SCOTT BEDARD's VIDEO REVIEW

While I owe many thanks to Verdes for his wonderful puzzles and mechanism design, I decided to adapt it to fit a Megaminx.
(you know, those single layer dodecahedron puzzles that generally lock up or fall apart while turning?)

Well here is the end result of a quick casting session! I assembled the puzzle and tested before taking the pictures.




And this shot was nearly impossible to get! I had to unscrew 4 layers just to get a single piece to pop out! see the video and be amazed at how impossible it is to take apart!

I love it! Great work!

I am amazed!

Excellent work!

Awesome! I want one!

It is really smooth from what I saw in the video.

Great work!

Is that your V3 Cube project in the background of the picture/video?

Cool. Looks really good. Where do you print?

So cool! Does it cut corners well?

nope, that's actually just a regular 3x3. I removed the core and its being held together by rubber bands




No springs, in my experience springs just cause puzzles to fall apart while turning.

That's awesome, one would think that more surface area and rubbing edges inside the puzzle would cause it to lock up a ton, and just not turn great. Your's seems to be fine. Great job!

Drew, in the relatively short time you've been here, you've done things most of us hadn't even imagined. Thank you. You've added so much since you joined a mere 8 months ago.

lets see, he has made a master tetrahedron, an elite tetrahedron, a gigaminx, a teraminx and a V-minx... wow

Thanks for the kind words Noah, It makes me feel special ^_^, even though all these other insane and complex puzzles are being produced (polaris, 24 cube, rua, toru, etc.)

I do like my puzzles simple, but sometimes I like to try a different method for an existing puzzle

I'd be willing to bet that Drew will be right on up on the same level as Tony Fisher Soon

And this puzzle just rocketed straight to the top of my most wanted puzzles list

I think Drew and Tony are very different puzzle builders. Drew only casts puzzles while most of Tony's are made from hand.

i agree..awesome v-minx!!

I agree. I can never compare. but then again I would never wish to "compete" with who's greater. we both build, we both have strengths. He has more experience. I'm still a noob =P

hahaha im with you on that one

Hey everyone,

I got the V-Minx in the mail today After adding springs and popping some silicone in there, this thing blew me away. The video is coming soon, but I need to stress that I did almost zero work on this puzzle. All I really did was silicone it and adjust the screws... Drew made a truely awesome megaminx. I'll post the youtube video in a minute. Oh, and I also created the tiles with my tried and true poor mans method

*edit*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yft_bLtskQ

So is this something we'll all get to enjoy, or will it be another exclusive puzzle for only a select few? I sure hope this one ends up on Scott's site with a waiting list. I'd like to be near the top, so sign me up if you are going to be selling them. Or the masters. Or files. Whatever. This is a must-have!

Wow! Cool. Figure out a suitable price for this and there will be a market.

Wow, great video Scott. I really hope these will be sold to the general TwistyPuzzles.com public.

This is really awesome...would be infinitely cooler if these were made available to the average person

BTW I'd just like to say that I really enjoy a lot of your v-cube mechanism works I'm new to these forums (as a member), though I've been reading for the past 3+ months. Your teraminx was especially impressive!

A few things must happen, before I start a waiting list.

1: Renaming the puzzle. Yes it uses a modified V-cube mech, however its not made by Verdes, so I don't want to create a false impression that it is his product. I was considering Pro-Minx, if you have any other recommendations, please PM me

2: I need to find a cheap place to get *good* springs

Because of the labor involved the price will obviously not be super cheap, however I can safely say it will be affordable

more to come soon!

As for the name why not just go with Drew's Minx.
I can't remember the site but a company called smallparts or something like that had pretty reasonable prices for springs and screws.

Gah! Now the "V-minxes" will be for sale! There's to many puzzles to get!

Void Cube
Praminx Crystal
Golden Cube
And now Drew's HIGH quality Minx!

Along with my low priority (but still wanted)-

Bump Cube
Rainbow Cube
New stickered Meffert's Megaminx
Skweb Diamond

I wonder if we could convince Verdes to sell Megaminxes, Tetrahedrons, etc based on the V-Cube tech. Shame we probably won't.

What would that method be ?

That is INCREDIBLE!!!

Great job, Drew! I can't believe how smooth it is. After seeing the video, it reminded me of the Aleh/Adam Gigaminx the way it cut corners. That would be quite a Minx collection. The best corner cutting Minx set on Earth.

If and when these become available, I'm in for one or two.

Is it just me or is the puzzling world getting better and better?

- Billy

Wow! Drew, this is amazing. Absolutely the best Megaminx ever by far. And I think you should see about mass producing it, with injection molding. The V-Cube patents only cover cubes so this would be OK and it's slightly different like you said.

I would love to get my hands on one!

