MF8 Crazy 3x3 Mercury

MF8 Crazy 3x3 Mercury

At first glance it looks like a regular 3x3, but every face has a circle cut into it. The MF8 Crazy 3x3 Mercury belongs to the planetary Crazy 3x3 Plus series, released by mf8 together with DaYan. All eight versions, from Mercury to Neptune, have the same shape. What sets them apart is how the circles behave when you turn the faces. We offer the Mercury in the stickerless bright colour scheme.

How the Mercury version works

The circle on the white face turns together with it, so this side works just like on a classic 3x3 cube. The other five faces are different. The circle with the center stays in place, and only the outer ring of pieces turns. As a result, the layers shift relative to the centers, and after just a few moves the cube looks far more scrambled than a regular 3x3. On forums, the Mercury is known as the version with one moving circle.

Solving

On top of the usual 3x3 methods, you need to add a new step. First, you solve the edges, including the edge pieces inside the circles, and the eight outer corners, just like on a standard cube. Then you solve the small triangular pieces inside the circles. 3-cycles and setups (conjugation) come in handy here. Pieces of the same colour are interchangeable, so you don't have to worry about exactly which one goes where.

In the whole series, only Mercury and Jupiter have a single white face that behaves differently from the other five. That's why experienced collectors often consider them the easier versions and a good place to start the series. Even so, without knowing how to solve a 3x3 and the basics of building your own algorithms, the Mercury may take you quite a while.

Who is it for?

For anyone who solves a 3x3 with ease and wants to try something more than just another speedcube. This is a puzzle for figuring things out, not for setting times, and it is not an official WCA event. One reviewer described the turning as slightly sandy out of the box. Lubing it can make it smoother. If you collect unusual puzzles, you can go on to complete the other planets, as each one calls for a slightly different approach.

Specifications

• Type: 3x3 shape mod (Crazy 3x3 Plus, planetary series)
• Manufacturer: mf8 (in cooperation with DaYan)
• Version: Mercury – the circle turns with the white face and stays in place on the other five
• Size: approx. 58 mm
• Weight: approx. 125 g
• Colour scheme: stickerless bright