Here is my current draft of the timeline. As you can see it still has a lot of holes and possible inaccuracies. I am welcome to all feedback and hope more discussion of the guns will come as a result. I tried not to include "obvious" "recasts" unless they did something to "improve" or "update" a gun...this might also include its marketing. I also tried to stick to the ones based on the movie gun. An expanded version of this timeline is also being worked on with Pictures to use as an identification guide. Thank you to all that have helped me so far with this.
andy
Blade Runner: DeckardÂ’s Gun and its Replicas Timeline
EARLY 80Â’s
1980-1982; The film was in production and after several rejected ideas (including a Syd Mead design that was mistaken for a phone and a conversion of a Cop derringer designed by Stephen Dane) the “Hero” gun was built from a combination of an Austrian Steyr sniper rifle and Charter Arms Bulldog pistol by an unaccredited gun smith. After an early version of this “Hero” was made, a mold was made from it to make “Stunt dummy” versions of the gun that were used in some action scenes and by police extras in the film. The Hero was then modified additionally to fit Harrison Ford’s hand and to make it more “weathered”. After the movie was finished the “Hero” gun disappeared from the public eye but a number of different “stunt” castings made it into the hands of the crew and later into private hands.
The first reproductions of this gun were made from the stunt castings and a few “one-ups” were made by fans that sat through the movie multiple times and by obtaining available press material.
????; One of the “one-up” guns may have become the Oz Shop Gun from Japan. It was a multi-piece kit that also came with light up LEDs. It also became one of the most “recasted” kits of all time.
Mid 80Â’s
1985-early 90s; Richard Coyle obtains castings off of a stunt version was able to make upgraded versions with lights (including a red light in the top Steyr barrel) and then in the Early 90’s he added sound effect electronics. Others did similar things at a later date such as the Jupiter Production Model, but Richard’s versions helped begin his career as “Mr. Blade Runner”.
Late 80Â’s
1987(?); The Japanese Company Adventure Make (or AdVen) made a very simplified kit of the gun that could also have electronics.
1989-early 90Â’s; John Marco of Marco Enterprises made one of the most successful versions of the gun by using an Oz Shop Gun and adding new sound and light features and putting in a clear acrylic rod in the barrel to help create a flash effect. He also made a leather holster. To those who had only seen the movie on TV, this gun still looked accurate.
Early 90Â’s
1992; Rick Ross is inspired by a publicity photo of the gun in DeckardÂ’s holster to create a gun with clear amber grips, but it will be several years before his first version is finished.
1993; a Japanese Fan creates a one-up version that incorporates the Steyr barrel and a Pistol inside, He talks about the pistol being a charter arms gun, but instead uses another style airsoft gun for the basis. He also has a holster made that incorporates the inner spring from the idea of a “clam” style or “cross draw” holster.
1993; Shawn Morgan is asked by a replica prop seller for Universal Amour to fix or rebuild a multi-generational recast off of a “Stunt” gun and he builds a fairly accurate but smaller replica from scratch that will be taken apart and turned into hundreds of kits that are still “recast” today. The Gun was also used as a prop for the advertising artwork for the Westwood video game.
Mid 90Â’s
1996; Rick Ross is almost finished with his first version of the gun but after being able to compare it side by side with a Richard Coyle early version he decides to go in a different direction and make his own “reinterpretation” of the gun.
1997; Rick Ross as Doppelganger Studios finishes his first Version and coins the term “PKD” (for Phillip K. Dick author of the novel that was the inspiration for BR) as the name for the gun. The name PKD will later become synonymous with all versions of the gun. He also almost simultaneously with Richard Coyle make the first replica BR guns with the clear amber grips. His kit also features the light up LED electronics in the clip. This model and Rick’s later model the PKD2 also become the most “recasted” of the BR gun kits. The PKD1 is also used as a model for the Japanese made Android Hunter action figure that is clearly meant to be Rick Deckard.
