What is the Magic Folding Cube?    top
The magic cube consists of eight interconnected cubes. When you unfold the magic cube three surfaces appear. The magic folding cube usually is a picture cube. The sides don't have the same colour, but they show nine different pictures, six outside and three inside. 

The name "magic folding cube" is not unique. The magic folding cube has also the names Endless Cube or Infinity Cube.

Description of the Cube   top 
Eight single cubes form the magic folding cube. Each individual cube has 6 squares; together there are 6x8=48 squares, 24 squares are visible, 24 are hidden. You can produce three rectangles with 8 squares each by folding. Eight hinges are skilfully arranged in the three dimensions.

The position of the eight hinges becomes clear from the following drawings:  Another representation of the hinges: The ways to the three rectangles is shown by the two animated gifs. The cube on the left must stand on its head, in order to find the blue and the green surface on the right. 

Building the Cube   top

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If you want to build the magic cube, you should at first understand the position of the hinges. You join eight equal cubes with eight sticky tapes (yellow).

If you like to build the magic cube, you need eight cubes with an edge length of 1.5''. Then you must have nine pictures, six must have the measurements 3'' x  3'' and three  the measurements 3'' x  6''. You stick the pictures to the appropriate surfaces. You must separate the squares with a sharp knife at the edges, where no hinges are.

The magic cubes you can buy are made by machineries. You can hardly achieve the quality of the pictures printed on foil and the accuracy of the cube as formed in manual work. 

Purchase of the Cube   top
The magic cube is the latest fashion (September 2000) in Germany. You can buy it in toy- or bookshops. 
It also turns up in advertisements. 

The Shinsei Mystery     top
There is an extension by Naoki Yoshimoto. It is called "The Shinsei Mystery" or "Yoshimoto Cube".

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It consists of eight cubes or 16 half cubes that are connected to each other by hinges.  You can make a silver and gold star out of them.

I describe it on my German page The Shinsei Mystery.

The Magic Folding Cube on the Internet   top

German

Faltwerk
Magischer Würfel

Roland Frisch (Rolands Zauberwürfel-Blog)
Infinity Cube (und Star Cube)
 

Englisch

Akira Nishihara
Yoshimoto Cube

Wikipedia
Infinity Cube

Youtube
How To Make A Paper INFINITY CUBE!

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