So, you want to buy Deckard's blaster? Or maybe you would just like Leon's gun? Hopefully this page will go some way to help you find what you're looking for. I will give a little history to the movie props and point to some sites that sell replicas. And I might as well say here that a replica blaster is not capable of really firing in any way!

P.K.D. replica blaster on sale at EDC Studios

If you want a serious replica of Deckard's blaster then you really want to look at EDC Studios. The replica of the Plager Katsumate Series-D blaster (pictured above) comes in a range that stretches from the unbuilt standard blaster kit at $125 to the completely built and hand finished version at $300. EDC bought the production rights from Doppelganger Productions where it was designed by Rick Ross who also coined the name (in tribute to Philip K. Dick).

For a good (old) article on the creation of a replica blaster by Richard A. Coyle, check out RAC Props Issue 1 and Making of articles. Richard has made many props for Star Trek and others. His blaster design (for what he termed the C&S detective special) can be seen below. Another person who has delved into exactly what went into the creation of the blaster (and friend of Coyle) is Phil Steinschneider - check out his in-depth article on the recreation of this blaster prop. (Includes loads of photos.)

C&S replica blaster that was on sale at The Prop Store

The above replica started life as one of Richard Coyle's efforts and was sold by The Prop Store of London.

Another version has surfaced, called the '2019 Chief's Special Blaster' (but we know what it really is...). It is introduced on Hartford's main page, and described in full on this page. Proposed release date is sometime in Summer 2003. If you visit the site, you will find it is Japanese. For those of us who cannot read Japanese, Min Hong Lee has kindly provided a decent translation (though corrections welcome) and also says, "FYI, the (firing) model gun is something like a movie prop gun, that makes bang sound and flash using firecrackers. but it's mainly made of plastics."

The introductory page says:

New project in progress: '2019 Chief's Special Blaster'
A new challenge, a new project for Hartford, the '2019 Chief's Special Blaster' as a firing model gun is now under way. now taking pre-orders.

The full description goes something like:

<<'2019 Chief's Special Blaster'
A new challange for Hartford.
We've been very much surprised at the various responses and reactions from customers since our announcement of this project. Although we're not under such circumstances as to report any details to you, we will be regularly updating the progress of the project.
However, things written on this page may not be final decisions. Please understand that they are subject to change. please wait for the final statement from us.>>

..text in the red box is about a pre-order customer whose email address is unknown. so let me skip that part..

<<'2019 Chief's Special Blaster'

With the proposed retail price of 59,800 yen (£312 or $511), it is going to be released some time around this summer, we hope. (Pictures are taken from the prototype model)

[now in progress] the blaster is based on a firing model gun 'Chief's Special.' (release scheduled between spring and summer 2003) Photos are taken from the prototype. The mass-production version will be different in the following features: (1) the grip will be made of clear and orange colored material with cross-checkerings, just like that of the original.
(2) will be equipped with functional LEDs.
(3) proper inscriptions will be carved on the upper receiver and the bottom of the magazine.
<proposed materials>
base model gun inside: ABS plastic
upper receiver, magazine housing, magazine, left and right side covers: resin (hard resin)
grip frame, grip end: roast wax-cast brass, plated with chrome
grip: clear resin (orange colored)
trigger guard: metal plate
inner parts: metal or roast wax cast
we're taking pre-orders. please see FAQs below for more information.

[in plan] an air-soft version equipped with Pegasus system**. (some time later than this summer) >>

** Pegasus system is one mechanism that some air-soft guns use to shoot out plastic BBs. it uses liquefied gas as a power source. the BB (caliber 6 millimeter) usually flies as far as 30-40 meters.

<<[our answers to the frequently asked questions]
however, please understand that the below answers are not final, but based on currently avaiable information.

Q: order is not accepted yet?
A: to our gratitude, this is one of the most frequent inquiries. we feel the great pressure from everyone's expectation.
as no detail concering release date or specs is settled yet, we're only taking pre-orders. as soon as more specifics are decided, we will inform you through emails. we'd like you to decide whether to purchase it or not at that point. we will definitely fill out the demands of those who place final orders. and further information on purchase will be provided thru emails. customers wishing to purchase this are advised to place pre-orders.

Q: shape of the trigger guard is a little bit strange?
A: this also has been very frequently pointed out. we're currently re-estimating that problem. however, when compared with the original, the triggers are a bit shorter and that must be why the room inside the trigger guard tends to look wider. unless the triggers are replaced with new ones, the balance should be bad. we also recognize the need to shape the trigger guard into a more rounded one.

Q: does the magazine get narrower to the end?
A: we're sorry that the magazine of the pictured prototype is not neatly finished. in real, the magazine appears parallel to the upper receiver. we think its being parallel is right judging from the actual film.

Q: how detailed is the bolt part going to be?
A: we'll attach the functional locking system of the bolt. the bolt will be made of matal and moves back and forth over a dummy rail attached on the base firing model gun. a simple locking system with plunger will be added, so that the bolt will not be so loose as in most of the resin cast models.

Q: what is the weight? will it have a reliable rigidness?
A: the prototype currently weighs appox. 1 kilogram, but we'd like you to understand weight is a feature that is the most likely to change. and it will be tough enough to be used as a movie prop. we make sure it's rigid enough not to break when pulled out from a front-break holster.

Q: will the air-soft version cost as much as the firing model gun?
A: we're very sorry that this is completely unknown for now. the price may vary depending on which gas operating system we adopt: we may be provided with Pegasus system by Tanaka Corp, as in the J-police .38S pistol; we may use other system by Mosquito Company; or we may develop an original system of our own. as we're examining every possible way to make it cheap and easy, please wait for future notice. >>

Okay, so that's Deckard's blaster - what about the gun that Leon uses? Well, the actual gun used isn't a creation made from several sources like Deckard's blaster. No, it was a real gun manufactured by COP Inc. (now defunct) called the COP .357 Magnum. ("COP" standing for "Compact Off-Duty Police".) It is an unusual arrangement of four barrels, each loaded with a single bullet into the rear of the barrel. The definitive article (including parts diagram) on this gun is again by our friend Phil Steinschneider. The COP was initially going to be the inspiration for Deckard's blaster before they changed their minds on that design. A real COP was then used for Leon's gun. HOWEVER, within the context of Blade Runner, it is most definitely not intended to be this actual gun. In Future Noir, it is described thus:

"When Leon shoots Holden, there's this big flash of blue-white light," says Terry Frazee. "That was supposed to be from this heavy-duty gun Leon was using. But that light was actually caused by these enormous flashbulbs we'd scrounged up, bulbs that are used by the government for photographing missiles going down range. They stayed lit for a good length of time; Ridley wanted you to think, by the amount of light that weapon threw off, that Leon's gun really could blow a guy through a wall."

While the "Black Hole Gun" was a terrific idea, time and budget got in the way of creating the full effect as planned. But some testing was done in creating the black streak, (which can be identified in the finished film for a fraction of a second). The biggest problem with this being that visually, a black line really isn't very impressive! So we have the big flash coming from some sort of futuristic weapon that is, (within the fiction of the film), probably not made of metal. Perhaps an advanced polymer with ceramic components? Certainly something that won't set off metal detection alarms when being smuggled into the Tyrell Building...