The Boba Fett re-design looks particularly good. Sillof decided to change the T visor in the helmet for rounded goggles, while keeping the rest almost intact:

While Fett’s “T” visor is iconic, this design keeps the look of the rounder goggles that have become a staple of the line, while the red strip down the middle hints at the old “T” design. His forearm weapons feature a mini-crossbow and a working retractable blade. The Surcoat is reminiscent of Fett’s shoulder cape. His rocketpack is still there just in a larger more industrial model.

Head to Sillof's to see some of these in 360-degree rotating versions. The details are simply stunning. [Silof]

Update: It also looks like Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid.

And you can buy it from ebay
For a bunch more days,
Just to get hold of it yourself.
It's the Model 666, it's the Model 666,
With a crucifix, with a crucifix.
[Ebay via BoingBoing. —Apols to Radiohead.]

[Redstone Gallery via Born Rich via Boing Boing Gadgets]

[Steuben's Wheelmen]

Congratulations, you are now the owner of a one of a kind two-faced clock by Diversified Artistic Designs (D.A.D.). The clock's energy is supplied by a state of the art dilithium crystal power generator. If you wish to order the accessory hub and adaptor cable, the generator can be modified to power your home as well as all of the cities in your hemisphere. (Parts not included. Contact your service center for details.)

To activate the dilithium power generator and set the clock, remove the large brass knobs and lift off the top. Caution, the generator itself is not a serviceable part. Do not remove the small brass nuts on top of the clock. If for any reason the power containment unit should become damaged or compromised in any way we recommend that you evacuate immediately, preferably to an alternate universe.

Father's Day is just two weeks away, kids! Maybe you ought to share with him one of your fascinations and see where he runs with it. [Steampunk Workshop via UberReview]

My favorite is the copper adjustable cuff bracelet with the propeller. Now I only need to get myself a monster-looking nuclear submarine, and invite Kirk Douglas—or Walter Mossberg—for a 20,000 league trip. [Etsy]

Not to be a double-downer, but am I the only one who would like steampunk gadgets to start including, I dunno, something like actual steam? [topmods via technabob]

St George says in the 19th century his great-grandfather, Alexander Stanhope St George, built a trans-Atlantic tunnel from London to New York which was forgotten by time. The artist discovered his great-grandfather's plans recently and using the diagrams installed parabolic mirrors at both locations that reflect what's happening 3500 miles across the pond. Now, I can't say for sure since I haven't seen the Telectroscope in person, but a picture in the gallery above suggests a more logical explanation that involves built-in webcams and broadband internet sending live video in both directions. Either way, the scope looks fantastic and I can't wait to check it out.

The Telectroscopes are on display 24/7 until June 15. New Yorkers can check out the Brits by heading to Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn; Londoners will need to head to Tower Bridge if they want their fix of spying on the Yanks. [Telectroscope via Gothamist 1, 2]

Quaint to some eyes, or outright bizarre, steampunk fashion is compelling all the same. It is that rarity, a phenomenon with the potential to capture a wider audience, offering a genteel and disciplined alternative to both the slack look of hip-hop and the menacing spirit of goth.

Made by modder Molly "Porkshanks" Friedrich, it was built for Nathan Johnstone of the band Abney Park, and debuted at a performance at Maker Faire the other day.

Molly seems to have ignored the fact that violins get their sound quality from the vibrations of their classic shape and structure, so we've no idea what it sounds like, particularly as it sports an extra string. But it does at least have LEDs inside those fake "valves" that flash when in time to its music. All we need now is Vanessa Mae to play it, wearing a suitably matching outfit, don't you think guys? [MAKE via Slashgear]

This is a 22" widescreen LCD that I built to compliment my brass keyboards. The frame is solid 1/4-inch brass that has been sanded and polished to a high shine. The base features a mixture of brass and black marble with a small brass "cord catch" to keep the power and data cords tidy.

Gizmodo:How did you come up with the name Sillof?
Sillof:I am a high school history teacher and Sillof was a fake name a few students and I came up with years ago. I used it as a running gag for giving generic examples; such as in the ancient kingdom Sillof, the loyal Sillofites, the might god Sillof, etc. When I began to look for an online alias I chose it.

I primarily use it to keep my personal and professional lives separated.

Gizmodo:When did you start customizing figures?
Sillof: Well, I did it a little when I was a kid, by cutting off Luke's hand or 3PO's arm, or putting Luke's head on the x-wing pilot's body. I later got more into it in the early 90's and then really started to make it a long term hobby. I met guys like Alex Newborn who inspired me and then the internet was just taking off and it really opened my imagination to the possibilities.

Gizmodo:What made you decide to take on this hobby?
Sillof: Initially I just wanted figures that they never made. The driving force was I had always loved The Cantina scene and Jabba's Palace scene in the Star Wars films and I wanted to recreate those scenes. I had built these miniature sets called dioramas, which are on my site, and wanted to fill them with all the movie aliens.

