3D Gear Cube - massproducts

grigr · **Joined:** Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:38 pm **Location:** Russia

New Meffert and Oskar puzzle

Monopoly · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:15 pm

Amazing. Glad to see another creative 'non-twisty' puzzle brought to the market.

RubixFreakGreg · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:21 pm

MASS PRODUCED GEAR SHIFT !!! YES !!!!!!!!!!

Luke · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:22 pm

Oh my God. My heart has just stopped. I think I'll take a trip up to the hospital... :lol:

I'm gonna buy a couple of these at least. Excellent work, well done Oskar and Uwe!

Mrmax · **Joined:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:51 am **Location:** Madrid

Ooooo Nice one!

When I'll have a little bit more money I'll buy some gear stuff!

Congrats!

Keegan · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:36 pm

Holy Whoa! This is awesome! I'll be getting it as soon as possible!

Sigurd · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 2:43 pm

Nice choise for mass production! Good job guys!

Sjoerd · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:40 pm

That is awesome news! Where did you find this? Don't see anything on mefferts or jade.

And the fancy hex package makes me think uwe is aiming for a much bigger market with this one!

Keegan · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:43 pm

The packaging on it looks like it's from the same company that was selling the original Gear Cube in Japan:

http://en.akihabaranews.com/?gallery=1& ... &image=010

alaskajoe · **Joined:** Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:52 am

OHHHHHHHH. YEEES.
BEST CUBE to be massproduced in a while. WOW.
So cool.

GoombaGeek · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 4:39 pm

I am very slightly confused on this: is it a geared 2x2x2 or a completely different puzzle? I've seen it done before and I'm very excited that I may soon be able to own one (for all you impatient types: you can make it out of paper).

Also, I'm on the Mefferts mailing list and I haven't gotten any notification about this. How did you find out about this, grigr?

Luke · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 4:43 pm

GoombaGeek wrote:

for all you impatient types: you can make it out of paper).

That's nothing like the puzzle presented here. Search 'Gear Shift' and should see what it is. It's a gear-only puzzle, but where you can seperate halves on all three axes and turn them or turn it as a solid cube.

GoombaGeek · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 4:44 pm

Luke wrote:

GoombaGeek wrote:

for all you impatient types: you can make it out of paper).

That's nothing like the puzzle presented here. Search 'Gear Shift' and should see what it is. It's a gear-only puzzle, but where you can seperate halves on all three axes and turn them or turn it as a solid cube.

Oh, actually? It did say it was "simplified"...

Steveo · **Joined:** Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:37 pm **Location:** Canada

GoombaGeek wrote:

Luke wrote:

GoombaGeek wrote:

for all you impatient types: you can make it out of paper).

That's nothing like the puzzle presented here. Search 'Gear Shift' and should see what it is. It's a gear-only puzzle, but where you can seperate halves on all three axes and turn them or turn it as a solid cube.

Oh, actually? It did say it was "simplified"...

No, those paper ones were never puzzles. This is Oscar's own invention.

X-TownCuber · **Joined:** Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:37 pm

nice. but I don't think I'll get one. it just doesn't appeal to me.

Keegan · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 5:14 pm

Now that I see how it turns, I'm not sure I'm as interested. I think I will still get it though, just because it has such an original turning style.

c1829 · **Joined:** Sat Mar 06, 2010 8:20 pm

Incredible! I can't wait!

shzl · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2010 2:13 pm **Location:** London

Yay! I've been wondering when this would happen

Is there any info about when it will be released? or the quantities there will be? Because I really dont want to miss this one!

cubedude76 · **Joined:** Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:46 pm **Location:** Wichita

I think this puzzle is one of my favorites from Oskar. I'm almost positive I'm going to buy this one!

Darren Grewe · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:25 pm

Sjoerd wrote:

That is awesome news! Where did you find this? Don't see anything on mefferts or jade.

And the fancy hex package makes me think uwe is aiming for a much bigger market with this one!

Yeah I don't find anything either. A link would be very helpful.

pirsquared · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:01 pm

No freaking way! This is fantastic!

-Eitan

Elwyn · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 7:19 pm

Wow

, such a good puzzle for mass production. I hope it sells well, it should appeal to a rather wide audience. I'm sure even people with no chance of solving it would enjoy playing around with it.

I have wanted one since I first saw Oskar's

.

Jared · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:26 pm

Hooray! I've always wanted one of these.

