Talk:Blade Runner

2019 Blaster - Additional Trivia / Info

Additional Images

The Blade Runner 2019 Blaster. Note the white electrical cord running from the "sight" which houses two green LED's.

Original Design

The original design for the intended Rick Deckard blaster was done by production artists Syd Mead. It was a "black hole gun" and was to fire a black beam. An odd looking weapon, and a prop with a mysterious origin - It is said that Deckard was originally intended to have a small COP derringer based customized blaster, but when Ridley saw the Steyr SL chamber on the prop masters workbench, he insisted it be used as his hero's main sidearm. The firing "hero" was, for years, thought lost, or put in mothballs on the studio lot somewhere. Stunt castings of the weapon made the rounds, and some of them hang on the walls of Planet Hollywood and reside among cherished private collections.

This was the original design for Deckard's sidearm, ultimately rejected for unknown reasons, and then a modified COP was to be used until the director saw an exposed Steyr SL 223 action. The prop master then fit the bolt action rifle parts over, and under a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver, creating the base for the blaster seen in the film.

Double Triggers

Deckard is seen carrying his weapon in a crossdraw holster, where the weapon's double triggers can be seen. The double trigger nature of the weapon has fooled some into believing the gun had two barrels. In the Marvel comics adaptation of the film, we can even see some of the artists drawing the handgun with side by side barrels. In reality, it was a feature carried over from the Steyr design simply because director Ridley Scott liked the look.

A production image of Deckard carrying his weapon in the crossdraw holster. The double triggers are most visible here.

Deckard's holstered weapon as seen in the film.

Closeup of Deckard's weapon near the conclusion of the film. The double triggers are clearly seen in this shot.

Stunt Castings

Here is a picture of the stunt casting hanging in the Seattle Science Fiction Museum. It was coated with a glossy clear to keep the rubber from breaking down any further that it already had. The stunt castings vary from the hero gun in many ways. They were cast before the LED's were placed into the magazine, and before the "pinky groove" was cut into the hero grip, which was done at Ford's request as the grip was just too small for his hand. Also, some castings have "hero grips" meaning they have orange amber grips, and some have black grips, which were used by the street cops, and background players in the police station scene.

Note the casting seam clearly visible along the top of the "hero" stunt gun.

Stunt castings, and resin castings of the stunt guns have made the rounds through the hands of fans and private collectors over the years.

Fan Made Blasters

The Blade Runner Blaster stands as one of the most sought after props in the history of cinema. Since the release of the film many fans, and some prop companies, have stepped up and created their own versions of the gun based on images from the film, and also working from stunt castings.

An incredible fan made version of the Syd Mead design:

THE PKD

Plager Katsumate Series-D blaster replica

The above is a fan made blaster sculpted by Rick Ross. Rick has has also created many variations on the the blasters theme, including "snubby" blasters, a "magnum" blaster, and an "assassin" model with optics and a suppressor.

The gun in the film did not have any official name or designation, though fans of the film who seek to own a reproduction of this prop tend to call it a "PKD" coined by mister Ross in honor of Philip K. Dick.

Other Appearances

Deckard's gun also appears in the video games Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: New Vegas as rare weapons; New Vegas even features a side challenge, called "Benefit or A Hazard" which involves killing robotic enemies using only "That Gun," the weapon's name in the game, as a tribute to the film. This gun also appears in a canonical "side story" PC game from 1997 also called Blade Runner by Westwood Studio.

Information: http://props.steinschneider.com/blade_runner/bldrunbl.htm

The hero prop surfaced a few years ago, and was profusely photographed by Karl Tate.

http://karltate.wordpress.com/2006/08/31/props-of-blade-runner/

The LAPD 2019 Blaster appears in the VR Shooter game Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades; this depiction leans heavily on rationalizing the handgun's appearance and translating them into unique, sci-fi-inspired mechanics. For example, the bolt is used to house a replaceable "thermal clip," which, in combination with the underside battery, allows the revolver to shoot ammunition at a much higher velocity, at the risk of overheating.

Additional Images

Leon (Brion James) fires his Derringer.

A promotional photo of Harrison Ford holding his weapon.

Deckard goes up the staircase with his weapon drawn.

Deckard fires his weapon on Zhora.

Deckard discharges his weapon on a replicant.

Discussion

unmistakebly the best science fiction movie. i love all 7 versions of this film. one of the best ending lines ever." I've Seen Things You people Wouldnt believe . Attack ships On Fire off THe Shore Of Orion. I've Watched Sea Beams Glitter In the dankness at tan Hauser gate. All those moments will be lost , like tears in rain' i love it . Simmons 8492

Agreed, while I haven't watched all versions, it definitely is one of my all-time favorite movie. That is also my favorite line. --ThePotShot 03:00, 3 December 2010 (UTC)

Erm...

We really need a cleanup template for things like this. This is a mess. Most of it needs moving to a fictional gun page for the LAPD 2019 blaster. Evil Tim 18:33, 26 June 2012 (CDT)

It's just a dressed up charter arms bulldog, with a steyr rifle receiver bolted to the top of it and the rifles magazine and magazine housing on the front. It just needs to be explained better what it is. It's a real gun. It's a few real guns bolted together. But yes, the page needs a revamp and a cleanup, couldn't agree more.--James3 23:07, 26 June 2012 (CDT)

Yeah, but a lot of our fictional gun pages are for weapons which are made from real gun parts (eg the Pulse Rifles in Aliens, Morita Rifle in Starship Troopers, etc). I just think that would be a better place to put most of the behind-the-scenes information and prop history, and keep this page a little closer to talking about just the movie. Evil Tim 23:15, 26 June 2012 (CDT)

Syd Mead Blaster

I have read that Syd Mead's Blaster is suppose to be in the movie as a telephone on a desk or table. I think in one of the Police Department scenes. --Krel 21:34, 26 June 2012 (CDT)

Additional Gun Images

I moved a couple extra images of the prop here to the talk page but even then is it just me or does having images of the Steyr rifle, receiver/action, and the Bulldog on the main page still seem a bit.. cluttered? StanTheMan (talk) 17:06, 14 July 2016 (EDT)