Pyramorphix

The Pyramorphix (sometimes misspelled the "Pyramorphinx") is a tetrahedral shape mod of the Pocket Cube. Its name is a portmanteau of "pyramid" and "morphing", the latter because every turn causes it to change its shape.

In December 1996 Meffert wanted to sell the Pyramorphix in the Tetrahedral Shape and under the name "Junior Pyraminx". It was suggested this would lead people to assume it was trivial as when packaged it appeared to be a Pyraminx with only movable corners. The suggestion of rebranding as "Pyramorphix" was accepted but packaging in the "Squashed Frog" position to save shelf space and show its shape-shifting abilities was not used in the released packaging.

On the manufacturer's website the page is still called "JPMSol" for "Junior Pyraminx Solution".

Solution[]

Step 1: Get back to the tetrahedron shape[]

This is almost trivial. Get the corners together in two pairs (there will always be at least one pair), twist them away from each other so as to form a fairly flat shape, then a quarter-twist of the long edge will restore the tetrahedron shape.

Step 2: Position the corners[]

Look for the pair of corners in the correct position relative to each other (those showing the same pair of colours, and such that they either have each pair in one face, or would have if one or both were in the correct orientation). If the other two are not also in the correct position relative to the first two, give that edge a half-turn.

Step 3: Orient the corners[]

This is the tricky bit. In the following section, L means "give a clockwise 90° twist to the edge highlighted in the illustration to the left", R means the same but referring to the image on the right, and of course L' and R' refer to anticlockwise twists of the respective edges.

Hold the Pyraminx in the illustrated position with the corner you want to twist facing toward you (occupying the position which has a purple face in the image). To do a clockwise twist (the purple face at the bottom goes to the left), do (L R' L' R)2; to do an anticlockwise twist (the purple piece goes right), do (R' L R L')2. These sequences should be easy to remember because they start with a turn corresponding to where you want to send the bottom face, and because of course the second one is the first one backwards.

Step 4: Position the faces[]

4a[]

Give the red-yellow edge a quarter-turn to form the flat shape, then give one of the pairs of edges which are together a half-twist, resulting in a shape like a bishop's mitre (or like a short and wide rocket ship). Then look down at the end which has all four faces together; a face is correctly positioned if it is next to the matching corner.

If all four are wrong, see if twisting the faces will make all four right. Otherwise, return to the flat shape, form the mitre shape using the other pair of edges and try again.
If only some are wrong, twist the faces until all four are wrong.

4b[]

Return to the pyramid shape. At this stage, if you haven't solved the puzzle, you have all four faces in the wrong position. Try step 4a again, but this time using the red-green edge, and if that doesn't do it, using the red-blue edge will.