The Cast Hexagon is a cast-metal puzzle from Hanayama’s Huzzle Cast series, designed by Mineyuki Uyematsu. It consists of four pieces: a hexagonal outer frame and three inner pieces, also hexagonal, housed inside it. The challenge is to remove them from the frame and then put them back in place.

• BrandHanayama
• SeriesHuzzle Cast
• DesignerMineyuki Uyematsu
• MaterialCast metal
• Pieces4: frame and three inner pieces
• DifficultyLevel 4 of 6 (Hanayama scale)

Mechanism

At first glance the pieces look the same, but they are not: each has a different outer outline and inner opening, so the three inner pieces end up having different shapes. Inside the frame they can slide and rotate, and the puzzle is all about understanding how those shapes relate to one another. It is a disentanglement puzzle, with no springs or hidden mechanisms: just geometry.

The hexagonal shape gives it a neat, symmetrical look, well suited to leaving it assembled on display.

What level it suits

Hanayama grades it at level 4 on its scale of 1 to 6. With four pieces, reassembling it can be as entertaining as taking it apart, because each piece has its own place. It is recommended for those who already know the Cast series and want an intermediate-to-high challenge.