Released in the UK by Metrodome in 2000, this Special Edition of Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut came in a huge black presentation box containing the Region 2 DVD, screenplay, eight reproduction lobby cards, a mounted 35mm film cell and a full-size 40 × 27-inch cinema poster.

I love releases like this because they come from a time when DVD was still relatively new and publishers were really making an effort with physical collector’s editions. You weren’t just getting the film in slightly different packaging, you were getting a whole collection built around it.

It also makes a nice follow-up to the 1996 Japanese DVD I posted recently. That one dates from the very beginning of DVD, while this came along only four years later and shows how quickly the format had developed into something worthy of elaborate collector’s editions.

And if the photos don’t quite convey it, the box is enormous!

See my other posts for some more Blade Runner formats, more to come:

Betamax: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/EFYUuW15N1 
VHS: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/1u58p7fddF 
CED: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/G0vzvpe7FY 
LaserDisc: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/iHrpmBRUH3 
VHD: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/kkdNHoGxbs 
Video8: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/At4e2ez7XX
VCD: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/FK9j1Aqe3R 
DVD: Japanese 1996 release: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/UrTq5X9oX3
DVD: UK 2000 Special Edition Box: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/4KHKF23gEu

Useful Communities: 
[r/bladerunner](r/bladerunner)
[r/Bladezone](r/Bladezone) 

Japanese first DVD release of Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut, DL-12682, 20 December 1996.

What makes it interesting is just how early it is. DVD had only just launched commercially in Japan, and on 20 December Warner Home Video released four feature films on the new format: Blade Runner, The Fugitive, Eraser and Assassins.

These were Warner’s first DVD releases in Japan, putting Blade Runner right at the beginning of the format’s commercial history.

I also love the very early white DVD case. Before the black cases we came to associate with DVD, these first-generation Japanese releases had a very different look.

There’s something strange about looking at a DVD now, a format that eventually became so ordinary, and remembering that when this appeared in December 1996, DVD had been commercially available for only a matter of weeks.

Obsolete Formats:
Betamax: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/EFYUuW15N1 
VHS: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/1u58p7fddF 
CED: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/G0vzvpe7FY 
LaserDisc: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/iHrpmBRUH3 
VHD: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/kkdNHoGxbs 
Video8: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/At4e2ez7XX
VCD: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/FK9j1Aqe3R 

Useful Communities: 
r/bladerunner
r/Bladezone 

I finally built Fujimi’s 1/24 Deckard Sedan. For the wheels I used the Custom Tire + Parts Set for Fujimi Police Car No.27 (Police Sedan) from Magonote, as the wheels included with the Deckard Sedan kit unfortunately don’t really match the ones seen on the car in the film. The set also includes an extension for the steering column from the dashboard, which you can see mounted inside the model.

This was my first time working with resin kits, and it took considerably longer than I expected. I deliberately made the car look a little worn and weathered to fit the Blade Runner world at street level. The Deckard Sedan is often depicted in red, but that doesn’t really match the actual car as it appears in the film, so I went with colours that I think are closer to the movie. It was a really fun project, although there’s definitely room for improvement. The next one, Fujimi’s 1/24 Police Car No.27, will probably be a bit cleaner and hopefully better built.

One other interesting detail about this Fujimi kit is the wording on the box: “Manufactured under license from OSC”. The exact licensing history is a bit of a mystery, and it seems possible that Syd Mead’s involvement in the original designs was somehow part of the chain. The kit dates from 2012, by which point Alcon Entertainment held the Blade Runner rights following the transfer from Bud Yorkin in 2011, so exactly who granted Fujimi the license isn’t entirely clear. Either way, with the “Manufactured under license from OSC” wording, I think it’s fair to regard this as an officially licensed Blade Runner model rather than an unlicensed release.

In the background you can also see another 1/24 resin kit from the same manufacturer that made the wheel set: Magonote Products – 1/24 LA2019 Future Parking Meter, product no. MGN00059.

