MF8 SmaZ 8-Axis cube Cylindrical Dino

MF8 SmaZ 8-Axis Cube Cylindrical Dino

A Dino Cube in the shape of a cylinder. MF8 made this version together with SmaZ, cutting its body into a cylinder. The MF8 SmaZ Cylindrical Dino works just like a classic Dino Cube: it has 8 axes of rotation and turns around its corners. After a few moves the cylinder loses its shape, which places this puzzle in the shape-shifting category. When solving it, you need to take care of both the colors and restoring the cylinder shape.

How does this puzzle work?

On a Dino Cube, every move turns one of the cube's corners. The only pieces that move are the edges. The puzzle has no centers or fixed reference points, so solving it depends only on placing the edges correctly. In the cylindrical version the pieces differ in shape. Each of them has to go to its own spot and face the right way, otherwise the cylinder won't close up.

You can solve the Cylindrical Dino intuitively, without learning any ready-made algorithms. If you already know the Dino Cube or the Skewb, you'll quickly get the hang of how it works. The cylinder mainly adds a challenge related to the shape and orientation of the pieces.

First turns and setup

This puzzle is meant for collecting and for fun. It is not a speedcubing cube, so don't expect the feel of a flagship 3x3. According to user reviews, it can be dry and tightly tensioned straight out of the box. Loosening the screws by a few turns and applying lube helps a lot. For the first moves, it's best to turn gently until the mechanism breaks in.

Who is it for?

For people who collect unusual puzzles and already have the basic cubes in their collection. It also works well as the next step after a regular Dino Cube. A parent looking for a gift for a child interested in puzzles gets an interesting, fairly compact model. For a first cube to learn solving, however, a classic 3x3 is a better choice.

Specifications

• Type: Dino Cube 8-Axis, cylinder-shaped shape mod (shape-shifting)
• Manufacturer: MF8 (in collaboration with SmaZ)
• Size: 57.5 x 57.5 x 57.5 mm
• Body color: white
• Rotation: around the corners, 8 axes
• Adjustment: screws