A Tale of Two Syd Mead Blade Runner Blasters

Adam adds a new piece to his Blade Runner Blaster collection, and it's a new interpretation of Syd Mead's concept blaster designed but never used for the original 1982 film. We tour through a quick history of Adam's Blade Runner blaster replicas, and Adam compares this version of the Syd Mead chrome blaster design with the existing one in his collection!
Syd Mead Blade Runner Concept Blaster: www.bigbadtoystore.com/Produc...
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Thanks for watching!

[@BryanBabich]

I don't think I have ever seen Adam look so disappointed and underwhelmed. Sums up the entire legacy of Chronicle Collectibles. The Shawn Morgan cast is artfully created, such a beautiful piece.

[@aserta]

Adam went from happiest kid on Christmas morning to "My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined" whilst trying to be nice faster than you can snap your fingers. :))

[@brolohalflemming7042]

Hopefully it'll be temporary. Guessing there'll be some internal debate between collector Adam and maker Adam around the ethics of modifying a collectible. Which might not be THAT limited. And there's a whole array of LEDs that could create power meters, or more interesting effects.

[@HonkeyKong54]

@@brolohalflemming7042 chronicle is out of business I think

[@michael_sterling]

@@HonkeyKong54 We can only hope. I canceled my preorder on this after about a year and a half.

[@genreonlinenet]

@@michael_sterling They went out indeed. I cancelled mine too years ago, but you can still buy it and I still want it so I bought it today and not on the secondary market either so if you change your mind, BBTS still has it and I will review it on my channel too after I get it.

[@TomTubesYou]

The thing that jumps out at me more than the LEDs is the seeming lack of a locking point for the swiveling barrel. It doesn't appear that it clicks into place in any way, which strikes me as an oversight. You want that to feel locked into place when it's extended.

[@petermot645]

I love the battery compartment, lovely build. RIP Sid.

[@warped_rider]

I'm confused why there was a folding barrel at all? Does it shoot around corners or...?

[@SophiaAphrodite]

@@warped_rider yeah it looks like it was meant to have a screen to view to see around the corner as well.

[@Shreddyism]

I enjoy how genuine Adam is :) Unassuming and genuinely clever/talented/good natured/fun

[@HERETIC529]

I’d love to see Adam make his own version, like he did his hellboy gun.

[@jokerinexile]

I was thinking the same thing

[@mromutt]

Looks like the perfect project to use those skills he has been honing over the pandemic. Especially now that he has something to work from exactly, could even put his own electronics in there (with sound effects! XD )

[@Styrac]

I think this is begging for Adam to mod it with a sound board and full lighting :) Also maybe make the hinge bit lock if possible, looks a little floppy (at the very least I'd think some magnets at the part where it hinges would keep it straight)

[@ReverendTed]

The barrel having a swivel but not locking is an obvious issue, but the metallic look of your original adds an incredible amount of verisimilitude that the gray plastic lacks. The "official" replica looks like a toy. I could be wrong, but I imagine the lack of heft is also obvious in the hand.

[@stephen300o6]

Looks more realistic too.

[@nickfox9643]

"What kind of holster would you put this in?" Sounds like an interesting one day build 🤔🤔

[@joshfick4107]

I think this is a prime opportunity for Adam to scratch build one with all the functionality he would want !

[@redreaper-vx4kt]

Stonks

[@davidsharp9166]

It does scream for a Savage Industries inspired version

[@wesleycolvin7158]

You look at these things SO intently.

[@ZacTBH]

I love that Adam Savage loves blade runner as much as I do.

[@joshnieboer3947]

Please Adam keep doing this for at least 10 years so my son can grow up with you and science too 🤜🤛

[@ericcommarato7727]

I worked for an architect named Sambo Mockbee back in the late 1980's Syd Mead was a consultant on one of our projects, that was pretty cool.

[@DH-bw2rx]

You definitely need to crack that sucker open and redo the electronics. A progressive array to light up the semi circle on the side for sure. That’s right up your alley and would make a great video!

[@czack_rz3532]

Very interesting to see the designs of weapons/firearms like this. All realistic functionality and ergonomics out the window; just pure imagination. I like Scott's more grounded approach better but still appreciate the comic book ray-gun type ideas.

[@sagevoyage]

I like the old school sci-fi feel of the design but the final one looks like it could be a real gun which makes it more appealing to me. Great video Adam!

[@philippesauvie639]

Are used to be an architectural illustrator/visualizer and I was definitely aware of Syd Mead! That must’ve been really cool to spend time with the man and his visuals!

