Online since 2002. The most comprehensive site for all around twisty puzzles.

Moai from Easter Island 2x2x3
Above:View 1
Click a thumbnail to see its larger version and description.
A 2x2x3 covered with 3D printed extensions, resembling a Moai, the famous statues of Easter Island.

Moai are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people between the years 1250 and 1500.
They are located on Easter Island, a Chilean island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania.
Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the island's perimeter.
Almost all moai have overly large heads three-eighths the size of the whole statue. The moai are chiefly the living faces (aringa ora) of deified ancestors (aringa ora ata tepuna).
The statues still gazed inland across their clan lands when Europeans first visited the island in 1722, but all of them had fallen by the latter part of the 19th century.

Moai are carved in relatively flat planes, the faces bearing proud but enigmatic expressions. The human figures would be outlined in the rock wall first, then chipped away until only the image was left.
The over-large heads (a three-to-five ratio between the head and the trunk, a sculptural trait that demonstrates the Polynesian belief in the sanctity of the chiefly head) have heavy brows and elongated noses with a distinctive fish-hook-shaped curl of the nostrils. The lips protrude in a thin pout. Like the nose, the ears are elongated and oblong in form. The jaw lines stand out against the truncated neck. The torsos are heavy, and, sometimes, the clavicles are subtly outlined in stone. The arms are carved in bas relief and rest against the body in various positions, hands and long slender fingers resting along the crests of the hips, meeting at the hami (loincloth), with the thumbs sometimes pointing towards the navel. Generally, the anatomical features of the backs are not detailed, but sometimes bear a ring and girdle motif on the buttocks and lower back. Except for one kneeling moai, the statues do not have clearly visible legs.

The average height of the moai is about 4 m (13 ft), with the average width at the base around 1.6 m (5.2 ft). These massive creations usually weigh in at around 12.5 tonnes (13.8 tons) each.

The inventor designed and 3D printed the pieces to glue them on a mass produced 2x2x3. He had to paint them by hand too.
Base width: 88 mm
Base length: 133 mm
Height: 172 mm

Links

Contributors

Thank you to the following people for their assistance in helping collect the information on this page: Gerardo Hernandez Tello AKA Cuberonce.

Collections

This puzzle can be found in collections of these members:


Found a mistake or something missing? Edit it yourself or contact the moderator.
join »login » Community