Blade Runner is my favorite movie, which you will know immediately on meeting me because I never shut up about it. Luckily for me, the new Blade Runner 2049 movie means people don’t roll their eyes as much when I talk about it lately, plus all of my maker friends are whipping up amazing new Blade Runner inspired projects that you can do too!
3D Printed Deckard’s Blaster
First up is the 3D printed “Deckard’s Blaster” by Andrew Forster on 3D Central. This is an impressive 3D printed build, and utilizes wood filaments with staining techniques to get a rich wood feel for the grip. The end result is a beautiful working prop complete with spinning cylinders and embedded LEDs.
Toy Gun Deckard’s Blaster
Sean Huxter’s fascinating build combines toy guns, off the shelf electronics, fabrication from common household parts and detailed study of film photos in a kind of kit bashing style to achieve an amazing end result that is spot on.
Voight-Kampff Workstation Magnifier Lamp
Next up is this amazing Voight-Kampff Workstation Magnifier Lamp by caitlinssuperdad on Youtube, which uses Adafruit Neopixels with an Arduino Uno. This build has it all: a working bellows, the empathy meter, and an eye in an OLED screen as the test subject. I love the idea of making functional builds from the movie. The sound design in this build is fantastic too.
Meehan’s Voight-Kampff Machine
Tom Meehan’s ongoing project log on Hackaday to build a functional working Voight-Kampff Machine, complete with emotional detection of actual subjects, is an engaging journey I have been following for a couple months. Watching as he experiments with gear, mechanics, and sensors to detect various stimuli is incredibly cool. Following along with a project build is a great way to learn how makers think and work, seeing where the different paths lead is helpful for my own maker journeys and inspirations.
Blade Runner Geometric Tiles
The production design of Blade Runner fascinates me like every other fan, and I dream of doing my entire home in a retrofuture style. Inspired by Deckard’s apartment decor? Print your own Blade Runner geometric tiles with this fabulous model by Keenan on Thingiverse.
Officer K’s Gun
Fans are already gearing up for Blade Runner 2049 cosplay. You can find Officer K’s gun modeled on Thingiverse by Chicken956. It’s always amazing to me to watch the fan community research and design prop builds from a few frames of video, or set stills.
3D Printed Gaff Origiami Unicorn
My good friend Tamara Gray of Burbank Makerspace modeled up this gorgeous 3D printed Gaff Origami Unicorn. Look for the model on Thingiverse!
Actual Origami Unicorn
But for those purists who want to fold their own Origami Unicorn, Duke Harper has this excellent tutorial.
Adam Savage’s Blade Runner Blaster Prop
And finally, as always, worth your time to browse Adam Savage’s Blade Runner Blaster Gallery and read his story to view a master craftsman’s journey to replicate a prop he loves. The video of him meeting the actual Blaster prop owned by Dan Lanigan is wonderful as well, his excitement and reverence is a beautiful thing to watch.
ADVERTISEMENT
