microcubology

Designs by richgain
Seriously tough puzzles
Wooden puzzles are beautiful to look at but can be large and heavy. Puzzles are meant to be played with and shared. These 3D printed puzzles in tough nylon or solid stainless steel are great to play with and easy to carry around in a pocket.  The puzzles range in difficulty from quite easy to fiendishly difficult and, unless stated, are all my own design. Puzzles work best in White, Strong and Flexible material.
If you would prefer coloured puzzles then you have three choices:
- Order in one of Shapeways standard seasonal colours
- Order white ones and dye them yourself
- Order directly from me through my Etsy shop.

Please note that Shapeways only print the pieces. You will need to work out how to fit the puzzle together. YouTube videos are available for many puzzles to help you with this.

We found 78 products by richgain

by richgain
Coherence is a new record breaking cube and the first in my collection by well-known puzzle designer, Pit Khiam Goh. This clever puzzle demands 10 moves for removal of the first piece and then another 8 moves for the second piece.
 
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by richgain
Lambada is Jeff Namkungs first 4x4x4 cube to require rotations in the solutions and as soon as you see the pieces you know there's going to be plenty of them. The solution is classed as 3.1.9. It's easy when you know how, but it could take you a long time to get there.
 
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by richgain
Another record breaker from Jeff - a 4x4x4 cube with a 27 step solution. Quite extraordinary! This 5 piece 4x4x4 cube has just one external hole but the level of difficulty more than compensates for this. 14 separate steps to remove the first piece! Another 8 moves before the second piece comes out. 2 more moves for the third, and 3 for the fourth completes the disassembly. The pieces will fit into the cube's outline in two different ways but only one of these can be assembled - so if you end up stuck in a dead end, think again.
 
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by richgain
Quickstep is a brand new puzzle cube from a talented designer who appeared on the scene only 3 months ago but has already been breaking records with his extremely clever puzzles. Jeff was introduced to interlocking cube puzzles earlier this year by Jos Bergmans (another of my favourite designers) when he started working at Google. When I first became interested in interlocking cube puzzles back in the 1980s, Mayer's cube from Pentangle was arguably the best example of the genre and has held its title for many years. It required 7 moves to extract the first piece and then the other five pieces then lifted straight out, giving the puzzle a rank of 7.1.1.1.1. Ever since I began designing my own cubes about 8 years ago I have been aiming to improve on Derek Mayer's record with one of my own puzzles. Jeff's latest design doesn't just beat this record - it smashes it, with an astounding 11 moves for the first piece and then a further 5 for the next piece, 3 for the third, and 3 more for the fourth piece. Jeff has very kindly given me permission to sell this little beauty in the microcubology shop, so to do it justice, I have come up with a new open style which I think you will appreciate. The larger holes mean that the puzzle not only uses less plastic (which makes it cheaper to produce) but also offers interesting views of the inner workings as you solve it.
 
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by richgain
A new 4x4x4 interlocking puzzle cube designed by Jeff Namkung. This complex puzzle requires a sequence of 9 moves to get the first piece out which is a new world record for solid faced 4x4x4 interlocking cubes. This is a great puzzle that prints beautifully in this larger, 4 cm size and should be solvable by any good puzzler. It took me about 15 minutes to find the solution (without cheating and using a computer). If you like this one, you might also like to have a look at Bolero by Jeff Namkung. It has one less move for first piece removal but is significant harder.
 
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by richgain
A new 4x4x4 interlocking puzzle cube designed by Jeff Namkung. This complex puzzle briefly held the record as it requires a sequence of 8 moves to get the first piece out and then 4 more moves for the second piece, and another two for the third. This puzzle prints beautifully at the larger, 4 cm size and presents a real challenge for the experienced puzzle solver. After working constantly on it for 90 minutes I had to resort to using the computer for a hint, as my head was beginning to ache! It may not be the longest in move counts but it is definitely one of Jeff's hardest puzzles.
 
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by richgain
An updated version of Tom Jolly's brilliant Twist the Night Away puzzle cube in the new, larger 4 cm format.
 
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by richgain
I have a confession to make. Even though I love all of Jos Bergmans creations, I completely overlooked this one until today. This is not one to miss - it's simply sublime. It's probably not one for beginners but puzzle enthusiasts will love it! The six pieces will clearly fit together in only one way, but how to get them there? If you're a fan of Jos's puzzles you won't be surprised to learn that the solution involves at least one rotation, so it's no use turning to your computer for the solution. Presented in the new larger 4.0 cm open format.
 
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by richgain
Another one of Jos Bergmans' great 4x4x4 puzzle cubes. This one requires rotations and has a great surprise ending. Even though I have previously solved this puzzle, it still took me a good 20 minutes to refind the solution. If you haven't done this one before, I would allow considerably longer. Presented in the new larger 4.0 cm open format.
 
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by richgain
One of Jos Bergmans' tricky 4x4x4 cubes that starts out easy to disassemble and gets harder. Putting the five pieces back together is even more of a challenge.
 
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by richgain
The 5 cm Switch cube now presented in the more open (and cheaper) hollow format.
 
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by richgain

Update: Jury 1st Prize winner at the 2011 International Puzzle Design competition

Two open-ended Superstrings with the correct spin can be merged into a super-symmetrical cube.

The idea for this puzzle emerged when I was designing shapes based on two interlocked tetrahedra.  Inspired by ideas from 'string theory' and 'super-symmetry', I began to search for shapes that were both symmetrical and as similar as possible.

Taking the two pieces apart is not too difficult; reassembling them back into a cube can be more challenging. Hold one of the pieces still; move the other piece through the correct sequence of lateral and rotational moves.


Two colour dyed version in a perspex display case available from Etsy.



Reviews of Superstrings by puzzle enthusiasts from around the world.


"Another great little pocket puzzle from Richard Gain" - Allard Walker - Puzzling Times


"I can't really think of any downsides with this one, it was an elegantly designed puzzle that was fun to solve. Well done, Richard!" - Brian Pletcher - Mechanical Puzzles


"An attractive tactile puzzle with a decent challenge but not too awful - a really good addition to my display." - Kevin Sadler - Puzzlemad


"This is a really tough puzzle, and I can see why it won favor with the judges at IPP. Much easier to take apart than it is to put together, Richard can be rightly proud of this one." - Neil Hutchison - Puzzling Parts

 
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Shop Details
Complex interlocking puzzle cubes from some of the world's top puzzle designers. Please use the messaging link to contact me for any special requests.

Expertise

  • 3D modeler
  • Product designer
  • Maker