V-Cube 6 - Mechanics

Mechanics

The puzzle consists of 152 pieces ("cubies") on the surface. There are also 60 movable pieces entirely hidden within the interior of the cube, as well as six fixed pieces attached to the central "spider" frame. The V-Cube 7 uses essentially the same mechanism, except that on the latter these hidden pieces (corresponding to the center rows) are made visible.

There are 96 center pieces which show one color each, 48 edge pieces which show two colors each, and eight corner pieces which show three colors. Each piece (or quartet of edge pieces) shows a unique color combination, but not all combinations are present (for example, there is no edge piece with both red and orange sides, since red and orange are on opposite sides of the solved Cube). The location of these cubes relative to one another can be altered by twisting the layers of the Cube 90°, 180° or 270°, but the location of the colored sides relative to one another in the completed state of the puzzle cannot be altered: it is fixed by the distribution of color combinations on edge and corner pieces.

Currently, the V-Cube 6 is produced with white plastic as a base, with red opposite orange, blue opposite green, and yellow opposite black. One black center piece is branded with the letter V. Verdes also sells a version with black plastic and a white face, with the other colors remaining the same.

Unlike the rounded V-Cube 7, the V-Cube 6 has flat faces. However, the outermost pieces are slightly wider than those in the center. The center four rows are approximately 10 mm (0.39 in) wide, whereas the outer two are approximately 13 mm (0.51 in) wide. This subtle difference allows the use of a thicker stalk to hold the corner pieces to the internal mechanism, thus making the puzzle more durable.