The rotary valve is based on the great ET Westbury,s Cygnet Royal along with the overall scale, I modified the crank to ease manufacture and redesigned the con rods and crank case, and sculpted the cylinders to look like an aircraft engine, as John said the finning has no practical use.
There are a number of similar designs of engines about, I was also influenced by an engine on John Tom
http://www.john-tom.com/ :-there are very few things that don’t evolve from what has gone before.
I tried to show in the article an engine that could be made from bar stock without the use of castings.
I answered all question from ME honestly about the design.
I doubt that as a steam engine the concept would have any practical use, however if you turn it on its head and coupled it up to an electric motor the concept is used for compresors/pumps.
Stew