Calvins Puzzle Full Function Crazy Tetrahedron (Center-Locking)

Calvins Puzzle Full Function Crazy Tetrahedron (Center-Locking)

This is a four-sided puzzle from the Crazy series by Calvins Puzzle. In the middle of each face there is a circular piece that does not turn together with the face. The Calvins Puzzle Full Function Crazy Tetrahedron (Center-Locking) has locked circles on all four faces. When you make a move, only the pieces around the circle shift, while the circle itself stays in place. Its shape resembles a Pyraminx, but it works differently, so it needs its own solving method.

What makes it challenging

On a regular tetrahedron, the center of a face turns together with it. Here, the circle stays still the whole time and the rest of the face rotates around it. As a result, the pieces change position relative to the centers in a different way than your Pyraminx or Megaminx habits would suggest. "Full Function" means that despite the locked centers, the puzzle can still be fully scrambled. The version with locking on all faces has no inner corners. According to source descriptions, this makes it slightly easier than some other Crazy Tetrahedron variants, but it is still a demanding puzzle.

Look and build

The body is black with stickers. The locked circles feature small padlock graphics, so you can see straight away which pieces don't turn. Calvins Puzzle is a manufacturer well known among puzzle collectors that has been releasing unusual shape mods and designs for years. There are cheaper puzzles with a similar mechanism on the market, e.g. from ShengShou (Sengso). Buyers usually choose the Calvins version for its build quality and looks.

Who is it for?

For people who can already solve a Pyraminx or Megaminx and are looking for a puzzle where you have to work out the solution yourself. It also fits nicely into a collection alongside other Crazy models, such as the Crazy 3x3 or the Crazy Megaminx with locked centers. This is not a speedcubing cube, nor a good first puzzle for a child. Without knowing the basics of solving, it's easy to get discouraged.

Specifications

• Type: Crazy series tetrahedron, all circles locked (center-locking)
• Manufacturer: Calvins Puzzle
• Size: 65.5 mm
• Dimensions: 6.3 x 6.16 x 6.1 cm
• Weight: 88 g
• Body color: black, with stickers