Introducing the Radio Jam! This is the 8th in my series of increasingly deeper face turning icosahedron puzzles.
Just as the dodecahedron shape has some nice canonical face turning cut depths like the Megaminx, Pyraminx Crystal, Starminx and Pentultimate, the icosahedron has some cut depths that are well proportioned and elegant. For example the Radio Web – Radiolarian 6, should be simpler than the Radio Jewel – Radiolarian 7, since the Web has shallower cuts. But the Radio Jewel – Radiolarian 7 represents a moment where some pieces disappear, leaving a pleasant, simpler outward appearance. Even though it has a deeper cut than the Radio Web, the Radio Jewel is elegant both in outer appearance and the inner mechanism because some earlier complexity can finally be shed.
Puzzles between the elegant stopping points have been called “in-betweens”.
The Radio Jam – Radiolarian 8 is one of these in-betweens. It has not let go of the complexity of the Radio Jewel -Radiolarian 7, but has also gained some new pieces: two very small trianges on each edge. This uncomfortable space between two more elegant puzzles reminds me of the region on a radio dial just between two stations, where you can get hints of both, but neither is totally comprehensible. This puzzle contains the pieces from the Radio Jewel, and the upcoming Radio Crystal, and the result is a puzzle stuck between two worlds.
I’ll call movement on this one fair. I think this puzzle would need to be made larger to improve it. Breaking in was also a nightmare this time. On to the photos and video!
By the way– a quick apology, these photos were taken with too high of an ISO, so they are grainy. On the bright side there’s less depth of field. Next time should be an improvement.
Jumble 1
Jumble 2
This image is a comparison to Radiolarian 3. You can see how deep the cuts are now.