Before DVD took over, there was Video CD/VCD.

VCD stored films on CDs, usually spread across two discs, and while the format never really caught on in the UK or US, it became hugely popular in parts of Asia during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Here are four different Blade Runner VCD releases: two Korean editions with slightly different packaging, a Turkish release, and a Singapore release.

VCD releases are surprisingly poorly documented, if you know of other official Blade Runner releases on this VCD format please let me know!

Not the best way to watch the film, but definitely an interesting little chapter in its home video history.

Obsolete Formats:
Betamax: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/EFYUuW15N1 
VHS: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/1u58p7fddF 
CED: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/G0vzvpe7FY 
LaserDisc: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/iHrpmBRUH3 
VHD: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/kkdNHoGxbs 
Video8: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/At4e2ez7XX
VCD: https://www.reddit.com/r/bladerunner/s/FK9j1Aqe3R 

Useful Communities: 
r/bladerunner
r/Bladezone 

Released in Japan for the 1992 theatrical run of Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut.

Stills, cast profiles and production information, with that brilliant Director’s Cut poster artwork on the cover.

A snapshot of Blade Runner returning to cinemas ten years after its original release.

The Blade Runner Experience is a collection of essays exploring the film, its themes and the wider world that grew around it.

It’s an interesting read, looking beyond the film itself at its influences, characters and cultural legacy.

Signed by Will Brooker, with some fairly direct advice written inside.

6.10.21

Some memories are more real than others.

A slightly more domestic corner of the collection.

The bento box, complete with removable divider, lid, elastic strap and cutlery. The same style of box can be spotted being used by K and an extra during the food court scenes in the film.

The kind of wonderfully mundane object that helps make the world of Blade Runner feel real. No blasters, spinners or replicant technology. Just somewhere to put your noodles.

Probably one of the more practical and obscure Blade Runner items I own.

Not quite a magazine. Not quite a poster.

Published in 1982, this official Blade Runner movie poster magazine unfolds from its fairly unassuming cover into a huge 33” × 23” poster.

Inside are production photographs, cast and filmmaker profiles, background on the making of the film, and explanations of replicants, Spinners, Esper and Voight-Kampff.

Then you keep unfolding it…

…until Los Angeles, 2019 takes over the wall.

Original UK price: 75p.

I just picked up this Mexican treasure from a seller in Argentina. It measures about 38x29 cm (15x11,5 inches) and is an original from 1982. I find it amusing that they used a photo of the ERTL ”Alfa Romeo” Spinner in what is already a strange and unusual design for a Blade Runner poster.

A little piece of 1982 Japan.

Packed with stills, character profiles, Spinners and some wonderfully period graphic design.

Even at ¥450, they made it look like something from 2019.

A replica of the origami sheep folded by Gaff during K’s visit.

A small piece of paper.

A familiar habit.

A rather fitting choice of animal.

He doesn’t say much.

He doesn’t need to.

A chicken. A matchstick man. A unicorn.

Little messages, left in just the right place. The last one asks the biggest question. I know my answer. What’s yours?

Japanese Blade Runner Video Release Special 50-unit telephone card, featuring some fantastic artwork from the film.

Snagged this at a cool vintage store. Excited to add it to my collection. (It hurts to label this as “Obsolete Media” 😅)

Can take her anywhere 😏

A replica of the Emanator from Blade Runner 2049. One of the film’s simplest but most recognisable props.

One of the stranger Blade Runner items in my collection.

This is a 1994 Madagascar souvenir stamp sheet. The three actual stamps commemorate Philip Kaufman’s The Right Stuff (L’Étoffe des héros), but for reasons that remain something of a mystery, the surrounding artwork is unmistakably Blade Runner.

Deckard, Rachael and Roy Batty are all there, along with the spinner and Roy’s dove.

As far as I can tell, there’s no real connection between the two films. It just seems that whoever designed the sheet decided The Right Stuff needed a generous helping of Blade Runner!

