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Original blaster casting on ebay
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Userd1402
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Joined: 22 Oct 2015
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:07 pm    Post subject: Original blaster casting on ebay Reply with quote

Found on eBay, the seller says this is a cast of the original blaster made 35 years ago for Safariland. It seems pretty expensive. Listing states;

"10 lbs. solid brass blaster molded from the original weapon so that Safariland could mold the leather police belt holsters.
Been using as a door stop for 35 years time for someone else to enjoy and add to there collection."

http://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/301845460922
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Bwood
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great find except for the ridiculous price... Shocked
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phase pistol
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 9:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where was this in the days before Worldcon! Shocked
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racprops
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is a crappy recast of the early stunt casting I started out with from around 1985.

Most of the detail is gone, the only thing I can see using it for is a paper wight or door stop.

My 2 cents worth.

Rich
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joberg
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Rich...well, that ends that sale Wink
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racprops
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Of course as a plug for holster making it has some interest .

Rich
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Nexus7
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool, but not $1,950, cool. Smile
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andy
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The provenance that it was used to make the film used props could make it worth about that much...in the right auction at least. Obviously the seller didn't value it that much if he used it as a door stop. Maybe if it came with some of the holsters made for the film would boost it's value, but I have a feeling it will likely not sell this time around.who knows though, it is kind of unique.

Andy
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Skin-Job
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 4:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I seem to recall the dummy used to pattern the original movie holsters was foundry cast Aluminum, not brass.
I don't know why I think I know this, may have picked it up somewhere by osmosis, so it may not be true.

They probably wouldn't have used a brass dummy because leather can be discoloured when it comes into contact with brass. Before anyone jumps down my throat it applies to some leathers with particular chemicals in the dye, and some brass compounds.

Most dummy guns used for holster making are plastic these days, but they used to be cast Aluminum.

Karl
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andy
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What is the shrinkage on brass? It seems to come from a Stunt with the trigger guard just filled in, so probably not the same mold they made the stunts from. Considering they would have used the buck, or one like it to make the hero holster too, I would think they would want the size to stay as close to the original as possible. Even just the police versions would need to be close, and then why not just use the rubber stunts directly to make them? What material would be easiest to make the casts from, and stay closest to the original in dimension? Would it have been done in the same shop as the one making the guns, or at Safariland using a provided rubber stunt to make a new master from?

Way too many questions that bring up doubt about the origin of this piece, especially without any provenance at all. I have a feeling it could possibly have been created by someone connected to the film, but only for personal purposes. perhaps to make a gift to someone that helped with production. The brass casting also looks pretty bronzed, and it may have been meant as a personal one off as a piece of desk art (AKA Paperweight). I could see just about anyone making one off of a stunt casting the more I think about it. It is pretty unique, and kind of cool, but it seriously needs provenance to make it more than just a curiosity.

Andy
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andy
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I may have more info soon, but if the seller is who he claims to be this has golden provenance.

Andy
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Userd1402
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The seller also lists a first-draft script, dated July 1980...
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Nexus7
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Userd1402 wrote:
The seller also lists a first-draft script, dated July 1980...


Shocked
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Nexus7
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The response from the seller when I inquired about the script...

"My name is Arthur Shippee and if you go to IMDB and look under cast and crew you will see me listed as assistant property master. The script was issued to me when I started the project. Also I was the person who ordered the manufacturing of the holster for the police belt blasters. I will be glad to write up a document explaining all of this. Thank you for your interest."
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andy
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Phil Steinsneider already interviewed him and confirmed the Brass casting on his site a while back...

http://props.steinschneider.com/blade_runner/bldrunhol.htm

As far as that script, it is not a first draft, because the title would have been "Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep" or "Dangerous Days", but it is one that it looks like was in the process of transitioning from Hampton Fancher to David Peoples. The letter and secondary title page give it a lot of interest and authenticity.

Andy
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andy
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just got off the phone with Art Shippee, and he told me quite a bit about working on the film. The casting is of course legit, and he also told me who built the hero blaster. It was Robby Knott, or at least it was made in his shop (Phil S. did say something similar to this on the RPF at one time). He was the Pyrotechnics expert, and he also made special rounds that would fire green for the gun. He left (quit) the film early on though, and they only talked to him after that to get the special rounds. He also informed me that there was only one hero made for the film which is why they made Brass blank for Safariland, and all the rubber stunts. they needed it close at hand all the time. The gun was also sent to England at one time for the reshoots, and as far as he knew, never came back. We know that it did, however, at least it made it into Jeff Walkers hand and the shipping label showed it had come in from London at one point.

We also talked about many of the other props, as well as why so many people were frustrated with Ridley Scott. I hope to put down more of that information soon, but it seems he was offered the job that eventually went to Terry Lewis after the first property master (Ray Mercer) quit. He turned down the job partially because of the difficulties he saw between Ridley and Ray. He was also only supposed to stay for a few weeks himself after Terry started the job, but ended up staying to the bitter end even destroying sets and props on the last day to prevent them showing up on a TV show before the film could be released. Including the photos in Deckard's apartment which he said included photos of his own kids. He also told me that the JW bottle was made from something that might not have even been a bottle originally, but cut down to be made into one, and the rest of the bottles were vacuum formed off of it, and glued together.

It was a great conversation, but he called me back kind of late and we only talked for an hour or so. I hope to talk more with him soon, he really went on about some stuff I wasn't fast enough to write down (my tape recorder was MIA). My head is spinning and I hope very much to talk with him more, and maybe clear up some of the stuff he told me.

Andy
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Robotprops
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 2:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow!
That's some great research and information Andy.
It's great to hear from the source that there was only one hero blaster.
As a prop master myself, it has always bugged me that there wasn't a back up or slightly less "hero" blaster on set.
Hopefully you get to talk with him again soon. I'm sure you have many more questions.
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Skin-Job
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 3:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah, great stuff!
So my memory was faulty about the holster dummy being Aluminum.

Good work, Andy.



Karl
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andy
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 3:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It seems the reason there was only one hero is that Robbie Knott and his company left early on during the film before another one could be made. They had to suffice with rubber stunts altered to look more like the Hero as "slightly less heros". Much of this is stuff that Phil Steinchneider had talked about before. Unfortunately he got some mixed info from different parties involved at different stages in the film, that confused the info he was getting from them making him feel confident about stuff that later turned out to be wrong. Unless this guy is a stooge looking to vindicate Phil...lol. Which I highly doubt with the stuff I heard from this interview. Too many details and stuff that was corroborated with stuff I learned from Tom Southwell as well. Phil still got a few things wrong that he was unwilling to back down from, and it killed his reputation on theRPF and with others. Phil was very helpful to me in my early research though, and I will always be grateful for it.

One of the other things I learned was that the clear pool balls in Sebastian's apartment, including the ones with the eyes in them were all custom made, and Ridley Scott helped pick all the items that were encased in the balls. Also the eyes which Batty holds up, were supposed to blink with lights, but they kept having to fix them and replace batteries. It drove the crew nuts it seems. BTW, someone posted pics of the pool table on the facebook page here...

Andy
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Nexus7
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 7:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! Great info! TFS!
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