I hope they don't use the bizarre color scheme the Japanese retail Gear Cube got...

aleutien · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 8:36 pm

I'm in Japan at the moment and these 3D Gear Cubes are being mass retailed at big department stores like Loft & Tokyu Hands.

I picked up a Meffert 3D Gear Cube Extreme (or Master as it's packaged in Japan). It's got those amazing German vinyl florescent stickers.

grigr · **Joined:** Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:38 pm **Location:** Russia

you can use this search link:
http://www.google.ru/#sclient=psy&hl=ru ... 80&bih=931

and can find You cube

http://getnews.jp/archives/124307
http://news.biglobe.ne.jp/trend/0620/ga ... 14684.html

and buy it
http://www.amazon.co.jp/3D-GEAR-CUBE-%E ... B00564ZEFQ

wwwmwww · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:12 pm

Nice!!! I'll be getting one. But I see a puzzle in this image that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Anyone have a larger (and perferably translated) image of the sign Uwe is standing in front of? What is the puzzle which fills in the outline with a "?" in it?

Carl

Keegan · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 9:41 pm

wwwmwww wrote:

Nice!!! I'll be getting one. But I see a puzzle in this image that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Anyone have a larger (and perferably translated) image of the sign Uwe is standing in front of? What is the puzzle which fills in the outline with a "?" in it?

Carl

When I save and enlarge the image, it shows the outline is just the outline of a cube, with a red border. The speech bubble coming out of it says "Coming Soon" and the it is under the 2012 section of the sign. I'm not sure there's anything else we can figure out from it.

wwwmwww · **Posted:** Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:08 pm

Keegan wrote:

When I save and enlarge the image, it shows the outline is just the outline of a cube, with a red border. The speech bubble coming out of it says "Coming Soon" and the it is under the 2012 section of the sign. I'm not sure there's anything else we can figure out from it.

That actually may be enough. If it has gears and its a cube and we assume its one of Oskar's puzzles which I think is a safe bet what does that leave:

(1) Even Less Gears (not worthy of this threadment as its made from the same parts as the Gear Cube Master)
(2) Geared 5x5x5
(3) Bram's Cube (I don't feel the gears are prominent enough to call this a Gear Cube)

So does this mean we have a mass produced Geared 5x5x5 in our future? Boy I hope so...

Carl

P.S. There is another option...

(4) Gear Skewb

Missed it on my first pass as its no longer listed in Oskar's Shapeways shop. Hmmm... should I be reading between the lines there?

PuzzleMaster6262 · **Joined:** Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:00 am **Location:** Colorado

O my I hope it's the gear skewb!

Every sign points to this puzzle. Just like the gear shift has vanashed from Shapeways and YouTube so has the gear skewb. It is also the simplist of the designs. Please let me be right!

excalvin · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 4:33 am

Thanks for Oskar's brilliant designs. Then, we always have new creative puzzles.

RubixFreakGreg · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 5:10 am

@ PM6262: Gear skewb OR Gear 5x5 :wink:

Cyberdman · **Joined:** Tue Mar 30, 2010 6:29 am **Location:** Michigan

Wow! I want one. Do we know when we will be able to buy from Meffert's or through Jade Club?

katsmom · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:17 am

Here you go!

Remember, this is a test version so not at all like what you will be getting.

stardust4ever · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:51 am

Oskar's gear puzzles sure have created quite an impact in the world. I would really love to see one of his many jumbling concoctions get mass-produced someday.

I'll probably never be able to walk into a major US retail store and buy one of these, but we can always hope! Japan always gets the best stuff.

katsmom · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:00 am

Find a US seller/chain to foot the production bill and you never know what you will get. But yeah, it's not fair is it?

juanan · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:47 am

Sorry I dont understand

The puzzle without be opened is too easy?

And when you open it increase the difficulty?

katsmom · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:50 am

Juanan, the way I understand it is if you open the pieces and twist one side, then close it and then open it the other way, it becomes more difficult to solve. But. I can't say that for sure because I've seen no one do it!

I can see screws in it, so when I get one of the MP'd ones, I'll muck it royally to try and answer your question.

juanan · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:54 am

ok thanks Rox

Luke · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:57 am

Not splitting the halves is like turning one side of the normal Gear Cube again and again. Okay, so it may scramble the puzzle, but it will solve itself eventually just by doing the same move.

wwwmwww · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:24 am

PuzzleMaster6262 wrote:

O my I hope it's the gear skewb!

