Awesome Steampunk

Unlike the steam-powered display motorcycle we saw a decade ago, this one actually rides. Supercar Blondie shared this video from Лёха Романтик, who created this wild machine that runs entirely on steam power. It has two horsepower, a top speed of 60 km/h (~37.3 mph), and a range of 15 km (~9.3 mi). Check out this other video for an in-depth look.

Do you like challenging jigsaw puzzles? This detailed monochrome image of gears should keep you busy for a while. The 1000-piece puzzle has precision-cut curved pieces that radiate out from its center. Unlike other circular puzzles we’ve seen, this one has no color coding or lettering on the back to ensure it remains difficult.

This unique tabletop clock from Iain Gellatly’s Retro Gear Laboratories displays the time on a pair of backlit analog gauges, accented with a bright Nixie tube pilot light. The Industrial version has a wood case and a steel front panel, while the Steampunk version has a vintage wine case with a brass face. It even automatically sets its time with a Wi-Fi connection.

Mad scientist Mike Ando aka RIUM+ created a unique display inspired by the holographic imagers in the adventure game Riven: The Sequel to Myst. His patent-pending Andotrope has a cylindrical display that spins with the turn of a crank, and displays an image that appears to follow you no matter what angle you view it from. Works great for Princess Leia, too.

Bob Maddox, aka The Rocketman, is back with another insane jet-powered ride. This time, he mounted one of his diesel-powered pulsejet engines to a skateboard. It takes serious balls to ride this thing, but imagine if he tried to stand up and ride its deck like a regular skateboard. EA, when can we have Tony Hawk’s Jet-Powered Pro Skater?

Artist Uri Tuchman is an expert at building unique devices with a Steampunk aesthetic. This time, he built a pair of mechanical wooden hands that appear to type on an imaginary keyboard. It’s part of a larger installation headed to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Ironically, Uri broke his hand after he completed the project.

Steampunk Interiors handcrafts unique switchplates that turn standard U.S. light switches into hefty machinery controls. They feature steel plates and gears, with available copper or wooden handles. They come in single, double, triple, and quadruple versions, as well as dimmer knobs made from water valves.

Modelmaker Boylei Hobby Time created this fanciful miniature of an airship based on viewer requests. He started with two individual dirigible models and combined them to form the floatation system for a steamboat that hangs beneath them. The finished piece looks like something from Jules Verne’s imagination.

Artist Steve Gallagher makes this cool desk lamp that looks like a steampunk rocket ship. Each one is made from a cage light with a glass shade, various bits of pipe, and a wooden base. The deluxe version features a decorative brass finial and looks great with either flicker flame or spiral filament LED bulbs.

This steampunk chameleon won’t blend into its surroundings, but it does look amazing. The 745-piece stainless steel, iron, and copper model has numerous articulated joints for posing, and its metal parts have a rainbow heat-treated finish. The finished lizard model measures about 10″ long.

An unnamed artist from China shows off a unique handmade phone case that’s so steampunk that its gears actually turn. It might not be the most practical design, but it sure looks awesome. We found a similar case you can actually purchase over on Etsy, or you could just glue some gears on your own and call it a day.

Athens, Greece artist Roman Parkhin of Banjo Show makes unique sculptures with a steampunk aesthetic. Watch as he turns an assortment of hardware, tubing, and vintage radio tubes into a funky accent light under a glass dome. At its center is a radiometer, a device which spins when exposed to the heat generated by a light.

Artist Adi Granov designed this awesome steampunk variant of the Dark Lord of the Sith. The 1/7th-scale figure features lots of great details including brass-finish rivets on Vader’s helmet and pauldrons, and a steam-powered machine to help keep the Imperial leader alive. Pre-orders start shipping 11.2021.

Inspired by the Nintendo GameBoy Color he had when he was a kid, artist and electronics wiz Jiri Praus made a custom version of the handheld, featuring a shiny brass front and a see-through back which exposes its meticulously bent brass wiring. He had to use an emulator instead of original hardware, but it’s still beautiful.

The Hacksmith has been trying to build a real-world lightsaber for quite some time now. The closest he’s gotten up until now is a deadly electric heating element. Now his shop has created a version that retracts like the ones in Star Wars, burning a 4000ºF beam of plasma. That brass and copper steampunk hilt is too cool for words.

“I ain’t cracked up. I live in the clock now.” Levi decides to give up modern life for the steampunk world, while Cedric is doubtful about his lifestyle choices in this classic sketch from Key & Peele. Did somebody say something about Ratatouille?