Blade Runner 1982 White Dragon neon sign 3D model

savmagoett

Well-Known Member
Hi guys ! I'm working on a 3D model of the White Dragon neon sign from the original Blade Runner. The goal is to make a video animation to be displayed on a screen to simulate having the actual sign at my place (a tv screen fireplace for geek if you will). I'll make the video available for everyone interested at the end. In the mean time I'm looking for your opinions and advises, on what I'm doing. I'm aiming for maximum accuracy to the actual prop made for the film, but the reference material is not great as you might imagine, apart from the movie itself (4k version helps) I could only make a few screenshots from behind the scenes and documentaries (dangerous days, and others). I don't know what happened to the actual prop, but I guess it did not survived. (Before anyone mention it, the White Dragon sign at the Gods Own Junkyard neon sign shop is a nice copy but not accurate.) So if you have good references to point me to I would be grateful. Doing that kind of reverse engineering is quite instructive, for instance I've never realized until now that it's had arms and legs, as the sign was mainly shot from the sides it was not apparent to me.

Here is what I have so far:

White Dragon Sign WIP14.jpg

White Dragon Sign WIP15.jpg

White Dragon Sign WIP16.jpg

White Dragon Sign WIP18.jpg




and here are the references I found:
>4k movie screenshot
-despite the name White Dragon, the neon are more of an ice blue, the body seems to be green/blue but it's hard to be sure as the neon light must change the color
BladeRunnerFinalCut 202005302001141.jpg


>4k movie screenshot
-to my surprise the solid body has some eyes drawn behind the neon eyes. They're bigger and shifted, but they align when seen from below, the prop was obviously designed to be an overhead sign.
BladeRunnerFinalCut 202005302001541.jpg


>screenshot from the documentary Dangerous days
-as the prop was moved from place to place on the various sets, some parts went missing, I guess from damage during the shooting or the moving. The left foot neon went missing, then the aft crest, then the teeth, then the top half of the left tail section. Here the left foot neon is already missing whilst the prop is still atop the noodle bar.
BladeRunnerDangerousDays 202006011510151.jpg
BladeRunnerDangerousDays 202006011510531.jpg


>screenshot from the documentary Dangerous days
-this is a nice view as it has less perspective deformations
-at one point some red Japanese symbols were added on the side of it's middle section
BladeRunnerDangerousDays 202006011450201.jpg


>right side collage of several frames from the 4K movie
-once taken down from the noodle bar roof it was put on a blue neon stripe pedestal
-except for the tongues which are intentionally asymmetrical the thing is almost symmetrical but not completely, neither the neon tubing (the tubes division isn't the same) nor the paint job on the solid body (surly hand drawn).
BladeRunnerFinalCut Whit Dragon montage.jpg



-you can see the arms and legs pretty well here.
BladeRunnerFinalCut 202005291358361.jpg


at another moment a green and red neon sign was added to it's side
BladeRunnerFinalCut 202005260130571.jpg
 
Last edited:
I can dig it out of the closet and take some better photos, but here's a quick clip from when I actually wore it (on a trip to LA in November '19 :D)

Oh but you made the Star Noodle sign, that's even more nerdy, I love it! :D
For those interested, the Star Noddle sign is the real life sign made in the 40s in the city of Ogden Utah, that inspired production illustrator Tom Southwell for the White Dragon sign in Blade Runner.
There's a nice article about it here: The Utah Noodle Parlor That's Seemingly All Over 'Blade Runner'
 

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