MF8 Crazy 3x3 Mars

MF8 Crazy 3x3 Mars

MF8 Crazy 3x3 Mars is a puzzle from the Crazy 3x3 Plus family. From the outside it looks like a regular 3x3 cube, but each of its six faces has a circular cut around the centre. The series comes in eight versions named after the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The mechanism is the same in all of them. They differ only in how the faces are set up. In our shop you will find the Mars version in the stickerless bright colour scheme.

What makes the Mars version different

Crazy cubes have two types of faces. On some, the circle turns together with the whole face, just like on a classic cube. On the others, the circle stays in place and the face turns around it. The Mars version has three faces with a moving circle and three with a fixed circle. The individual versions differ in how these faces are arranged, which changes the difficulty and the way you solve them. If you have already solved Earth, for example, Mars will give you a different layout to work with.

How to solve it

The cuts divide the faces into more pieces than on a regular cube, so you first need to solve the pieces inside the circles. Only then do you solve the cube like a 3x3. The faces with a moving circle help a lot here, because you can freely rearrange pieces on them. The faces with a fixed circle take more figuring out. It is hard to get started without knowing how to solve a regular 3x3, and algorithms such as Sune come in handy for the final steps.

This is not a speedcubing cube. It is not approved for WCA competitions and is not meant for breaking records. What counts here is problem-solving, not TPS.

Who is it for?

For people who can already solve a 3x3 and are looking for something different from regular cubes. It will also delight puzzle collectors, especially those collecting the different versions of the Crazy series. For your first cube, it is better to choose a classic 3x3 and get the Mars later.

Specifications

• Type: 3x3 puzzle with circular cuts (Crazy 3x3 Plus series)
• Manufacturer: MF8
• Version: Mars (3 faces with a moving circle, 3 with a fixed circle)
• Colour scheme: stickerless bright
• Size: 58 mm
• Weight: approx. 120 g
• WCA approved: no