[MOC] Blade Runner Cyberpunk City Diorama

[Menapian]

Here's my latest MOC, a cyberpunk city diorama and book nook inspired by the 1982 sci fi classic Blade Runner. I wanted to recreate the film's incredible vision of 2019 Los Angeles, the dark canyons of skyscrapers, flying cars, glowing corporate logos, smog, and neon signs. And because every dystopian cityscape needs a main character to brood over it while some moody synthwave plays on the soundtrack, I've also included spots for the film's two main characters - the blade runner Rick Deckard, and the fugitive replicant Roy Batty. The set comes in at 1,982 pieces and is available now over on Rebrickable.

The build has a forced perspective design with a minifig-scaled foreground framing a microscale background. I designed it to roughly match the scale of official book nook sets so it should fit comfortably on shelves in various configurations (I think it looks best with the sides extended at about 45 degrees). Up front, a grey frame recreates the covered streets of the lower levels, with neon signs, steaming pipes, and grimy brick. Batty hides on a gantry among the signs, staring out over the city at the Tyrell Corporation headquarters. On the opposite side, Deckard nurses a whiskey and watches the traffic from his balcony. Above, the rooftop has space to recreate their final confrontation and the famous "Tears in rain" speech. Beyond this frame, microscale skyscrapers illuminated by corporate logos and lit-up windows loom out of the darkness. On the left these buildings include the round police HQ, with a blimp flashing its spotlights overhead as it booms out an advertisement for the Off-World Colonies.

On the right, a larger skyscraper features a screen showing the geisha ad seen in the establishing shots of the film along with other corporate logos. The back plate of the build is made up of several layers of cityscape inspired by the opening scenes of the film, with black towers blinking red or belching flames. This backdrop is centred on the massive Tyrell pyramid, home of the corporation that manufactured Batty and the other replicants, beaming a pillar of light into the sky. A police spinner flies towards it, recreating the iconic first scene of the film. Just pair it with a soundtrack of some haunting Vangelis and you're all set!

After designing a good few Star Trek MOCs recently, it was great fun working on a project based on a very different type of sci fi. I've been a huge fan of Blade Runner for years, and it's impossible to escape its influence on the booming modern cyberpunk genre. Who knows why stories of hypercapitalist exploitation and technological overreach might be resonating with people right now? In any case, I hope you enjoy the set! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Siroco]

Amazing! I am speechless! and listening to Vangelis BSO...

You captured the dark haunting look of the film in a perfect way. Blade Runner is one of my top 10 films since I first saw it, and I've seen it several times, and your creation instantly transported me there.

The incredible amount of details in such a small space and limited amount of pieces (love the detail of 1982 pieces), Roy and the dove, Deckard lurching with a whiskey. I can almost hear Rutger Hauer: "I've seen things... seen things you little people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion".

Your works are always excelent but this is, so far, my favorite, maybe because I'm such a Blade Runner fan... and like you wisely put it hypercapitalist exploitation and technological overreach are resonating with people right now.

Congrats! and thank you for sharing.