1997; Richard Coyle teams up with Phil Steinschneider to make the most accurate and most functional BR gun ever made. Using actual gun parts to make a master, they make the C&S 1. The gun has working bolt mechanism, Working and opening cylinder, Working Hammer and trigger, and of course light up LED electronics in the clip. Guns will be mostly made as built up which also helps to prevent “recasts” from being made to some degree.
Late 90Â’s
1998-1999; Richard Coyle makes C&S v2 with rubber grips. Originally 12 were made, but 8 were recalled and made into version 3s with resin grips.
1999-2003; Richard Coyle C&S v3 made with minor variations in grips, screws and paint job throughout its run. It is probably the most common of the C&S versions.
Early 2000
2000; A fire in Rick RossÂ’s studio destroys molds and damages master of PDK1 so rick develops PDK2 a design closer in size and look to the authentic prop.
2001; Rick Ross uses leftover PKD1 kits and new parts to create 5 PKD Magnum built-ups. He also creates the snub blaster, metal upgrade parts for the PKD2, A special edition PKD2 built-up with metal grip frames, Takes off the Shimago Dominguez Corp and puts back the Pflager Katsumata series D to remove any movie connotation, and also makes a PKD3 which combines the PKD2 with the Snub grip.
2002; after 9/11 Rick Ross takes a break from making kits and sells his molds and masters of the PKD2 to EDC studios.
2003; Conety Kato working for Hartford Japan creates working airsoft and cap firing totally machined, production made guns influenced by the 1993 Japanese one-up and Richard Coyle’s C&S v3. Monsters in Motion later sells two “recast” all resin kit versions of this gun under the name M2019 before the Off-World version is made.
2003; Richard Coyle, after a thread on the RPF (Replica Prop Forum) using screen caps and group input, creates the more accurate C&S v4 in May. It includes black grip frame, black bottom grip butt plate with pinky notch, a 5th red LED under clip, and green LED on the “sight rod”. The version 4 is updated again in July into the C&S.4.5, with LED holders in the clip, and again later with more accurate screws.
Mid 2000Â’s
2004/2005?; SID Kit in Italy makes a mixed metal and resin copy of the C&S v3 with more metal parts and in kit form instead of a build up. It also updates the C&S design somewhat with a working thumb release for the cylinder. He also adds on a totally non-cannon working laser sight and later offers black rubber grips. 2006; In April Richard Coyle announces an all metal Version of the C&S with Electronic lights and sound effects (32 were made). In May he announces a PatrolmanÂ’s Special Version of the C&S v4 with black grips.
2006; SID Kit Italy offers an all metal Kit with even more updated parts including new grips. This kit is limited to a quantity of 250.
2006; In August during the Worldcon Science Fiction convention in Los Angeles the original “hero” gun is displayed and then photographed in detail by Karl Tate. It is the first public appearance known since the movie was finished.
2006; Off-World Mfg. makes a machined and production manufactured version of the gun. It contains die-cast and molded ABS plastic parts. It is sold Primarily through Monsters in Motion. It combines the functions and style of the C&S guns and the Hartford Japanese guns. It also takes off the Steyr markings to put on its own non-cannon, but movie inspired text.
2006; Rick Ross comes out of prop maker retirement to produce limited and updated versions of the PKD Snub kit and PKD Magnum.
2007; In February Richard Coyle announces the CS&T version of the gun that is even more accurate using the Worldcon photos. The “T” in the name is for Karl Tate, who first published the photos of the “Hero” and called Richard Coyle, who was able to come to see it for himself. Two versions of the gun are to be made including a mixed metal and resin and an almost all metal version that is essentially metal part for metal part, and plastic part for plastic part matching the “Hero” gun.
RESOURCES
Rick Ross, Richard A. Coyle and
www.RACProps.com, Phil Steinschneider and
www.Steinschneider.com, Shawn Pucknell and
www.BRProps.com, Gary Willoughby and
www.bladezone.com,
www.BRMovie.com,
www.theRPF.com, Shawn Morgan,
www.hartford.co.jp,
. Anybody who just wants to give me interesting stories about their guns and what they have seen in the past would also be apreciated and welcome. It is my intention to make this information available to everybody in a downloadable file format or weblog version or both. 
