HoleyTIC

HoleyTIC is a 6-piece 5x5x5 Turning Interlocking Cube (TIC) designed by Andrew Crowell.  It is a nice addition to the collection of 5x5x5 TICs that Andrew has created.

Determining the assembly is not difficult.  The location and orientation of each piece can be quickly determined.  The effort is getting them into position.  Especially since there are a few rotations along the way.

I divided the 6 pieces into 2 groups.  Major framing pieces and smaller finishing pieces.  The four larger pieces were allocated to the major framing pieces although 2 are bigger than the others.  Starting with the 2 largest pieces, I was pleasantly surprised that getting them together was not trivial.  And once those 2 were together, adding the 3 piece was interesting as well.  The forth piece just slides into place but you have to keep in mind that the there are 2 more pieces yet to go and it may not be as easy if those pieces have to go in first.

As expected, those last 2 small pieces are where the magic lies.  It is fairly simple to add each one individually but adding them both is a real effort.  The finishing movements required to solve HoleyTIC are as awesome as you would expect from Andrew’s TICs.

You can purchase the 3D model file for this puzzle from Andrew’s online store, ARC Puzzles.  It is bundled with model files from 5 other 5x5x5 TICs to keep you happily engaged for a while.