mf8 Curvy Starminx

This puzzle is BRUTAL. Definitely pushed my own solving abilities to their limits. It's tough enough to figure out how to manipulate the pieces, and once you've wrapped your head around that part there is just so much puzzle to be solved, so throw on some podcasts or audio books because you're going to be at this thing for a while.

Turn quality is serviceable, but it could be better. It catches a lot — I didn't have any problems with popping but when you're trying to remember how to undo your extensive setup moves, having to stop to fight the puzzle adds the wrong kind of difficulty.

I'm glad I got this puzzle, it was satisfying to finally get this thing solved, but TBH I don't see myself getting a whole lot of replay out of it because it's just a bit much.

If you're reading wondering if you could take this puzzle on... this is considerably more challenging than a Megaminx or Gigaminx. I'd say a similar challenge level to a Rua, but with many more pieces to deal with.

I took a star off because the corner pieces often pop, as do the small triangle pieces occasionally. Fortunately they're easy enough to pop back in, but that can slow you down if you're in the middle of a very long sequence. And you may be executing some very long sequences because this puzzle is extremely difficult -- easily the most difficult puzzle I own and probably too difficult for the casual cuber. But I'm glad I resisted the temptation to give up and look online for a solution... it was incredibly satisfying crossing the finish line to the solved state. If you're looking for a challenge, you will definitely not be disappointed by this puzzle.

Like most mf8 products, this is not a speed cube. That said, it is one of the best moving mf8 products I have come across! Movement was pretty good out of the box, and improved with a little lube. The only concern while turning if catching one of the corner pieces. If you do so too quickly, the corner cap pops off its stick and you have to click it back on. Most misalignment issues can be prevented by solving on a flat surface or using full-palm grips on both sides of the puzzle. Once you get used to the quirks of the hardware, the solve is interesting. First set the corners, then three-cycle all the edges into place, triple-three-cycle the centres into place, then spend a long time three-cycling the inner triangles into place. I think if the corners were tweaked (solid, with forgiving corners, etc), this could be even better. This was a puzzle I was glad to have obtained! 🙋🏼‍♀️

Side note: mine came already stickered with a spare set in the box. The stickering job was hanging over the edges on many pieces, and the five faces around the grey side needed to be reapplied one face clockwise to match the standard colour scheme. I think I had to reposition about half the stickers overall to get them acceptable. They simply were applied in the wrong place, and had not shifted during transit (like we would sometimes see many years ago due to heat, lube, and bad adhesive). Finding it stickered increased the “wow” out of the box, but having to peel and place took a bit to find the exact angle that wouldn’t cause the tips to bend, crease, or not stick anymore. (At least I had a backup set of stickers in the box)