Magic Folding "Fidget" Cube
I've posted this cube on MOCpages in May 2014. With the recent hype about "fidget toys" more and more "copies" of this cube are appearing (and even sold) in the web. So I decided to publish (what I consider) the original with it's story on flickr, too:
After some other 3D Lego Puzzles I had the idea to build a "magic folding cube". Cubes like this are often used for promotional or merchandising purposes. I have a picture cube from the first "Lord of the Rings" movie which works the same way. It's not really a puzzle when you play with it, but it was a puzzle to build ;-)).
The idea was to build it as small as possible with an edge length of two studs for the eight "sub cubes". The only possible hinges for such a cube were 1x4 / 2x2 hinge plates. I analysed the position of the hinges on my picture cube and tried to transform them into a working Lego model. I tried a lot of SNOT elements which all didn't work. Then Lego released a new inverted 1x2 / 2x2 SNOT bracket and the folding cube worked with it ;-)).
I wanted to put a black and white "checkered" pattern on the cube, just like I had done with my Soma Cube before. But the brackets only existed in black, grey and red, so I chose a black and red pattern instead. For that I seperated the hinge plates and recombined them.
On MOCpages since May 2014
Instructions (LDD LXF file) can be downloaded there.
Magic Folding "Fidget" Cube
I've posted this cube on MOCpages in May 2014. With the recent hype about "fidget toys" more and more "copies" of this cube are appearing (and even sold) in the web. So I decided to publish (what I consider) the original with it's story on flickr, too:
After some other 3D Lego Puzzles I had the idea to build a "magic folding cube". Cubes like this are often used for promotional or merchandising purposes. I have a picture cube from the first "Lord of the Rings" movie which works the same way. It's not really a puzzle when you play with it, but it was a puzzle to build ;-)).
The idea was to build it as small as possible with an edge length of two studs for the eight "sub cubes". The only possible hinges for such a cube were 1x4 / 2x2 hinge plates. I analysed the position of the hinges on my picture cube and tried to transform them into a working Lego model. I tried a lot of SNOT elements which all didn't work. Then Lego released a new inverted 1x2 / 2x2 SNOT bracket and the folding cube worked with it ;-)).
I wanted to put a black and white "checkered" pattern on the cube, just like I had done with my Soma Cube before. But the brackets only existed in black, grey and red, so I chose a black and red pattern instead. For that I seperated the hinge plates and recombined them.
On MOCpages since May 2014
Instructions (LDD LXF file) can be downloaded there.