[@doublezero7850]

I feel like an easy mod would be to secure the front hinge a bit better with an embedded magnet. It looked like it opens with little to no effort, and I think one might want a more secure hold.

[@JohnBare747]

I met Syd Mead on a Cruse Ship where he was giving a presentation of his work it was amazing.

[@JordonBeal]

Whaaaaaat!?

[@kna3577]

Thank you for posting this informative video on your channel. There can be a channel dedicated to showing all the products and projects that Syd has created before his passing.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

There are several moments in this video that you can just feel the disappointment roll off of Adam in waves, before he even says anything. I can very easily see him deciding to rip this thing apart and rebuilding the electronics, if not starting a new one from scratch.

[@StantonLuke]

Yes!!! I love the blade runner episodes!!

[@rhodriwilliams1014]

Every collector has been here at some point. We strive to get hold of that piece that we think will make our collection that little more complete, only to find that it's just a shoddy collection of cheap plastic and blinking lights, yet we still try and justify to ourselves that we havent been sold a dud. I have more than a few like that in my collection lol.

[@tetsubo57]

I consider the original Blade Runner pistol to be the pinnacle of sci-fi firearms.

[@howHumam]

It's always fun to watch a maker like Adam, who wanders between pinnacles of prop and set making, break down collectibles based on collaborations on fiction. The concept art Syd Mead made is apparent in both blasters. The mass produced version has proportions closer to a semi automatic pistol, and had more gimmicky selling points that a fan would find appealing yet wouldn't be sated by. It's a lot of puzzling out to get build time down, which is a major expense if it takes an hour to finish 1 of 10,000 for example. I like the larger 1 because it has more of a Navy revolver's proportions which I bet is more accurate to Mead's drawings. It would be cool to see a hand built, fully lit hero version but that would a lot of work. This was a good ride along the Alps in a delightful train of thought.

[@andyfirthbespoke]

The words 'anticlimactic' and 'underwhelming' come to mind. I must say the one your friend made you is far superior.

[@BartVenneker]

Nice ! Love your work

[@tankolad]

I'd love to hear more about these blasters, and anything else in the blade runner universe that Adam would like to talk about

[@aserta]

Yeah, that bought one is... well, to put it nicely, it's ok. The SM piece is a master piece. Just looking at it, and how it moves when handled by Adam, i can tell it's so far above that mass produced one it's not even in the same Galaxy. I also think that vacuum metalization was the right choice for it. Chrome is nice, but too nice. I've had several pieces done with VM and it's such a nice outcome when the right substrate is under and the right shade is used.

[@Aleph-Noll]

watching Adam gets buyers remorse in real time was interesting haha

[@matthewcoleman8267]

Makes the Hasbro Pulse Ghost Buster replica props seem like great value for money!

[@Robbie_T290]

I’d love to see You and Norm upgrade that sweet new concept blaster to have more functionality.

[@lifesizecollector]

Think Adam face was like when Clark Griswold found out his Christmas bonus was the jelly of the month club 😅.

[@petermerz2704]

Love your enthusiasm Adam. Adding some better effects wouldn’t be expensive. Micro arduino’s are less than $10! You can program it to give much better visual effects! Thanks for sharing Adam. Happy days and model on! 😎

[@ifixphns]

Def an expectation vs. reality moment. The photos for the product on BBTS indicates a MUCH more dramatic display when the trigger is pulled. Expensive toy, that is.

[@ericosnes9371]

Great video! I prepaid for one of these a couple years back and was so looking forward to getting it. Can’t remember who exactly; it was one of the prop/collectible companies. They folded. Never delivered and no refund. Maybe I dodged a bullet?! Nah. It would’ve been a cool addition to my collection regardless. Dang.

[@bjquinlan74]

Same!

[@tekvax01]

Rest in Peace Mister Mead, you and your genius, will be missed...

[@duke1252]

I feel like this'll be a oneday build where Adam will make a holster for it, or add brighter LED's to the Chronicle Collectibles version

[@Wanton110]

There would be a lot of things I would do to modify that if I owned it, but a simple not really a modification would be to the base so it lights up when stood on the base

[@aserta]

Never seen Adam express "My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined" so perfectly before. :))

[@cmdrcriton]

The scope is an early colt x3 or x6 power scope for the m16a1 that would mount on the rifle " carry handle "....they still make them

[@scottbayer92]

Adam , want to see you badass that thing up !

