{"product_id":"ecliptic-two-piece-cube-puzzle","title":"EclipTIC | Two-Piece Cube Puzzle","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEclipTIC\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Medium-difficulty turning interlocking cube built from just 2 pieces. Designed by \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/andrew-crowell\"\u003eAndrew Crowell\u003c\/a\u003e, it asks you to form a perfect 5x5x5 cube - a goal that sounds trivial with two pieces and takes 30-60 min to actually crack. One piece caps the cube like a lid. Getting it on is the hard part.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBest for:\u003c\/strong\u003e First-time TIC solvers. If you have never solved a turning interlocking cube, start here - EclipTIC makes the wrong instinct obvious, which is the fastest way to learn what the right one feels like.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhat Makes EclipTIC Special\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTIC stands for Turning Interlocking Cube - a category where the pieces do not slide apart, they rotate apart. That single difference is what defeats people who are good at ordinary interlocking puzzles: the move you need is one you have been trained not to try.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat rotation needs somewhere to happen. Every TIC carries hollow space inside the finished cube - internal cavities the pieces turn through on their way out - and you never see them, because every outer face is solid. It is also why EclipTIC is 5x5x5 where Crowell's 4 and 5-piece TICs are 4x4x4: two pieces turning past each other need the extra room.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEclipTIC reads as a cube with a clean banded slab laid across the top, which is exactly the misdirection. That slab is not a lid and it does not lift away - it is threaded into the body of the cube and has to rotate clear before it will move at all. The flat, orderly face hides the least flat solution in the set.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe visible seam suggests a straight lift. It is not a straight lift, and that single wrong assumption is where most solvers stall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSpecs\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePieces:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDifficulty:\u003c\/strong\u003e Medium\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSolve time:\u003c\/strong\u003e 30-60 min\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 60x60x60mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDesigner:\u003c\/strong\u003e Andrew Crowell\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShips:\u003c\/strong\u003e assembled\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is one of five two-piece TICs. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/ecstatic-puzzle\"\u003eEcstaTIC\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/emphatic-two-piece-cube-puzzle\"\u003eEmphaTIC\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/enthusiastic-two-piece-cube-puzzle\"\u003eEnthusiasTIC\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/eclectic-two-piece-cube-puzzle\"\u003eEclecTIC\u003c\/a\u003e are the rest, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/two-piece-tic-collection-all-5-two-piece-tics-by-andrew-crowell\"\u003eTIC Starter Set\u003c\/a\u003e has all five in one box.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFAQ\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cdetails class=\"gp-faq\"\u003e\u003csummary\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat is the EclipTIC puzzle?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gp-faq__a\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEclipTIC is a two-piece turning interlocking cube by Andrew Crowell. Both pieces must rotate past each other to come apart and to go back together, forming a solid 5x5x5 cube. It is rated Medium with a 30-60 min solve time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\u003cdetails class=\"gp-faq\"\u003e\u003csummary\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow hard is EclipTIC?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gp-faq__a\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMedium. Two pieces reads as easy, but the turning mechanism means pulling and sliding get you nowhere. Most of the 30-60 min goes on finding the rotation, not on repeating it once you have.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\u003cdetails class=\"gp-faq\"\u003e\u003csummary\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDoes EclipTIC ship assembled?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gp-faq__a\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes. It arrives as a solved 5x5x5 cube, so taking it apart is your first puzzle. If you want it to arrive scrambled, it is easier to take apart than to put back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\u003cdetails class=\"gp-faq\"\u003e\u003csummary\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs EclipTIC a good first TIC?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gp-faq__a\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe two-piece TICs are the gentlest way into the category - fewer pieces means fewer places the rotation can hide. EclipTIC sits alongside \u003ca href=\"\/products\/ecstatic-puzzle\"\u003eEcstaTIC\u003c\/a\u003e in that group, and all of them are a step down from Crowell's 4 and 5-piece designs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e","brand":"Greg Puzzles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51452243706023,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0668\/2827\/1783\/files\/ecliptic___two-piece_cube_puzzle_marble.png?v=1790922629","url":"https:\/\/gregpuzzles.com\/products\/ecliptic-two-piece-cube-puzzle","provider":"Greg Puzzles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}