Deckard's Hero Blaster is now up for sale

[andy]

Alright, Who can find the Font for the Blade Runner ID card that is shown with the gun?

Andy

[BeastMaster]

it's all out the bag now!

you can also see the 4 white wires clearly feeding into the ammo box on the recent gun. I think these have been repaired / replaced recently to get the green leds to light up, which is why you cant see them like this in karls pics. I wonder if the groove in the side panel is there on the 1981 photo or it was later cut to fit the wires?

also there seems to be a normal allan screw where the grub screw / hole was in the ammo box next to the slot screw.

are there any higher rez images of that title? I've seen it used on other concept stuff as well as scripts.
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"F*ck it, it's just a movie. Let him worry about it" Harrison Ford

[Gaff87]

Very impressive photos!!!
Shame these haven't been release before but glad that they finally have

[superjedi]

Oh man. . . fantastic photos!
Interesting that on the 2006 and 2009 pics the markings on the Weaver knob are in a slightly different orientation. Like someone had loosened or tightened it a little bit.
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I find your lack of faith disturbing. . .

[andy]

Good Eye SJ.

Andy

[phase pistol]

Have you seen the "wires" side of the blaster in its current condition? I have seen no photos of that side yet.

Just from the earlier photos you can see that the blaster has been "cleaned up"... it would be a pity if too much has been changed. I guess those white wires were intended to supply power to the laser sight after all, and were chopped off when a closeup of the gun was needed for the Deckard vs Batty scene.

[steevy]

I think those were preproduction shots.I'm still betting the Weaver knob was added during the production.Man wouldn't it be great if they found stills of the reloading scene?

[phase pistol]

Folks say that in the scene where Deckard returns to his apartment at the end of the film, the slothead screw is still in place.



I can't tell from the poor lighting, but that's what has been said.

Regards the white wires, they are PRESENT when Deckard is skulking along the walll...



...but gone when Deckard gets his gun back, and later when he drops it while climbing the wall.





I think the wires must have been added during second unit photography, since the shots featuring Harrison Ford had been done earlier during principal photography.

Now the question is, was the Weaver knob added at the same time as the white wires? And why was the knob added?

It seems likely the white wires were added for the sake of lighting up the sight rod, but if so why were the wires cut but left there? Did an alternate take with lit sight LEDs exist but was rejected?

[Nexus6]

[steevy]

Just because a scene is at the end of a film doesn't mean it was shot at the end.Again just a hunch on my part about the Weaver but I think it was put on during the production.

[phase pistol]

Ah, that must be one of the Blu Ray framss I did not have. Thanks!

And I was theorizing that the closeup shots of the gun might have been shot after principal photography, thus explaining why the wires (which are epoxied to the gun and are present in 2006) were added at the end of filming. I realize that movies are not necessarily shot in order.

In fact my understanding is that the first scene to be filmed, was the scene where Deckard visits Tyrell to VK Rachael.

- k

[hirohawa]

As I remember Roy's death scene happened to be one of the final days of shooting if not the last.

[The Loyalizer]

[DeckB26354]

OK OK WoW!

Where did these 1981 photos come from? Who has released them and what do we definitley now about them? Pre production?

BeastMaster where are you seeing these 4 wires feeding the ammo box? I 'm not sure which photo/s you are seeing this - please have the patience to explain further.

We know that nothing is EVER filmed in sequence, so we can't go with that. All we do know is that at some point, the wires we exposed or added. Unless someone (perhaps BeastMaster) can demonstrate that the wires were always there on the gun, albeit hidden.

As far as I know, we have no photographic evidence of the Weaver knob being used during filming. If we look carefully at the 1981 photos we can see that the flat head screw has turned in relation to how it is during filming. My thesis is that it is fairly long screw which must screw into the body of the bulldog and helps to hold the two parts it overlaps in place (namely the right side plate and Steyr ammo housing) I am going to upload a couple of nice production shots clearly showing the flat screw and it's position. So if it turns quite easily then it could have come out and be lost or indeed could have been replaced for something which gripped better. Just a hypothosis. Also note that the small socket head screw next to the flast head screw is present in the 81 production shots and has since been lost.