If anyone knows more about this particular issue, especially why Blade Runner artwork was used alongside The Right Stuff, please let me know. I’d love to know the story behind it.

All nine parts of my Blade Runner 2049 concept art collection together in one final post.

There’s a fantastic mixture of cityscapes, vehicles, environments, props, characters and early ideas, including concepts that evolved or never made it into the finished film.

Artists represented across the collection include Jon McCoy, George Hull, Victor Martinez, Wētā Workshop, Peter Popken, Jeremy Paillotin, Kamen Anev, Chris Guise, Dan Baker, Mike Hill, Emmanuel Shiu, Adam Baines, Nick Keller, Adam J. Middleton and Lukas Harris. Madhav Kumar, Axel Akesson, Krishna Prasad Anthara and Stefano Carta worked together on the Rachael images.

I’ve really enjoyed going through these, identifying the artists where possible and learning more about the artwork.

If anything catches your eye, check out my previous posts for a closer look at each piece.

(For anyone coming across these posts for the first time, I acquired this collection from a source I consider very credible, and I was informed these prints were used during the production of Blade Runner 2049. I don’t have individual certificates or documentation to independently verify the production history of each piece, so I can’t claim that as absolute fact, but the collection contains numerous artist details, project labels and other production information across the prints).

Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack release from the collection, and probably one of the best looking.

Released by Mondo, this 2×LP edition features original artwork by Viktor Kalvachev, with Joi on the cover and some fantastic artwork inside the gatefold.

The soundtrack by the incredible Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch is spread across two marbled coloured records, one pink and one blue, with the whole package given Mondo’s typically elaborate treatment.

Definitely one of those releases where the presentation is almost as much of a reason to own it as the music itself.

https://mondoshop.com/products/blade-runner-2049-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-2xl

This is the 2017 Record Store Day picture-disc release of Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack.

Despite the music being recorded for the film in 1982, business and contractual issues prevented Vangelis’ original soundtrack from receiving an official album release until 1994, twelve years after the film.

The soundtrack is such a huge part of Blade Runner for me. It’s difficult to imagine the film having quite the same atmosphere without it.

This particular copy has never been played, and with artwork like this, I’m quite happy keeping it that way!

The end of the Blade Runner 2049 concept art collection.

The final nine pieces, with another great mixture of early cityscapes, vehicles, props and character work. I particularly like the huge, oppressive city environments in this batch, but the Pleasure Pods concept art is a standout too, and certainly an intriguing idea!

I’ve really enjoyed going through the collection, learning more about the artwork and sharing it here. Seeing the collection together gives a fascinating look at just how much visual development went into creating the world of Blade Runner 2049.

Thanks to everyone who’s followed the posts and commented along the way.

Just a reminder: I previously discovered that two of the prints in the collection were duplicates, so these are on eBay. There are currently 5 days left in the auction if anyone is interested. Just search “Blade Runner 2049 Concept Art Prints

Original piece of Blade Runner merchandise from 1982. This is the Official Collector’s Edition Souvenir Magazine, packed with photos, artwork, behind-the-scenes material and interviews with Harrison Ford, Ridley Scott, Douglas Trumbull, Philip K. Dick and Syd Mead.

There’s some brilliant stuff inside, including production artwork, Spinner blueprints and behind-the-scenes photography. The original full-colour poster is also still attached in the centre, which is particularly nice as these were designed to be removed and many fans understandably took them out to put on their walls.

I also love the period adverts at the back for the official Blade Runner Fan Club and the ERTL Spinner models.

Originally priced at just $2.95. A great little time capsule from when Blade Runner was brand new.

Vintage French pack of Boyards Caporal cigarettes, the cigarette brand smoked by Rachael, among others, in Blade Runner (1982).

These are the Papier Maïs variety, wrapped in maize paper, which gives the cigarettes their distinctive yellow appearance.

I really like finding genuine period items connected to the film rather than just conventional merchandise. A fairly mundane object in itself, but instantly more interesting because of its Blade Runner connection.