[@genreonlinenet]

After years of having it on preorder and then cancelling it because I tired of waiting and years of wanting to get it, but not having the cash, I just ordered mine today and if you add to the fact that the first time this appeared on tested was at the Chronicle Collectibles booth in I think 2015 or so, I have waited a while. You can still buy this and while I don’t have a collection like our host does, I do have the NECA EU import that is numbered and an official replica from the Bladerunner 2049 set. Tomenusuke through Hollywood Collectibles is still the gold standard, but I don’t have a grand for that and I am glad I did not over pay for the water gun. So I am going to post my own review next week when I get it and hopefully someone out there will watch it. But BBTS still has it if you want to avoid the secondary market.

[@Jaybers100]

I think my underwhelmed face was quite similar to Adam's for this one. Fully agree on the blinky light part, makes it look too much like a toy rather than a solid, display worthy replica. Like it's NICE, but that's about as far as it goes 🤷‍♂️ can't all be winners

[@ryan699]

You got those AAA’s really fast

[@ajmvfx9643]

I'm currently doing an assignment on Syd Meads's design language, which I'll use to inform some designs and finally animate a short sequence in UE5. It was either Syd, Ralph Mcquarrie or Jack Kirby.

[@nathansossai]

I would love to see adam take that one apart and completely revamp the electronics.

[@felixpellerin7741]

Common we all know what needs to happen, you get another one and you make it into the blaster you would have wanted!

[@shanejayell]

That odd, odd feeling when you get something you REALLY wanted, but you end up just a little disappointed.

[@allanfisher8742]

I found this very interesting TBH. Love Adam and watch all his videos BTW. It seemed to me that the let down came only when the lights didn't meet his expectations, however the other version he owns does not have any lights or the hinge for that matter. The small lights were a bonus that he did not seem to know about when he started unboxing but they became the whole story. If there had been no lights what would his reaction have been? Just a question, love the show.

[@multeyemeteor]

I'm looking forward to video, where Adam makes a better replica of the Syd Mead blaster that actually does have a visual charging gauge and shoots proper beams of light. :D

[@olsonspeed]

Another opportunity for some DIY upgrades, sound effects and sequential lighting. Purchased objects are just a starting point.

[@Naf623]

Now to make a bigger cabinet to give that a space too XD

[@Mattomune]

I love Blade Runner Blaster content

[@BeauJaxon]

I was one of the earliest preorders years ago. Chronicle folded and I never got mine. Stold my money as far as I'm concerned.

[@TheRealAlpha2]

It feels like the barrel should lock that seems like an odd oversight, I also agree that the lights should be brighter if it doesn't have animated lights and sound it should at least be a bit more striking when it's on display. Then again if it's been around for a while I can imagine the technology of the time probably didn't allow for all those things at one time, seems the least that could be done to improve it is to install a brighter light.

[@TheHamPimp]

You could probably get it to lock pretty solidly with a rare earth magnet without too much trouble.

[@Dodge-tv7jc]

Sick

[@LanceBuckley]

I have one too, and if it wasn't for the fact that I'm addicted to collecting affordable Blade Runner ANYTHING, this would have gone back. Due to its low quality, relatively high cost, unfortunate marketing and manufacturing history, this is one for the die-hard Blade Runner and Syd Mead fans only.

[@x1984x]

~11:20 Adam went all Tazmanian Devil for a second. 🤣

[@aaronl_trains_and_planes]

You could tweak it and make it your own. It has a lot of potential.

[@azskyking6542]

Whenever I have a new piece of tech, after 30 seconds of not understanding, I involuntarily start making chimp noises. And my whole life has been understanding tech. Try it Adam...it actually helps.

[@Jacksonmontyart]

Syd mead graduated from my college. College for creative studies in Detroit !

[@jeff1176]

Time for Adam to fix this new replica

[@kna3577]

it would be simply awesome if you can do a history video on the blade runner 2049 blaster.

[@theultimatesteelshooter8610]

Time for ‘upgrades’ !!!!

[@johnpatrickmcp]

I believe the original concept that the Syd Mead blaster was supposed to fold up instead of going directly into a holster.

[@sundaynightdrunk]

I want to see the reference they used for these, because the two are clearly different designs in key ways. The folding barrel, the "screen" thing that looks like a display, etc.

[@shubinternet]

I would love to see a CNC milled version from aluminum, with all the gauges and lights engineered and incorporated. It would probably cost $1k or more to do, but would be totally worth it.

[@TheHamPimp]

WAYYY more than $1k. That blaster has a ton of compound detail, and each one of those is a machining step from a dude with 20yrs of metalwork experience and very pricey equipment. You're probably talking $20k, and that's going to be cheap.

