Calvins Puzzle Troy 3D-Star Puzzle

Calvin's Puzzle Troy 3D-Star 3x3

From a distance it looks like two Pyraminxes pushed into each other. It's a star with eight sharp points, and inside it has a regular 3x3 mechanism. The Troy 3D-Star was designed by Troy Robinson and is made by Calvin's Puzzle. It's a 3x3 shape mod with a black body. The moves are the same as on a regular cube. The challenge is that the star shape makes it hard to tell which piece is where and what the solved state should look like.

How solving works

The star is solved when every triangular face shows a single colour. If you know a 3x3 method, you have a big head start, but you won't solve the star on autopilot. First you need to learn how the pieces of the cube map onto the star shape. Users point out a few things:

• Only four sticker colours. Because of this, some pieces look identical, and the corners form two groups with the same colours, just in a different order. It's easy to mix up pieces that seem to fit.
• Center orientation matters. On a regular 3x3 cube, center rotation doesn't matter. Here it often happens that the whole star is solved but the center of the last layer is rotated. That's when a center rotation algorithm comes in handy.

How it turns

According to users, the puzzle turns smoothly right out of the box and has no catching issues. However, the large protruding points mean you need to align the layers carefully. If a layer isn't fully aligned, the puzzle easily locks up or turns along a different axis than the one you intended. There are no magnets inside. The Troy 3D-Star isn't meant for timed speedsolving. It's better to solve it calmly and work it out step by step.

Standard and Truncated versions

This model is the standard Troy 3D-Star with full, sharp points. Calvin's Puzzle also makes a Truncated version with cut-off corners. It's smaller and slightly lighter, but the mechanism and the solving principle are the same.

Who is it for?

The Troy 3D-Star is for people who are good at solving the 3x3 and want a new challenge, and for collectors of unusual puzzles. It's not a good first puzzle for a child. Without knowing how to solve a 3x3 it's hard to solve, and figuring out the centers and colours takes some time.

Specifications

• Type: 3x3 shape mod (star shape resembling two joined Pyraminxes)
• Manufacturer: Calvin's Puzzle
• Designer: Troy Robinson
• Mechanism: 3x3
• Magnets: none
• Body colour: black (Black), coloured stickers
• Dimensions: approx. 6.3 x 6.2 x 6.1 cm
• Weight: approx. 120 g (without packaging)