I've been working on this for a while now, but I've been a little reluctant to share it for a few reasons. A lot of it has to do with it being a gun project- even if it isn't a real gun. This is the result of my work on a cheapo, solid resin Blade Runner resin kit. I didn't know it when I bought it, but it is a recast kit, so I feel a little bad about that. on the other hand, from what I've learned, the kit it's based on was also recast. It has a complicated history to say the least. I had to do a TON of work to get it even this close to screen accuracy. The end of the top barrel flared comedically and had to be sanded down nearly a half inch. I then re-built the opening on the top barrel with a ringlet of PVC pipe and made the bits inside with found objects. Most of the screws and hex bolts are real. I drilled out holes and screwed them right into the plastic. The handles came in clear amber, but they needed to be trimmed down to fit properly. Once that was done, they were cloudy, but I learned that they could be made clear again with a coat of clear spray paint. It sounds like a joke, but the clear layer polishes out the scratches and restores their transparency. Afterwards, I gave them a coating of Tamiya clear orange spray paint to get their color closer to where it should be. The LEDs on the sides of the gun are clear rods. I drilled holes through the gun and fed the rods through. They don't light up, but they light-pipe with a light behind them. The triggers don't have springs, but they can both move. I did take WIP pics, but it was from about two years ago, and I can't find them for the life of me. Questions and comments are welcome.
Oh my god oh my god this is BEAUTIFUL. I bought this EXACT SAME resin kit in 2008 and was always too scared to put it together, and I promise yours is much better than mine ever would have been. I'm in awe.
You ever see this video? Good detail, and charming to see an old guy (as are many of us) all gushy over a prop - Adam Savage Meets the Blade Runner Blaster Prop
I got mine at a comic convention. I won't promote the seller, since now I realize that all of his stuff is recast from other people's work. I had to look through a few kits just to find one that looked ok. His casts were really low quality. I wanted to get a Trigun gun, but they were all warped and bubbly. I guess what I'm saying is buy them in person if at all. Thanks guys! I'm glad you dig it! Do it! If it's the same as mine, it needs a ton of work just to get it smooth, but there's nothing to just spraying it and slapping the handles onto it. Mine came in five pieces, and I threw one out. (There's a cover for the breach that didn't even fit onto mine. Oh yeah. This is the one I learned the most from thought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DUULvPJTgk It's a real crash course on the history of the Blaster. It's also how I know that the kit I have is recast, and it's mostly why I was reluctant to post it. Some day I'd like to have a Tomenosuki Blaster, but I'd rather not spend eleven hundred bucks on one. I'm hoping to one day get a good deal on a metal kit.
Going back to this, I drilled out the fake screws in the handle of mine and replaced them with actual hex bolts to hold the handle grips on. It not only looks better, but it also makes it so I can take it apart and work on it if I need to.
Thanks guys! So, of course, since I built this one, I'm obsessed with how inaccurate it is, so I want to do another one. The all-metal ones are out of my comfortable price range, but I found this 3D Printed Blade Runner PKD Blaster Pistol Replica Prop Gun Model 3D Printed Kit | eBay A 3D Printed kit! It will be annoyingly light (I'd love it to be heavy like a real, metal gun) but otherwise, it looks like a big step up from what I've got. I'm really thinking about it.
OK guys, nix that last comment. I just realized that this is a free, public file, so I'm going to look into getting it printed myself. https://www.myminifactory.com/object/deckards-blaster-blade-runner-5694 If that doesn't work out cheaper, then maybe I'll get it from the ebay guy.
Holy Crap Duder; you have one of these fabled casts!?! Great work here, especially knowing how used out the mold had become for this cast, possibly why yours had the flared barrel. Thanks for the link as well, I'm still waiting for either the cash to drop on a better printer, or the tech to get better at the lower entry cost...but bookmarked!
Thanks brother! I checked the cost to have it made through Shapeways, and it's prohibitive, so I'll probably end up buying a pre-printed kit. What I might do, since I downloaded the files, is have a few parts printed up in high detail materials. The grips I'll have to recast in clear orange myself, but that's no big deal. My main concern is the fact that they don't have the texturing on them. I'll have to work on that. I'll definitely replace all of the printed screws with real ones. Did I just talk myself into buying this? I think I did.
Thanks! I went ahead and ordered a 3D printed kit. It doesn't have details that I'd like, (the maker marks and stamps, checkered texture on the grips) but it will hopefully otherwise be more accurate than my current one. It should be here in a few days. I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks again!
So I got the kit. It's not bad, but putting it together does take a bit of work. I've had to sand and bondo a bunch of joints, and several spots. I've painted, sanded and painted every part that I've worked on so far, and I'm only about half done. Then grips had some really harsh stepping on them. I coated them in Bondo and sanded them. On top of that, I've done a few coats of paint and sanding. Eventually, I'm going to make molds on them and recast them in clear amber. The handle underneath is solid, so I'll probably have to drill out some holed in it to let the light through. I'm not going to worry about that for a while though. One of the nice aspects of this kit is that they include real metal screws. I wasn't expecting that, and it was a nice touch. When I first saw it, I was worried that it was too small, but holding it in my hand now, it has a nice feel to it. It doesn't weigh enough, but that's to be expected. The best thing about this model is how much internal structure it has. There is a revolving cylinder in there and the breech on the top opens and closes. It comes with five printed cartridges, but they look a little silly and they don't stay in, so I'm going to find something better as some point. I'll hopefully have more updates soon. Thanks for looking!
Thanks! The deeper I get into this, the more I see that I'll have to fix to get it more accurate, so it's fun and frustrating at the same time. But that's the hobby for ya.