[@shubinternet]

@@TheHamPimp -- I was only thinking about the parts on that cost. If you're making one for yourself, then you can charge $0.00 for the labor. But yeah, if you're making one for someone else, then you're basically doing all the same things required to make a real prototype weapon, and so you could probably buy a nice car for the price, or maybe a nice house.

[@PaulMiles1]

Anybody else smell a Syd Mead 2.0 build coming?

[@mikecalkins5567]

Next episode Adam gives it the proper lights

[@theworldsmostplagiarizedma2436]

Very cool. I am curious as to what kind of holster would be ideal for something like that. I imagine you'd holster it when it's folded?

[@Aeidotronics]

If I'm not mistaken, Mead's idea was that it was a "black hole gun"...whatever that means. Aluminum one is way better.

[@penelopegreene]

Hey Adam! If all else fails, read the instructions!!! XD

[@bluesmithee1603]

I can see a improvment video coming.

[@bertraminc9412]

Carter Arms Bulldog .44. And Steyr Mannlicher SL .222 receiver.

[@phantomikon]

That last replica kinda makes me think of a really long axe head.

[@TorukMakto369]

Interesting guns 🧐🤩🤔

[@CaptainBerz]

You are super underwhelmed. LMAO. We all have those moments when we get something with an expectation super high and then see it and say "oh". LMAO.

[@gl15col]

Install a laser pointer in the replica, so it shines out the barrel. That would be pretty sweet, and shouldn't be very difficult since the place where it swings sideways could be drilled to install it.

[@ashleydstone8623]

surprise its a unboxing video

[@christophermatty8232]

14:12 When Adam channels Jeff Goldblum for 5 seconds.

[@lucasrios2089]

I understood the sentiment of the noise at 11:16 too well

[@ibanezleftyclub]

Syd was the GOAT.

[@stefanodepalo5204]

One day build! Adding lights and fuctionality.

[@engineeredlifeform]

That slot at the front looks like it should tear space and time apart,.... but it kinda lights up instead.

[@ljg6979]

Might be really cool to machine a copy out of aluminum. The shapes are basic. I can see a couple of different approaches.

[@tonybbc1]

Wonderful replica. Unfortunately for me I would have expected the sound of an electronic blasting sound as you find in kiddies blasters. So if I had one of these, I would then when showing my friends this weapon, I would blast them to pieces and the sound would seem real. Much more exciting. But hey.

[@Michael-jo9jb]

Drink every time adam takes out the fuel cell lol

[@grife3000]

4:04 the trigger discipline on two big nonworking hunks of metal/plastic.

[@qwiggles4154]

Exactly! with replicas of not even real guns. I love it.

[@dsh5564]

Hey Adam have you ever seen the Battlestar Galactica blaster from the 1978 series one of my favorites I’ve had one for a long time I like it a lot

[@corruptpixel8441]

I wonder if Adam knows that Syd Mead also worked on a Gundam series considering he was getting into that franchise model kits

[@HalidonDioramas]

So that' what underwhelmed look like 😂

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

The blaater you're friend made is way better than the light up one!

[@text-1214]

Congratulations you have been selected amount our shortlisted winner 🎁 contact the number above.......✔️

[@huntsmanlazeralis4539]

Next one day build Adam upgrades his new blade runner gun to have better lights?

[@TheSpotlessMind93]

I was so excited to get the Chronicle blaster..and then I sold it after owning it for a week. It was such a let down. So many cut corners on it. You guys did a video with Chronicle years ago with their prototype/master for it. The final product is so much worse than what was promised.

[@ReverendTed]

I'd totally forgotten about that video! Here's the link, if anyone else is curious: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZCwh6xrjJWapNU

[@CaptainSweat]

There seems to be a slider on the barrel, right underneath the level meter - does it change anything when moved?

[@mape9014]

You might be able to replace those leds with a bit more modern ones and get more light out of it. But this assumes that it is possible to open and get access to those leds.

[@nickcabrera3982]

I also don’t understand the “barrel” folding. Why doesn’t it lock into place? Or? Adam is a great sport for trying explaining the props shortcomings.

[@amyanderson4522]

Its strange how some movies come out you see them there good or bad and that's the end. But some movies like blade runner ghost busters star wars ect ect never end 😀

[@text861]

Congratulations you have been selected amount our shortlisted winner 🎁 contact the number above.......✔️

[@kongwubba81]

The "scope" looks like a aimpoint red dot, upside down. But i could be wrong

[@jokerinexile]

maybe a mod video in the future; change the LED's out so it works the way you want it.