http://www.calormen.com/vpm/otherpuzzles8of9.htm

are these puzzles real? or computer drawings?
if they are drawings, do they work in theory?
who designed them?

Who knows the scoop on this?

the others look like they would be very easy to make. you would have to make your own mechanism, but it would be just like the 3x3x3 rubiks cube one with a few extra bits. (this is the pentagonal prism we're talking about right?) however theyre not actually pyraminx variations. how can i say this, get a 3x3x3 cube with all but the centre cubies removed. you have a 6 armed thingy - remove all arms but the top and bottom ones, and then place 5 arms evenly around the middle (previously there were 4), change the shape of the pieces (probably have to make new ones) and there you have it. note this isnt my idea of how to actually construct it, just how it works... if anyone considers making one, let us know! you would perhaps need to be good at metal work as well??

I think these were some of the limited edition puzzles that Meffert produced (or was about to produce) just around the time the cube craze ended. The 'Pyraminx' name certainly indicates this, as back then he called nearly all his puzzles using that trademarked name (e.g. pyraminx cube=skewb, pyraminx ball=ultimate skewb). An old message in the cubelovers archives mentions that Jerry Slocum was given Meffert's cardboard mockup of the hexagonal prism puzzle. I'm sure I have the prisms mentioned in a book somewhere, possibly in the Rubik's Cubic Compendium, in the last chapter, but I would have to look it up.

I have never seen the cylindrical puzzle with the curved faces.

Jaap

The prism puzzles were just cardboard mockups. Meffert himself never produced these puzzles, but the cardboard mockups were shown in a colour catalog, along with some assembly puzzles and some Pyraminxes with leather looking finish, some Pyraminx Stars etc.

Uwe Meffert and I had dinner a couple of years back and we talked about puzzles quite a bit. Meffert is also responsible for the cube you assembled yourself. I believe there is a picture of this in one of Jerry Slocum's books.

Meffert also mentioned that he believed that a company in the Netherlands made prototypes of the prism puzzles, but never went to production. The bigger white pyraminx octahedron you guys are mentioning was a first run puzzle of very limited quantity. It was made using the same white ABS plastic as the original pyraminx.

As I mentioned before, all the tooling for the pyraminx octahedron was destroyed, so for that puzzle to reappear as a production piece someone has to spend a fair chunk of cash.

Indeed I provided these pictures for the puzzle museum.
They come from a catalog I received from Uwe Meffèrt
around 1982 after buying a megaminx by mail. There were
many interesting puzzles in this catalog but only
the mageminx seemed "real". All the other were obviously
shapes with no mechanisms. He was planning on producing
them but these were the days where Rubik's cubes were
selling like crazy.... but when the dust fell back down
I believe Mr Meffèrt never got to producing any of them.

I still have the full catalog. If some of you
want to see it, I could scan the whole thing and
post it somewhere...

Claude

I asked uwe meffert,
he said that they actually did make molds, but only 1-use molds.

I would like to see a copy of the catalog.

I can't imagine anyone here who wouldn't LOVE to have a look at your catalog. If you need a place to post it for an extended period, I can help.

Sandy
sandy@prevalence.com

the crystal pyraminx

http://www.calormen.com/vpm/12sidedpuzzles3of3.htm

and the pyraminx magic hexagon

http://www.calormen.com/vpm/8sidedpuzzles2of2.htm

are from the same catalog...

Claude

I would also love to see pictures!

I have be thinking about Pyraminx Crystals and whether you could make one from a Megaminx. The idea was that you could add material to the edge pieces sort of like you would add material to a skewb to make a Mental Block. I have concluded that you can't do it. Anybody out there want to argue with me about it?

I've been thinking about this too.

There isn't much question that the mechanism doesn't help much. There is some nice geometry built into those pieces which might come in handy when designing your prototype, but that's about it.

Making the Pyraminx Magic Pentagon or the Pyraminx Magic Triangle would require serious mastery of puzzle creation from scratch.

Sandy

At least I can visualize what the mechanism for the Pyraminx Magic Pentagon or the Pyraminx Magic Triangle would be. The Pyraminx Crystal, however, I wouldn't have a clue where to start.

Doug.

It has the same number of pieces and cuts as a Megaminx, so it's pretty much got to be the same thing except (because of the deeper cuts) each face turn takes five more edge pieces with it than a Megaminx does. But the corners are the pieces holding everything to the hidden center pieces, so that doesn't seem to be a problem to me.

The center piece of each face is recessed, but it would have to be in there and attached to the center spindle just like a Megaminx. Being recessed wouldn't make any difference on it's ability to hold onto the neighbouring pieces, as all of that was below the surface on the Megaminx anyhow.

Sandy

I hope to find time to scan it in the near future.
When it is done I'll start a new thread from scratch.