Looking like something out of the Wild Wild West (preferably the original series!) this homebuilt radio controlled tank is powered by a steam turbine. Video inside.

Something about steam power is intriguing. It’s not exactly mystical in any way, yet it holds a certain charm. When I was a kid, I always thought it would be cool to have one of those little steam-powered engines that sits on your desk and burns tiny blocks of wood.

Well, take that simple steam engine and multiply it times 100 and you get this radio-controlled steam tank. There is a butane/propane tank which fuels the boiler to produce steam, just as you’d expect. The unusual thing about this design, though, is that it uses a steam turbine for as the engine, rather than a my typical piston type design.

You can definitely hear the turbine in the video below — it’s got quite a scream! It takes a bit to spin-up to full speed, but once it does, the power is sent to the chassis where a servo can brake either tread to give it skid steering.

The tank looks really cool too — definitely a vision of the Wild Wild West type of old fashioned steam plus modern technology. Check it out in the video below.

You can see more info on the steam turbine powered radio control tank at the creator’s site. It’s really a well-done project and he has lots more information if you’re interested.