Today I have new appreciation for prop builders, costume designers, and the fine men and women who cosplay at conventions. As I said in my last post I decided to build a Blade Runner costume for Halloween. I’ve looked at a lot of people’s costumes online and I can already tell you: because of limited funds, my costume will be shittiest of all. I’m going to hate the way I look—I guarantee it. I can excuse myself by saying the other people who chose this costume probably spent a shit-load of money and months (even years) piecing together their costumes, and that’d be true, but the reality is money and time are limited for me.
I remember a making-of featurette which reported the makers of Killer Klowns from Outer Space, to save money, had their propmakers, costume designers, and SFX people approximate the concept designs they had on paper rather than make the details accurate. Since I should have planned my Blade Runner costume a little sooner, this is the route I’ve chosen as well. I’m not necessarily broke, I’m just extremely frugal.
If you ever played the Blade Runner video game you know that you don’t even assume the role of Rick because he’s just one Blade Runner of many. That’s kind of the way I think of my costume: maybe I’m a different Blade Runner with a really shitty-looking, spray painted gun and a coat even older-looking than the noir-ish trenches worn in the official media. Maybe I’m not even in the same universe. Maybe it’s just a “generic cyberpunk costume.”
Yesterday I hit a ton of different stores looking for a trench coat, at both new and used outlets. What I found is trench coats have gone out of fashion for men. If you search popular clothes stores online, you’ll likely find more trench coats in the women’s departments than the men’s. I mentioned this to my best friend who’s my go-to guy for all things hard-to-find and he suggested an army surplus. As usual, he was right, and here’s what I purchased for $25:
Close, but no cigar. I chose a light color in case I got inspired enough to dye the thing, but I probably won’t do that unless I get a more accurate collar. Don’t get me wrong: I can sew. I just don’t like doing it.
Now. Here’s what a Blade Runner blaster is supposed to look like:
And in my haste, here’s what I purchased after getting bored of visiting five different toy departments:
I’m not sure what I was thinking when I bought it. Rick’s blaster doesn’t have a hammer, the gun is way, way smaller, and the cylinder is closer to the butt. I should just remind you this is the first time I’ve ever tried anything like this, but I’ve already gotten off to a poor start. I sanded off the raised lettering and in the process broke two Dremel attachments, masked off some of the details, and hit it with a layer of spray paint.
Kind of looks like the Millennium Falcon, yes? No? Whatever. I next hit it with some chrome paint, which I later sprayed over with about 90% black, which I hoped would give it a gradient look. I followed this with a couple layers of lacquer hoping it would keep the paint from scratching.
The ventilation holes have been darkened with a Sharpie and I masked off the cylinder to keep it shiny. I then took a step back to admire what I’d done and decided it was all shit. I’ve since taken the gun completely apart and there’s no telling whether or not I’ll be able to piece it back together. This is why I don’t choose many hobbies outside of writing and Counter-Strike. I like the challenge of working with my hands for a change, but it’s just not something I have the desire to pursue. I’m pretty hardcore about the hobbies I already have and any free time I lose doing something else tends to make me grumpy.
In case you’re wondering just how detailed you could get if you really wanted, check out this video about BR blasters:
I fucking love his guns. I’d kill to have almost any of those.
I’m still on the fence on whether I want to call my current blaster a practice-run or if it’ll be what I actually wear on Halloween. I’m hoping it won’t look too bad in a holster, but as of right now, I’m just not happy with it. Next I’ll be looking for a tie, a shirt, shoes, and a watch. I know the watch isn’t important, but it’s been a long time since I bought a watch. If I manage to find a similar Microma, I’ll probably get it. The tie I might actually order from a prop shop because it’s way cheaper than a gun and I freakin’ love that tie.
I love characters who punch their problems in the face, movies that "normal" people think are stupid, cheap coffee, and plain T-shirts. In case you're wondering why I'm cranky, I haven't smoked a cigarette since September 12th, 2015.
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