[next] [prev] [up] Date: Thu, 07 Dec 95 09:06:45 -0800
[next] ~~~ [up] From: Walter P. Smith <walts@federal.unisys.com >
~~~ ~~~ [up] Subject: Mini Cube & Revenge

My first message. Oh boy!

It's back. A new version of the 2x2x2 cube previously called the
Pocket Cube is in production. The new version is called the Mini
Cube. They are available from GameKeepers I got mine in Tysons
Corner Shopping Mall Virginia, but GameKeepers is a chain and
should be in most large cities. If readers can't locate one, let
me know and I'll get a list of locations. They also carry a wide
line of puzzles including Triamid, Snake, regular Rubik's cubes,
Master Balls etc.

The stickers are glossy paper. I don't think they will be very
durable. Also the red and orange sides are very hard to tell
apart. How could they be so stupid? The mechanism seems to work
better than the old ones. I can't tell if the inner workings are
the same. The original Pocket Cube had a ball in the center with
six cap like pieces screwed to it (with springs under the screw
head) to form a series of tracks. Each piece had a shaft that
extended down into the grove with a triangular foot on it. This
design requires a lot of pieces and drives the price up. I
always thought they could be made by making the ball, three of
the caps and one corner piece, all into one piece. The Mini Cube
uses cubies that are solid on all sides. This may account for
the smoother action. They include a complete solution sheet.
One comes with the Master Ball also. I personally think
manufacturers should't do this. Many people will turn to the
solution sheet before giving it a good effort and will miss the
pleasure of solving it for themselves. My Mini Cube cost over
six dollars. A little pricey but a collector should never pass
up an opportunity.

Walt "The Puzzler"


[next] [prev] [up] [top] [help]