Gizmodo:Where do you get your ideas for themes and figures?
Sillof: Initially I just made the figures that I wanted but had not been made. I eventually got tired of just recreating existing designs and wanted to do something more creative. I am currently planning a line that is all original designs of my own original characters right now.

As for my process I just visualize a general idea in my head. I am always going for a figure that is very unique, yet recognizable as the intended character. Then I concentrate on the key elements that make the character recognizable - these are the elements I will try to represent in the new figure. I do a few sketches, one just straight ideas, and others that are a little more practical with regard to parts I could find and things I could make.

I then go about collecting pieces to use as parts and begin to combine them all. There is a fair amount of sanding, and dremeling, and cutting. Then use the parts like a skeleton sculpting my own designs using apoxie sculpting compound and then gluing any number of odds and ends to the figure. Then I paint the figure and give it a wash of diluted dark paint to antique it.

Gizmodo: Where do you source your materials - do you buy action figures as is or get them second hand?
Sillof: I have a large collection of toy "parts" and other miscellaneous found items that are not toy related. I buy some figures new and cut them up, I buy figures on eBay in large lots of played with toys, and there are some toy dealers in my area that pull things aside for me as they buy them.

Gizmodo:Has any company ever contacted you to work for them, doing this full time?
Sillof:I was approached to build replica props for a major company, but the idea of machining metal for a living, which was my father's job, did not seem that appealing to me. I was also approached for my diorama building by a new company in England, but moving was not an option as my wife was 7 months pregnant at the time.

Gizmodo:Would you want to do this full time if you could?
Sillof:I would love to try to make figures for a toy company full time. My dream job would be designing original props, costumes, or sets for movies. I do this on the side as another hobby for local films. My career actually gives me a sabbatical where they hold my job for a year and would allow me to explore the career. So I am always open to the idea to attempt this on a full time basis.

Gizmodo:If there was one piece of advice for aspiring custom action figure hobbyists that you wish someone had told you when you first started out, what would it be?

For a new customizer, I would just tell them to just keep making figures, practicing, and trying new techniques until they find what works for them, and never stop on a figure until you are 100% happy with it.

Personally, I would like go back and tell myself not to waste my time making figures of existing designs and just start doing my own original works.

[Sillof's Workshop]

Steampunk DIY from Merlin Mann on Vimeo.

[Coilhouse via Fleshbot]

[eBay via Star Wars Blog]

We say effect, but we're not too sure what Tom does with the steam it expels. We seem to think he is a superhero that punishes villans by melting their faces off on the boiling hot outlet. As soon as he gets back to us with his answers to our short interview, we'll let you know if that's true. Until then, checkout the video to see the Whirlygig Emoto in action. [Steampunk Workshop]

Apparently, the computer was created by Dave Veloz as a wedding present for Jenn. [Steampunk Workshop]

[Brothers Brick]

Sadly, these two pistols don't appear to be for sale. And even if they were, we'd have probably purchased them first and then posted the link.[flickr via boingboing]

I don't know about you, but I find that quite funny. Funny in a Queen's Seaside Rendezvous steampunkcampish kind of way, but funny. As opposed to hilarious, like the following monologue.

"Jeff Vader." Definitely one of the funniest things I've found in a long time. [The Brothers Brick and LEGO Steam Wars Contest]

The fascinating illustrations above, some of them extremely good, come from a thread titled "Star Wars: Steampunk" at the CGSociety forums. They were part of the inspiration for models like this X-Wing, which is one of the entries of the Steam-Wars contest being held at From Bricks to Bothan forums, a place dedicated to LEGO Star Wars enthusiasts.

But as nice the Alliance star fighter is, I think the reconstruction of the TIE Fighter definitely beats it in terms of design and sheer steampunking:

Although I'm sure some of you will disagree. So,

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

[CG Society Forums, FBTB Forums and Star Wars contest The Brothers Brick]

Apparently Porkshanks takes his steampunk love to the limit, and this musical device is but a small part of his daily retro-future getup. Now if he would just get a tripod to hold his camera still, we could get a good non-blurry look at his gorgeous work. [Deviant Art, via Wired]

Gizmodo: When did you first get into creating steampunk objects? What was your first project? How do your early projects compare to your newest?

Datamancer: I guess my first major "steampunk" modding project was The Nagy Magical-Movable-Type Pixello-Dynamotronic Computational Engine. I started that one several years ago as a minor case mod (just the PC case) and the project kept growing beneath me until it became the endearingly awkward behemoth it is today.

I think the last two years or so have marked my greatest improvement in both fabrication and design skills. I look back at some of my older projects now and am actually a little embarrassed by some of the flaws in them. I've always been a half-hearted tinkerer and customizer of all things, but I didn't really "tune" my skills to custom fabrication until somewhat recently. I think the steampunk "modding" sub-movement definitely inspired me to greater heights and caused me to devote much more time to the thing I now realize I was probably meant to do.

G: What sources do you pull the most inspiration from for your projects?

