Geekery: This Working Scale Model of the ‘Blade Runner’ Blimp is Amazing
The flying billboard trying to convince folks to leave the dregs of Earth and visit Off-World is a key component in several scenes in the movie. Adam Savage and the folks at Tested have outdone themselves with their recreation of it.
The original blimp took several layers of exposures to create – including the miniature, the smoke, the lighting, the screens, and the buildings/people around it. The video screens were created by projecting 35mm footage onto textured plastic to get the oversized screen look seen in the movie. Put all of them together and you get a gorgeous scene with huge visual impact that still holds up nearly 40 years later.
I’d love to have one on display in my house – I’m sure I’m not alone in that. (I’m probably also not alone in being afraid of what the price-tag for it would be.)
Check out some close ups of the project from Tested’s Norman Chan that really showcase all the little details you miss out in the video. You can see the the hours they put into making this as realistic as possible.
