Steampunk BBQ

All the way from Russia comes this rather amazing steampunk locomotive BBQ - just the kind of thing any man would want in his backyard.

Steampunk AT-AT

This one is a labour of love - in more ways than one.

Captain Bayley (aka Mark) constructed what he called Captain Bayley's Infernal Mechano-Perambulator (also known as an AT-AT from Star Wars) as an engagement gift for his fiancee.

The amount of detail put into it is staggering.

Further photographs of it can be viewed here.

Grand Steampunk Homes and Businesses

Over on IO9, they have a listing of a number of homes and businesses that have been done over in a steampunk aesthetic, complete with the obligatory photographs.

I'd could quiet possibly live in a place like that.  Anyone else?

20,000 Leagues Above The Clouds

Recently announced by a Swedish indie gaming company, That Brain, is 20,000 Leagues Above The Clouds.  They describe it as;

Floating islands, airships, steampunk technology and alien sky pirates in victorian outfits populate the wondrous world of 20,000 Above. Design and outfit your ship with the gear you want, be it the biggest cannons and a shrink-ray, or fast engines and hidden cargo holds for smuggling. Obtain blueprints or reverse engineer your loot, then manufacture the equipment you need with resources collected from floating rocks and gas clouds. Hire crew members in shady ports that bring their own abilities and attitudes aboard. Make your luck trading, mining, running missions or scavenging the success of others as a flying buccaneer across the seven skies.

There isn't a whole lot of detail yet, but there is a short video about it.


It certainly sounds interesting if they can pull off what they are planning. Certainly one I'm going to be keeping an eye on.

DIY Steampunk Computer

From Reddit comes this gallery of one gamers attempt to steampunk their computer.  The craftmanship involved is most impressive.  It obviously took a great deal of time and effort to do, but as you can see, the efforts are worth it.

Moving Pictures - Land of Giants

Recently released was a crowdfunded 12 minute pilot/proof of concept for Land of Giants, described as an apocalyptic steampunk sci-fi actioner, with hopes of it being picked up as a movie or television series.

After the storm reduced our world to ruins, the Giants came to us, to punish those who would ever again lay their hands on the magic called "Electricity".

A long time ago Crutch (Mathis Landwehr) challenged the Giants anger. His destroyed knee won't let him forget the day, they took everything from him.

So he ventured out to hunt and kill them.

Guest Post - How To Steampunk Your Wardrobe

Today sees the first ever guest post on my blog, this one from Marie Sumner.

How to “Steampunk” Your Wardrobe 

With the increasing popularity of sites like Pinterest, the inspiration I find for steampunk outfits has also grown. Unfortunately, my budget for awesome outfits and accessories has not. Since I am a big fan of dressing up though, I always find a way to create awesome costumes on the cheap. Below are some of my inspirations for steampunk outfits.

I find that the best thing to use when trying to save money is leverage. Repurposing items you already have in order to flaunt a new style can really save you a lot of money (and put your creativity to the test!).

When it comes to steampunk, it’s all about the details. Steampunk is usually Victorian inspired clothing, but has an industrial slant. Goggles and clockwork accessories can go a long way to making your theme apparent. Other time-appropriate items such as stove-pipe hats, corsets, and monocles are great too.

If you’re looking for corsets and fancy Victorian dresses, you might be shocked at the prices. Considering how much skin a corset doesn’t cover, you might not expect them to be so pricy. But dang they can be pretty.

But you don’t have to buy a whole new outfit. If you have the right accessories, your base can be a suit or a black dress. If you had a goth phase, a lot of that clothing can be altered (or maybe even used as is) to fit your needs.

The best way to put together a costume is to focus it around one fantastic aspect. Below are some pictures of steampunk outfits that aren’t inherently over the top.

photo credit: Anna Fischer via photopin cc

You can’t see a lot of this outfit, but the top is pretty basic. Attention is drawn immediately to the necklace, and secondly to her goggles. While jewelry is not cheap, if you frequent thrift stores and learn to keep a keen eye, you may get lucky. Plus, if you save a lot by using clothes you already have, you might be able to splurge on a fancy accessory or two. Goggles can be found in many a workshop and be spruced up (or down) to your specifications. A similar necklace to this woman’s can be made using ribbon and a gear from a broken machine or hardware store. See if any workshops you know might be willing to give you spare parts to use.

photo credit: Anna Fischer via photopin cc

This guy does have a lot going on, but the main attraction is his hat. The Mad Hatter himself would probably steal this. The key necklace and feathers are nice touches that could easily be procured in second-hand or craft stores.

 photo credit: Anna Fischer via photopin cc

I love so much about this outfit: the gloves, the fan, and of course, the hat. The dress is beautiful as well, and do you know how many places you can find dresses on sale? Also, for the ladies, I find that a dress can be a lot cheaper than an outfit that includes a shirt and pants, especially if you were going to throw a vest and other additions in.

The great thing about the Pinterest age is that there’s a tutorial for everything. You can make your own clothes, gloves (and out of pretty much any material), hats, fans, goggles, and jewelry. If you can think of it, there’s probably a tutorial for it. The great thing about making things yourself is that you can make it fit you and the rest of your outfit perfectly.

So whether you want an over-the-top costume for a convention or just want to shake up your wardrobe, there are a lot of affordable ways to steampunk it up.

What are your favorite steampunk accessories? I know some people will dress up as “steampunk “ versions of star wars characters and other pop culture icons. How would you go about that? Add clockwork parts to your shoes? Hair? Share your ideas in the comments!

About the Author: Marie Sumner has been obsessed with dressing up since she was a child. She spends her days going to as many anime conventions, pirate festivals, and renaissance fairs as she can. She pays for it all by writing about her experiences. You can follow her on Twitter or Google plus to see more of her writing.

Did Steampunk Kill Alternative History?

Did Steampunk kill Alternative History?

Once upon a time alternative history used to be fairly common, with what-if stories ranging from the USA loosing the War of Independence, the South winning the Civil War, and the perennial favourite, Nazi Germany wining WWII.  Nowadays, it seems Steampunk is displacing it.

This article by Abraham Reisman looks at the question in more depth.