D: I think some of my earliest influences were the props of the Terry Gilliam movie, Brazil, and The Difference Engine novel by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson. I can't remember where I first heard the term "steampunk," but I remember that there were only about 10 results for it on Google at the time. I think it could have been from my early teen years where I encountered a role-playing game bearing the same name and thumbed through the game books.

Nowadays, I love walking around antique shops and seeing how things were built in the old days, when objects were made to last. I make notes of little flourishes and decorative elements that catch my eye and try to see how the items are put together (much to the dismay of the shop owners, sometimes). Lately I've been finding a lot of inspiration on the Brass Goggles Blog and Forum which has grown into a great little community of friendly and creative people who share all their cool steampunk findings and creations. I also enjoy clicking through the Aetheremporium, which is a great collection of steampunk links, and flipping through Steampunk Magazine.

Most of all, I love seeing what my fellow builders like Jake von Slatt, Crab-fu, Jake "of all trades" Hildebrandt, AlexCF, Professor Fzz, etc. (too many to list!) are up to. We all seem to cross-inspire each other and push each other to greater heights.

G: How long does it take you to do most of your projects?

D: It depends on the project and whether or not I have someone sitting around waiting for it. In the past, I'd usually have about seven different projects in the works at once and bounce between them in a blur of harnessed ADD. I'd hit a parts delay on one, jump to the next, then get an idea for another, jump over to that for a while, bounce back to the first, etc. In that regard, the projects almost determined their own timeline. Now that I've gotten into deadlined commission work, I've had to focus my efforts and learn to manage my time a little more efficiently. Even so, most of my projects have become very detailed and still take quite a while to complete. My keyboards take about a month to build after all of the cutting, filing, sanding, and hand-polishing of the metal frames, finding materials, modifying and fabricating the 105 typewriter keys, making the spacebars, cutting the faceplates, assembly, testing, etc., etc.

G: What tools do you use?

D: I'd be lost without my drill press, belt/disc sander, band saw, and "the fine line of rugged, dependable, and affordable tools created by the wonderful people at Leatherman and Dremel" *cough* sponsorship? *cough* :)

I really don't have (can't afford) very many "specialty" fabrication tools like lathes and mills. I mostly just use a lot of commonly available hardware-store tools and if I need one to do something strange, I build custom jigs, spacers and mounts for them. I find that older tools are great for that sort of thing. Old tools seem like they were almost made to be modded. There's always some little mount, tab, or removable faceplate on them that lets you bolt-on some custom contraption or guide assembly. You don't need some fancy shop to build cool stuff. To be honest, most of my work is done on an old coffee table in my basement or on a homemade bench in the back of my one-car garage.

G: Have you ever considered creating a portable steampunk object, such as a music player? What challenges would you face modding something that small?

D: I've actually been sketching some designs for a steampunked iPod built out of an old pocket watch. The wires for the headphones will be threaded through a gold chain that could be clipped to your lapel or onto a belt loop if you'd want to actually put it in the "watch pocket" of your jeans (yes, that's what that little pocket was originally intended for).

Naturally, modding the electronics of new, tiny devices poses more difficulties than computers or larger devices. All of the components are in that near-microscopic, sub-micro-PCB-mount format and all of the cables and connectors are tinier, but it's still doable. From a design standpoint, it's difficult to modify small devices like cellphones, PDAs and MP3 players without ruining the intrinsic convenience and portability of the device. It's always difficult to balance form and function in a mod, but portable devices make that task even harder.

G: What do you have planned for your next project?

D: I was thinking global domination, then maybe a light lunch. No, I think my next immediate project is setting up a decent workshop. After that, I plan to build some more cool contraptions like full desktop PC suites with matching monitors, cases, mice (mouses?), scanners, printers, etc. I also have a few ideas laid out for major hot rod builds and maybe even a custom motorcycle. I'd like to use my artwork to fund some full-on, no-nonsense engineering projects and move my way into actual hard science, if possible. Who knows where all of that will bring me? Maybe I'll get my pilot's license and build an elaborate, crazy dirigible airship in the style of a Spanish galleon.
One project I've been playing with for a while whenever I get a spare moment is something I'm loosely calling "The Tesla Cane." For a little while, it seemed like almost every steampunk tinkerer was building a cane of some sort, so we all had a running joke about these being "Steampunk Signature Cane" projects (like a Jedi's lightsaber), so I decided to try my hand at it.

I started out with a black sword cane because it was hollow, cut the sword short and used the nub of the blade to secure a long, skinny battery pack that slides inside and powers a mini 3-inch plasma globe up top. For the globe, I had to saw the power supply in half and move a few things around to make it thin enough to fit inside the cane head. The globe is going to be housed inside a steel cage like the protective cages on explosion-proof industrial light fixtures. To complete the high-voltage theme, I'm going to build an 800,000-volt stun baton into the bottom of the cane with prongs that will slide out and extend past the rubber cane foot, then retract after use.

Thanks so much to Rich for satisfying our curiosity and giving us that sneak peek of the Tesla Cane! [Datamancer]