I still find it very odd that PIH are showing NO photos of the left hand side of the blaster before their auction. Does anyone else find this a little odd?

[DeckB26354]

OK , here they are. I hope this works!!

http://propsummit.com/upload/303/lastscan600.jpg
http://propsummit.com/upload/303/lastscan_blaster.jpg
http://propsummit.com/upload/303/blaster_post_shot_cleaned_600.jpg
http://propsummit.com/upload/303/blaster_post_shot_cleaned_blaster.jpg

Note: the screw head line always follows the line of the meeting parts. It has turned counter clockwise in the 1981 shots.

Also in the rehearsal photo of the bedroom scene, note the amount of blueing on the blaster and if you look very carefully, those slight lighter marks on the top of the receiver are finger prints rubbing of the blueing. I know this because my original Steyr receiver does EXACTLY the same thing! So I would suggest that blueing was added during filming and eventually came off. Let's not forget this prop went through water and a dry powder wall! Also note in the 81 shots, there is no cacked on powder on the grips, receiver end screw head or around the back grip frame screw as in Karls wonderful photos.

[Mitch Magnum PKD]

Just a quick (and kinda' Off Topic) comment:
A BIG Thanks for those photos, DeckB26354!
As a "Shirt & Tie" Guy, I love those 1st, 3rd & 4th photos you posted! They give us such a great look (better than any I'VE seen, anyway) at the designs on both the shirt & tie worn during the confrontation with Batty scenes.
I know it's not the point of what you set out to do here, but I just wanted to say: I really appreciate it!
Mitch
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Memories... You're talking about memories...

[DeckB26354]

Hey no problem Mitch
I'm glad you liked them!

I'm sure you know, but just in case you don't, 2 of Deckards screen used outfits are also up for sale at PIH on April 30 and May 1. Nice photos in their catalogue 36 for download.

[DeckB26354]

OK, now I see what BeastMaster was talking about...sorry a little slow there!

The new PIH photos, one clearly showing 4 white wires coming out from the ammo housing. These are very obviously new wires as they are not there in Karls 2006 pics. So we must presume that these are making the green LED work? But why now? Why not during filming? I suggest that they have replaced the power source inside the ammo cartridge for somehing that will power them all up. I'm still concerned that if they have acheived this, why they don't have a photo of the laser pointer side? We don't get to see it working nor do we get to see what they have done with the original cut 4 strand wire. Is it still there?

It's obvious that they have wiped the gun down, but nothing else in my opinion. The grip pattern is quite evidently showing a lot less powder or filler in it. The blasting ammo housing is a little cleaner and shiny, but all marks and scratches are still there over the entire gun. Heck, all that rust....it's a real shame. If only someone had given it a spray of clear varnish when it was delivered oin '81 , which they do with rifles and shotguns to keep this from happenning!

[spinner 44]

Amazing photos Deck! Thanks soooo much for sharing!

It is my belief that the last scene in Deckard's apt was one of the first ones to be filmed. I have stills of Ridley and Deckard holding the gun at that set and the bottom of the buttplate shows no sratching at all, just a flat black surface with a silver ring around. All the paint straches, showing the exposed metal below, that we can now see on the blaster's buttplate were probably made during principal photography.

My 2 cents

[DeckB26354]

Hi Spinner

No problem, my pleasure!

I think you may be right about that. Any chance of posting some examples of the stills you are talking about?

However, I belive that the Pris shooting scene is much later on (which is where my other B&W photo comes from) and where the gun had picked up a lot of that dust and general gunk on the grips etc. Just look at the state of Deckard's coat in that shot!

I think PIH are being pretty secretive about their changes to the blaster, re the laser pointer and don't want to show everyone what they have done to the cut wire on the left side.