New discoveries: pix of Blade Runner Blaster PRE-production condition

phase pistol · Feb 12, 2014

I recently came into possession of images of two Polaroids presumably taken around the time of filming of Blade Runner.

There are very interesting things in these Polaroids!

First there is the "5223", which I recognize as the font Futura Bold. It's probably dry transfer lettering. (The serial number "5223" is engraved in the Steyr receiver on the other side).

Then there is a WIRE, attached to the second of the two grub screws on the side of the magazine housing. It seems as though this wire runs up into the "sight rod" (aka laser sight, jeweler's screwdriver)! [EDIT: removed possibly confusing reference to a non-existent wire to the grip light.]

On the production blaster, the metal wire clipped to the grub screw is replaced by a bundle of four white wires, which run from the inside of the magazine, up the cylinder cover and into the sight rod (but not back out again). The white wires were clipped off at some point and covered with black electrical tape.

And lastly, there's a flat disc on the cylinder cover, also visible in my Worldcon 2006 photos, which remains a mystery.

Someone once told me there was originally a lit-up sight rod as well as a light in the grip, and these photos appear to prove that!

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19949348/hostedimages/bladerunner_preproduction/5223-wire.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19949348/hostedimages/bladerunner_preproduction/wire.jpg

Psicorp7 · Feb 12, 2014

Re: New discoveries: Blade Runner Blaster PRE-production condition

Great photo finds! Thanks for sharing them!

moffeaton · Feb 12, 2014

That is awesome!

VFX Freak · Feb 12, 2014

Very cool! The gun looks so nice and shiny new. I never noticed the disk on the cylinder cover before and I don't recall anyone mentioning it before. Is there a favorite theory?

Thanks for posting these!

phase pistol · Feb 12, 2014

Thanks!

[EDIT: I'm told the cylinder cannot be bolted to the cover and still have the gun operate, so that's out. I have no idea what the round flat spot on the cylinder cover is.]

scottjua · Feb 12, 2014

Wow! Too cool!

Apollo · Feb 12, 2014

All these years later and we are still learning about this!

Clutch · Feb 12, 2014

Light up grips! Awesome!

androidandy · Feb 12, 2014

Man, I really wish I could reference my theories about this on propsummit from years ago right now. This is exactly what I kept telling Richard Coyle, and he was convinced they were there as a switch for the LED's instead. I knew also the hole in the back of the grip was likely to run a wire up his sleeve, just like they did with the umbrellas.

The circle looks just like a bit of dust reflecting light, what most ghost hunters call an "Orb". It isn't visible in the other view.

Thank you so much for sharing these pics man!

Andy

phase pistol · Feb 12, 2014

Man, is Propsummit ever coming back? I miss that place.

And nah, the circle is still on the prop to this day. Hard to see sometimes. Disappears unless the light is just right.

Here's a pic that the Tomenosuke blog posted around the time of the Profiles auction in 2008.

mgoob · Feb 12, 2014

Great stuff!

scottjua · Feb 12, 2014

I bet it's just residue or a place where a sticker was. Probably a prop marking sticker of some sort. Simple as that.

That's what it looks like to me

KramStaar · Feb 12, 2014

Incredible forensic investigation again Karl mate. I see that Shinji Tomenosuke Nakako has posted it on his blog in which he thanks you profusely...

Your standing with Tomenosuke and within the broader BR community is richly deserved.

The dot (I agree, it looks like adhesive of some kind) is clearly seen in this pic - also from the Tomenosuke pre-auction set.

EDIT:
Looking at the wire to sight-rod theory, I think its an optical illusion generated by upper edge of the bulldog grip and a bevel on the lower portion of the Steyr receiver. This shot from the cleanup seems to show the line clearly...

Screen Shot 2014-02-13 at 2.33.51 pm.png

Highest regards

MARK

kpax · Feb 12, 2014

Seems correct about the grip wire theory ... Good eyes
nice new images Karl. Thanks.
So why are the white wires not in the new Polaroids with the wire attached to the screw?

What is with movie production design that loves exposed wires and cables and hoses and pipes soooo much. ( rhetorically speaking : ) )
If things were actually built that way they would never survive. ! ; ).
Great stuff.

Marv · Feb 12, 2014

Looking at that circle makes me think its some kind of sticker residue?

androidandy · Feb 12, 2014

The sticker residue looks liker it moved backward a slight bit.

Agree 100% about the wire going back into the grip though.

andy

racprops · Feb 13, 2014

In my defence that is what I was told by one of the propmasters, when working from the Stunt prop which had two holes (about were we now see the two screws) I asked what the two holes were for, he said they were the on/off switch, a common practice used in Hollywood, a toothpick hidden switch.

The Star Trek slip up ID used in Star Trek Three had one just like that.

There seems that 'they' made up a few ammo housings and clips for this prop. Perhaps trying different ideas and hook ups to power the sight rod.

I agree they may have tried lighting the grip BUT it was not seen anywhere within the film.

It is interesting how both screws have the same washer or metal support, something not seen on ANY clip shown so far.

Rich

androidandy said:
Man, I really wish I could reference my theories about this on propsummit from years ago right now. This is exactly what I kept telling Richard Coyle, and he was convinced they were there as a switch for the LED's instead. I knew also the hole in the back of the grip was likely to run a wire up his sleeve, just like they did with the umbrellas.

The circle looks just like a bit of dust reflecting light, what most ghost hunters call an "Orb". It isn't visible in the other view.

Thank you so much for sharing these pics man!

Andy

racprops · Feb 13, 2014

These new pictures do support my clean and new like finish I have been using for years.

I would point out these features were never seen any where with in the film so are NOT film accurate.

I feel they like other parts of the prop were preproduction tries, such as the fact the stunt prop although clearly made from the real Steyr and Bulldog prop have many things different from the final filming prop as seen within the film.

Rich

Bryancd · Feb 13, 2014

I would love to see what might have looked like with a glowing grip !

racprops · Feb 13, 2014

There were a couple of shots where it was back lit and looked like it was glowing during the film.

Like this:

Compare: Unlit:

Rich

New discoveries: pix of Blade Runner Blaster PRE-production condition

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