That's what I'm reading between the lines. I'm sure it disappeared for a reason.

However that does raise another interesting question... Why hasn't the Caution Cube disappeared?

Carl

Kapusta · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:02 am

wwwmwww wrote:

PuzzleMaster6262 wrote:

O my I hope it's the gear skewb!

That's what I'm reading between the lines. I'm sure it disappeared for a reason.

However that does raise another interesting question... Why hasn't the Caution Cube disappeared?

Carl

I was searching for the gear shift yesterday, and it was also gone from his youtube AND his shapeways. See the pattern here?

I hope it does get produced. Just like the Gear Shift it's a great mass production candidate.

NType3 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:48 am

wwwmwww wrote:

PuzzleMaster6262 wrote:

O my I hope it's the gear skewb!

That's what I'm reading between the lines. I'm sure it disappeared for a reason.

However that does raise another interesting question... Why hasn't the Caution Cube disappeared?

Carl

Perhaps he puts them back after production. That, or removing them is a new request.

wwwmwww · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:32 am

NType3 wrote:

Perhaps he puts them back after production. That, or removing them is a new request.

Yes, I'm not really expecting Oskar to answer this question. I suspect this is related to business decisions going on behind the scenes. Still... its an "interesting" question...

I'm also curious what Oskar and Uwe think of our "guessing" too but I assume they approved the published poster with the "?" cube so it seems to invite guessing to me. Based on the info at hand it seems the "guess" is rather obvious.

Carl

Zeotor · **Joined:** Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:37 pm

Kapusta wrote:

I was searching for the gear shift yesterday, and it was also gone from his youtube AND his shapeways.

When I look on shapeways, I see the Gear Shift here. Also, on that page, there is a YouTube video of the puzzle. The link to the YouTube video works too, though it goes to an unlisted video. Can anyone else view these? The link I posted works for me right now, but it may not later.

Timur · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:54 am

wwwmwww wrote:

I'm also curious what Oskar and Uwe think of our "guessing" too but I assume they approved the published poster with the "?" cube so it seems to invite guessing to me.

This poster is from 2011 International Tokyo Toy Show, where Meffert presented these puzzles in public: News at news.biglobe.ne.jp (machine translated from Japanese)

Usually Meffert asks to remove a puzzle from public sources (such as YouTube or Shapeways shop) when he's in the process of applying for a Chinese patent - else the puzzle may be considered as public domain. After the application has been lodged, it can be back again.

Luke · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:55 am

Question is, where has the Twist & Slide puzzle gone? :wink:

Kapusta · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 9:58 am

Zeotor wrote:

Kapusta wrote:

I was searching for the gear shift yesterday, and it was also gone from his youtube AND his shapeways.

When I look on shapeways, I see the Gear Shift here. Also, on that page, there is a YouTube video of the puzzle. The link to the YouTube video works too, though it goes to an unlisted video. Can anyone else view these? The link I posted works for me right now, but it may not later.

I can view both now, thanks. I was having trouble connecting to his shop before, so I looked it up on this forum and found a link in someone's post to the Gear Shift. It said it was a 404 error. I'm assuming it was taken down, then relisted.

wwwmwww · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 10:13 am

Timur wrote:

Usually Meffert asks to remove a puzzle from public sources (such as YouTube or Shapeways shop) when he's in the process of applying for a Chinese patent - else the puzzle may be considered as public domain. After the application has been lodged, it can be back again.

That actually makes perfect sense. Thanks. I guess the threads here on these puzzles aren't considered public enough sources for the Chinese to check. I'd hate to someday see the twistypuzzle.com site itself stand in the way of getting a puzzle mass produced. Maybe puzzle designers should have a means to "hide" threads about their puzzles just as they can take down YouTube videos and items on Shapeways? Not really sure if that is an issue or not...

Carl

eye2eye · **Posted:** Fri Aug 12, 2011 4:59 pm

This post is a lie.
I hope it’s the gear skewb.

PuzzleMaster6262 · **Joined:** Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:00 am **Location:** Colorado

eye2eye wrote:

The original gear cube is also gone.(The one where it looks like a 3x3) Clearly more than 1 puzzles are gone. So not the best basis of our guessing. (It does help limit the options though)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf2OnAKUuZg&feature=channel_video_title

3D Gear Cube - massproducts

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