Lanlan Butterfly Cube

LanLan Butterfly Cube

LanLan Butterfly Cube is a Curvy Copter puzzle. Instead of turning around the faces like a 3x3, its layers turn around the edges. Many shops sell it as the LanLan Butterfly Copter or Curvy Copter. It has 12 axes of rotation and curved cuts. It has little in common with the mechanics of a classic 3x3 cube, so some experience with unusual puzzles will come in handy.

How the Curvy Copter works

The mechanism is similar to the Helicopter Cube, but the axes of rotation are curved. The basic move is a 180-degree turn around an edge. Each such move swaps pieces of two adjacent faces and flips the edge you turned around. With regular moves, the edges themselves stay in place.

What makes this puzzle stand out is jumbling. You can stop a turn halfway and then turn a layer around another, adjacent axis. This moves pieces into positions they can't reach with normal moves, and the edges can move as well. The cube then loses its cubic shape, which is why it belongs to the shape-shifting puzzle category.

Difficulty level

Without jumbling, the Curvy Copter is relatively easy to solve, especially if you already know the Helicopter Cube or the Skewb. Scrambled with jumbling, it is much harder and requires separate methods. Users point out that turning can be less smooth than on speedcubing cubes. When jumbling, you also need to align the layers quite precisely, otherwise they will lock up. This is a puzzle for figuring out at your own pace, not for fast solves.

Who is it for?

For advanced solvers who have a few unusual puzzles behind them and are looking for something more challenging. Also for collectors who are still missing a classic Curvy Copter in their collection. It is not a WCA puzzle. If you are just starting out, a Skewb or a regular 3x3 cube will be a better first step.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: LanLan
• Type: Curvy Copter shape-shifting puzzle with edge turning and jumbling
• Size: approx. 57 mm
• Body colour: black
• Adjustment: adjustment screws
• Release year: 2015
• Official WCA competitions: no
• In the box: puzzle