MoYu’s Windmill, part of the MFJS MeiLong series, is a 3x3 shape mod (a puzzle that keeps the mechanism of a well-known one but changes the shape of its pieces). Its side cuts are angled relative to the edges of the cube, so when scrambled it takes on a silhouette reminiscent of windmill sails, hence its name.

• BrandMoYu (MFJS MeiLong)
• Type3x3 Windmill (shape mod)
• MagnetsNo
• FinishStickerless, matte

How it works

Internally it turns like a 3x3, so it can be solved with a familiar 3x3 method. The differences show up during the solve: because of the angled cuts, four of the centres, those on the side faces, have an orientation and can end up rotated, which means correcting them with algorithms that don’t disturb the rest. The pieces also have irregular shapes and have to be recognised by their colour and position, with fewer reference points than on a normal cube.

Design

It’s stickerless (no stickers: the colour is in the plastic itself), with a matte surface. MoYu redesigned the model in 2018 so that the layers would turn with more control. Some users point out that the angled cuts can catch and cause unintended turns, which is typical of this kind of puzzle.