper world map, it's pretty well detailed and has quite a lot of information on the map compared to the others I looked at. There are a lot of cities on the map plus it shows all the US states outline on the top layer and underneath. Extra detail like hill shading makes it quite a grown up map. It is lovely to look at and a real centerpiece.
I found the colors underneath the scratch material worked really well, they are fairly subtle but vibrant enough, which is a great balance. I'd done my homework before I bought this and saw some of these maps had problems when trying to scratch off places. I used a guitar pick which worked really well. When you scratch, my advice would be to start on the border lines first and work your way in. The scratch material on the top scratch's off pretty easy, so on that note take care when taking the map out of the tube. You don't want to accidentally scratch off places you haven't visited yet by being rough with it.
The size of the map is impressive too, making it easy to scratch off even the smallest countries of the world. It's large compared to others out there, and easy to find a frame for a good price. I just need to get around to putting it into the frame!
I've traveled across some parts of Europe and the US and this map will be a great way for me to document the places I've been. People have already started to notice the map in my hallway and it's so much fun talking about memories I've had and people I've met along the way. Now I've scratched most of the places off I've already been it's also making me think about booking trips to all the places I haven't been yet, which is still a lot by the looks of the unscratched bits!
For me with these concept maps it's all about the map itself, which is beautiful. It doesn't need the other gimmicky bits like magnifying glasses and stickers. If you want something that you're proud to keep in your own home and on your wall then this is the scratch map for you.
I'll probably buy this again but this time for a friend. I have buddies that travel so this would be the perfect gift for them.
The price was reasonable as well and it came really quickly, so on all counts really happy with my purchase.
I gave this as a gift to a traveler. He really liked the way it is and when I informed him that you scratch off all the countries he visited he was so surprised. I put it in a poster frame that I bought at Walmart. Nice idea for someone who travels.
My daughter ordered this as a gift for a friend, she really liked it and was exactly what it looked like. thank you
Feature Product
- CARTOGRAPHIC DETAIL WORLD MAP WITH STATES: Scratch off travel map world destinations to reveal the colorful political map underneath. The best mapping detail you will find for this scratch map world poster. Featuring countries, cities, hill shading and state outlines on both scratch coating and mapping underneath.
- EXTRA LARGE WALL MAP: Poster measures 33 (w) x 23 (h) inches - the huge world map has outlines on the gold coating and details on the map underneath.
- WORLD SCRATCH OFF MAP TRAVELER GIFT: This scratch off map of the world is a great gift for your favorite adventurer to plan a trip on the world map wall poster then record their journey! Also the perfect gift to educate young explorers.
- CREASE-FREE DELIVERY: Your travel scratch off world map is rolled in a tube for delivery, so it arrives ready to display.
- MAPS INTERNATIONAL: Our philosophy of 'cartographic excellence' combines detail, design and high quality finishes in a range of stunning wall maps.
Description
The ultimate travelers map, scratch off the destinations you have visited and reveal the beautifully styled, up to date world map poster underneath. This extra large world map makes a brilliant and unique gift for the travel enthusiast, allowing complete personalization of the world travel map to display a unique adventure.
This concept map of the world is printed onto high quality silk art paper with a gloss coating, and the scratch off travel map works exactly like a scratch card - once the gold coating is removed it reveals the huge world map underneath.
Scratch off world map poster
To scratch off the world map simply grab a coin and remove the coating over the destinations you have been lucky enough to visit. Not only are countries featured on the scratch off map, there are also cities shown on the top layer and the colorful, political world map underneath, allowing for more detailed scratching. The large wall world map measures 33 x 23 inches, and the frame is not supplied.
Your world scratch off map is supplied in secure, protective packaging, rolled in a tube for crease free delivery and immediate display.
Maps International create beautiful and geographically precise maps that inspire and encourage learning about the world that we live in.
We are the definitive online map shop where you can find the finest range of quality wall maps, including our most popular world maps. Our parent company Lovell Johns, has charted a legacy of over 50 years of cartographic excellence, so mapping is at the heart of everything we do.
We deliver across the world, with offices in the US and the UK, where our expert team of cartographers work with passion, on a stunning range of maps for all moods and homes.
Trademark: Scratch the World is a registered trade mark in the UK of Lovell Johns Ltd
This map is great! After reading some of the reviews I was a bit scared but I'm glad I ordered it. The countries on the gold foil match what's on the actual map. It came without any scratches in a thick tube and another poster box over it. It's a good size, only issue is finding a frame to match it. The colors of the countries aren't bright and a couple of the states are the same color. Other then that it's a great product and I will definitely order from them again!
P.s. I used textbooks to hold down the edges to get it straight and I used an eraser and a plastic mechanical pencil (for the small countries)
Super detailed map, elegant, and fun! Scratches off easily and the state shapes for the US are defined enough to make sure you're only scratching off one state. Can't speak for any other countries ....yet ;)
If you're worried about framing, there is about a 1/4 of an inch worth of white border around the map so a poster frame won't cover it. I got a poster frame from Walmart for about $14 and it looks great!
True to picture. Awkward size to find a cork board, but I was able to make it work.
Before my map arrived, I received an e-mail with instructions on how to carefully open the map. So when, the map arrived (which was rolled in a cardboard poster tube), I thought I would be immune from a scratched-map-review since I followed the instructions exactly. However, when I opened the map, unfortunately, there were already small scratches throughout. I reached out to the seller and was able to reach a happy resolution.
To scratch off the map, I used slightly dulled point mechanical pencil to outline the state/country and a metal credit card to scratch off the larger interior sections. The colors are a little muted, but you can already see that from the photos. I didn’t want a black-ocean map though, so I made places pop more by adding push pins. I mounted the map on a foam board, since I saw that the seller had recommended a foam core board as opposed to a cork board in the product Q&A. This was a great recommendation, since the foam board holds pins pretty well. To frame it, I bought a 24 x 35 ¾ inch frame from IKEA (24 x 36 should be a common frame size at any store). I cut off the white-border of the map so that there wouldn’t be a contrast between the map white border and the white foam board. I’m super happy with the results and think that it looks gorgeous in the frame!
A few other things to note that I didn’t specify above:
CONS:
- Since the map has curved lines, there are some duplicates that appear – like part of Russia, Alaska, and New Zealand on both the left and right side of the map.
- Sometimes a City/Country/State text goes over other regions. So it’s a little weird when I have a pin in the location of Chicago, but the word “Chicago” is partially still un-scratched with the gold background since I haven’t been to the state on the left. I assume this would be a common issue on other maps though.
PROS:
- This does have USA state lines.
- This doesn’t have extra stuff at the bottom like flags or whatever. This to me was a huge plus, since I just wanted a simple map.
- The customer service is excellent.
I was looking for one of these scratch-off maps that was more muted in color than some of the black and brightly colored maps. So, I was happy to find this one. As with any flat map, the countries and sizes would be skewed, but that is unavoidable without splitting throughout. My big issue is that Alaska and Russia appear twice along the edges. The North American and Asian continents are complete in the middle, but then they appear again on the edges where the Earth was 'split.' Why not just leave it as empty ocean or take in the edges?
0 comments:
Post a Comment