Creator Spotlight: Joe Pie Builds the RETROL SE-01, SE-02 & SE-03 — Which Steam Engine Should You Pick?

Joe Pie, the machinist and YouTuber behind Joe Pie – Austin, Texas, has spent the past few months on the bench with three of our RETROL steam engines back to back. He unboxed, assembled, and ran the SE-01 Beam Engine, the SE-02 Horizontal Mill Engine, and the SE-03 Mill Engine & Boiler Kit — and then went one step further, pairing the SE-03 with our GF-01 miniature workshop to drive a working mini machine shop off a single flywheel.

We pulled together his build notes, the assembly tips he called out on camera, and his honest take on who each kit is really for — so if you're trying to decide which RETROL steam engine belongs on your bench next, this is your shortcut.

⚙️ SE-01 — Full Metal Stationary Beam Steam Engine

The classic starting point. 85 pieces, a beam-engine layout inspired by early Industrial Revolution machinery, and a flyball governor that Joe calls out as the visual highlight of the whole build — "that's where the term 'balls out' came from when someone says how fast they're going."

What Joe noted during assembly:

• Instructions are fully illustrated, so the build is followable even without reading English
• The governor post is aluminum — go easy on the grub screw, or you'll dimple the post and make future adjustments harder
• Wiring is fully color-coded: red to red, black to black, straight through
• Comes with its own lamp post + generator, so the model lights up as it runs

✅ Best suited for: first-time builders who want the classic steam-engine silhouette, collectors who love a flyball governor in motion, and anyone easing into the RETROL lineup.

Shop the RETROL SE-01 →

⚙️ SE-02 — Horizontal Mill Steam Engine with Generator & Streetlight

Same trip, same box of parts arriving on Joe's bench — but the SE-02 is a completely different animal once it's built. Instead of the beam layout, it's a compact horizontal single-cylinder design with a reverse mechanism, 39 unique parts, 19 assembly steps, and its own generator + streetlamp combo.

What Joe noted during assembly:

• Watch for a possible bind as the flywheel rotates through a full turn — if it catches, loosen the four screws on the standoff block and shift it outboard to relieve tension
• Fit and finish held up under close inspection — clean welds, even powder coat, tight tolerances
• Runs great on compressed air alone for a clean, fuel-free display piece if you don't want to run it on steam

✅ Best suited for: builders who want a more mechanically involved project than the SE-01, and anyone who likes troubleshooting a bind and watching a reverse mechanism actually work.

Shop the RETROL SE-02 →

⚙️ SE-03 — Stationary Steam Mill Engine & Boiler Kit

Joe called this one out as the build that convinced him to review two kits together instead of one. The SE-03's boiler is noticeably heavier in hand, the powder coat and weld finish held up under close corner-by-corner inspection, and the instructions keep every step to a minimal part count so nothing feels overwhelming.

What Joe noted during assembly:

• One eccentric needs to go on before the flywheel — the instructions don't call this out explicitly, so do it early
• Every fitting on the boiler (sight glass, pressure gauge, whistle, fill valve) uses its own O-ring — take your time and don't knock them out of place
• All wiring is color-coded and genuinely simple — the electrical side of the build is the easiest part
• Threaded inserts took every screw cleanly through the powder coat with zero cross-threading

✅ Best suited for: builders ready to step up to a full boiler-and-generator system, and anyone who wants a display-grade centerpiece with real engineering depth behind it.

Shop the RETROL SE-03 →

🎁 The Bonus Round: Pairing the SE-03 with the GF-01 Workshop

Here's where Joe's review took a turn nobody was expecting — including him. Digging through Stirlingkit's "frequently purchased together" suggestions, he picked up the GF-01 miniature workshop: a drill press, a pedestal grinder, and a corner streetlamp on a shared base, complete with its own three-wheel pulley.

That third pulley isn't decorative — it's built to line up with the extra pulley position on the SE-03's flywheel. Connect the two with the included drive belts, and the SE-03 becomes the power plant for an entire miniature machine shop: the drill press spins, the grinder turns, and the streetlamp lights up, all off one steam engine.

"I just thought the fact that they had planned far enough ahead to put a three-wheel pulley on the other side of the flywheel — that was just too cool to pass up." — Joe Pie

For anyone building purely for static display, Joe's tip is simple: leave the drive belts off and tape them to the underside of the base, so you can add them later without ever having to disassemble anything.

Shop the RETROL GF-01 Workshop →

So, Which One Should You Build First?

Whichever one you start with, Joe's takeaway held true across all three builds: clean packing, well-illustrated instructions, and a finish quality that holds up under close inspection. If you build one and want to show it off, tag us — we love featuring real customer builds just like this one.

All three models are available now at Stirlingkit.com, with occasional discount codes in the video descriptions of Joe Pie's reviews above.