You should make one for Erik Akkersdijk, think what times he could get with this if he practiced! http://www.worldcubeassociation.org/res ... &slim=Slim

well, its not getting worse and worse

He uses colored plastic plates (yes, like picnic plates) that he cuts with an exacto knife and then super glues to the surface of the puzzle.

Thanks Noah! I remember him telling me this now And if this actually counts for something, please put me on the list for one Drew

I don't know.....maybe we're all getting spoiled.

That could be setting us up for a big disappointment and that would definitely make it worse. Although, with all of the incredible builders on this site I doubt that would ever happen!

So spoil away guys!!!

- Billy

Too bad I have a Mefferts Megaminx already coming to my house, now I want this!

I'm in the same boat...it should be arriving in a couple of days. Almost makes me ashamed of buying one lol.

Same! Great work, Drew!

I thought the same thing :p

This puzzle is available waiting list style on Bedards website. See marketplace for more details.

Bedards? lol. Well damn if that doesn't make me sound fancy. Thanks Cormier

Little more expensive than I had expected, to be honest. I don't have a v-cube 6 or 7 yet, so I'll wait a little while for this one. Bummer that.

hey it does take time to assemble these things. if you'd rather just get a bag of parts, then perhaps the price can drop? it still takes time to cast 75 pieces

Oooo, I'd love a white one. How much do you think the price would drop if its not assembled?

I'm not doubting that, and your design is definitely worth it. I didn't mean to discount the value of your puzzle. Just from the video, I can tell it's gotta be worthwhile. I dunno what I was thinking. I just got up when I posted that. Maybe I should make a rule not to check the net until after I've had my breakfast.

Bag of parts- DIY? Sweet.

That would be a good idea. $100 does seem a little much for a Megaminx (even an uber-high quality one)

Whatever can drop the price a little would help.

On the subject of price you have to consider that any hand cast puzzle is going to cost. A hand cast puzzle that is not just a replica of another puzzle, but its own design deserves even greater value. An improvement on a mechanism makes it even more valuable.

I think we all know if this was on eBay it would go for far more than $100. Look at the prices of relatively simple mods (Square-2, Half truncated, etc.) that sell for over $100. Compare this to the from-scratch design and casting of a complete puzzle. And one with not a small number of pieces for that matter.

I think $100 is a great deal, and if a DIY is cheaper that is even better. But hey, I was on the order list before it even got to Scott's site so perhaps I am a bit biased

Dave

I think making it as a DIY would not only help the average person (in terms of a lower price) but also on yourself in that you won't have to buy (or cast?) the cores or center pieces (unless they're different of course). People who buy them could probably just swap the normal pieces with your pro-minx pieces. Anyways, thats just my 2 cents...

The new design has a custom core that requires casting. that said, you won't be able to use another core.

Also the price would probably not drop by much, since it takes he longest time to do the casting. assembly can be done in under 15 min

Someone actually payed over $100 for a half-truncated cube?!?

Drew- You're gonna need some employees to help crank out the teraminx's and gigaminx's when they start rolling out.

Have you considered selling masters (for the pro-minx)?

You should hook up with a serious manufacturer who can mass produce the pro-minx. I could see this one being mass produced very easily. Everyone loves megaminx's, and we only buy the chinaminx's because that's what we have to work with. I have a meffertminx, and a lot of other people do too, but they're never available. If these things would be a regular item on cube4you and 9's, that's all that would sell.

According to my ebay price list over the years, there have been cases with more than $100,
but also cases with less than $100.




If you ask me, puzzles like the Teraminx, Gigaminx, and now the V-minx are too good to not
be made by more people, especially since there is no patent coverage. Moreover, the
Gigaminx and Teraminx have been included in endless past discussions. With the 3d printing
techniques available, and with so many talented individuals arising and seeing the interest
in twisty puzzles, not only those and their mods, but a lot more brilliant designs will surface
sooner or later. The difference now, is whether you want one of those puzzles early enough or not.

I would never prefer to be one of those collectors who paid a super price to get a puzzle,
to then see it mass produced and sell for 3% of its price less than two years later.
But then those collectors should also be highly respected in the sense that
(1) they are first to get the puzzle and they are always a step ahead in solving it,
(2) they own a unique version of that puzzle, and
(3) they have helped immensely in its development which led to the mass production.

One thing's for sure, the V-cube technology will assist to making a lot more unbelievable designs.
And it is a lot of work to make such masters, no questions about it.

I had never paid over $700** for a twisty puzzle, and I never will. Don't get me wrong,
such a price *might* be ok for someone willing to have a new puzzle. But I'd rather pay to
a 3d designer a similar or much higher price to create the masters (and if possible, learn to
do it by myself!).

Unlike others, I can be veeeeeeery patient. My busy job(s) and all the rest of my puzzles
who hasn't been solved because of lack of time, will assist immensely to this!




Pantazis


** Trading is a totally different story because is shows mutual respect between two designers.