Steam-Powered AT-AT Enjoys Hunting Rebel Forces, Long Walks On The Beach

I usually reserve my steampunk finds for Saturdays, but it's rare that I get to debut something this awesome before all the other big sites out there, so you'll have to indulge me:

Behold, Captain Bayley's Infernal Mechano-Perambulator!

[Who else heard that in Dr. Doofenschmirtz's voice? Just me?]

This is Caroline L.'s engagement present from her fiance, Mark, who made it from a vintage AT-AT toy and is CLEARLY a keeper. Just saying, Caroline. But I guess you already knew that. :)

Caroline writes,

  

"Each one of those rivets was cut out with a punch and applied with tweezers, and we both lost track of the number of coats of spray paint he used to get that gorgeous patina before washing it down and creating the stains and drips. He made the narwhal horn on the front as well. It's hard to see but the legs and feet are covered in seaweed and barnacles - I can just imagine it tramping up and down the coastline, or standing in a harbour next to a crumbling pier."

Wow. I can't get over how great that finish looks! And I especially love the Widow's Walk on top:

Hey Caroline, any chance Mark will post a paint tutorial? Because I have a baby AT-AT here on my desk that's just BEGGING for a steampunk make-over now. :D

Watch Mark's Flickr page this week for more photos of the IMP. They're not up as of this writing, but Caroline assures me they'll be there soon. [Warning: there are mildly gory special-affects makeup pics on that stream, so don't click if you're squeamish.]

[UPDATE: Direct link to those photos here!]

Thanks for sharing the awesomeness, Caroline!

Saturday Steam 4/20/13

My biggest steampunk news this week is that my Lady Vadore costume is now officially in transit to Wisconsin for the Oshkosh Public Museum's summer exhibit! (YAY!) John and I spent most of Wednesday afternoon carefully packing everything up and doing paperwork, and I could have easily fit myself into the box by the time we were through. o.0 Cross your fingers that everything arrives safely, although with the amount of packing peanuts we used I *think* it should be Ok.

I was excited to hear from reader Beth D. that she'll also have one of her works on display: this beautiful steampunk arm she created for her "Steampunk widow" costume:

Here's a closer look:

 Lovely! I especially like that filigree piece on the wrist.

Remember, I'm counting on you locals to send me lots of photos once the exhibit opens up June 8th, k?

Now, tell me the truth: Is it wrong that I kind of want this in my front yard?

On second thought, don't answer that. ;)

This gorgeous steam train sculpture is actually - get this - a four-ton BBQ! There are two compartments for cooking, and the steering wheel inside the cab operates a rotisserie spit:

WOW.
I believe this was made by a group called "Tvoryukami" for a private owner. More pics and info (in Russian) here. (via my friend John, aka Steampunk Boba Fett.)

Heather M. sent in this stellar raygun necklace, and John was so enamored with it he INSISTED I included it in this week's roundup. Heh. (We're all cool here with rayguns mixing with our steampunk, right? Cool.)

So tiny! I do love the shape, though, and it's made of polished bronze, which is pretty sweet. $38 over at Shana Logic.

I recently joined a FB group on steampunk costuming, which is completely out of character for me since it's so, you know, SOCIAL, but I stay true to myself by just lurking creepily in the virtual shadows, only darting out long enough to "like" everyone's amazing projects and pictures and such.

It's only been a few days, of course, but I'm already in awe of all these mega-talented makers. Here are a few of my favorite finds so far:

Brett King spent four months building this jaw-dropping interactive automaton, named "The Aetherologist." Turn up your volume to hear the recording in the vid below:

Admit it: your jaw totally dropped. And, hey, best use of Siri ever? I'm thinking YES.

Believe it or not, this back pack by Frank Thomas Puricelli is still a work in progress:

However, it already has working "steam," LEDs, a drink dispenser, and dual speakers that hook up to Frank's wrist-mounted phone so he can play music. WOWZA. I'm torn between being inspired and just abandoning all of my own projects in despair, because how are they ever going to be this good?!

Ahem.

Now for a dose of pretty:

Sílvia in Portugal makes these fabulous neck corsets, with lots of beautiful designs to choose from:

"Helene Neck Corset," approx. $27 US

Each laces up in the back, and is scalloped on the sides for comfort:

"Isabella Neck Corset," approx. $31 US

Head over to Sílvia's etsy shop, Sky Pirate Creations, to see the rest!

And for something most of us mere mortals can actually attempt: this steampunk finger stylus may look like a million bucks, but it's actually made from a plastic milk jug handle:

Head over to Instructables for Rob's super easy tutorial.

And finally, I think John and I have reached a point on my next costume project that I can give you all a little sneak peek/clue:

Still a work-in-progress, and we're debating starting over from scratch entirely, but let's see if any of you can guess who/what I'm planning from just this. :D

(And no telling, those few of you who already know!)

I hope you all have a great weekend, and get some much needed rest and peace after this crazy week. As always, feel free to share your steamy finds here in the comments or over on the Epbot FB page!