LanLan Rex Ice Cube

LanLan Rex Ice Cube

LanLan Rex Ice Cube is the Ice version of the Rex Cube, meaning it has a semi-transparent body. This variant is blue. From the outside it looks like an ordinary cube, but it turns around the corners, not the faces. LanLan calls this design 8-Axis, because each of the eight corners can be turned separately. The mechanism is the same as in the regular Rex Cube; only the look of the plastic is different.

What is a Rex Cube

The Rex Cube belongs to the same family as the Skewb and the Dino Cube. Turning a corner moves pieces from three adjacent faces. Here, however, the cuts are curved and shallower, so you can see three types of pieces on each face:

• centers, which stay fixed relative to each other and define the face colors,
• edges, which move the same way as in the Dino Cube,
• petals, small petal-shaped pieces between the center and the corners.

The Rex Cube is usually solved in three steps: edges first, then centers, and petals last. Most of the work can be done intuitively, as you only need one short move repeated in different places. Because of its similar piece layout, the Rex Cube is sometimes compared to the FTO, but it is solved differently.

How it turns

On corner-turning puzzles, turning feels different than on a 3x3, because the moves are short and you have to hold the cube "diagonally". Reviews of the standard version describe it as fairly stiff right out of the box. After a while, the cube breaks in. Reviewers also praise the plastic, which is quite heavy and does not feel cheap. This is not a model for breaking TPS records, but a well-made puzzle for your collection and for learning a new type of move.

Who is it for?

This model is a good choice if you can already solve the Skewb or the Dino Cube and want to try something harder, but without long algorithms. Collectors of unusual puzzles will like it too, because thanks to its transparent body the Ice version looks clearly different from the black or white one. The Rex Cube is not a WCA event. You buy it for the joy of solving, not with competitions in mind.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: LanLan
• Type: Rex Cube (8-Axis), corner-turning puzzle
• Version: Ice (semi-transparent body)
• Body color: blue (Blue)
• Size: approx. 57 mm
• Weight: approx. 144 g