Pulp Egypt a Gallery in the Making part 3- Richard Garretson

Welcome to the 3rd and final part of my profile of the amazing hobbyist Richard Garretson here we will get a sneak peak at his latest gallery in the making Pulp Egypt 28mm. So what is the concept behind this gallery and what influences, movies, books etc... did you draw from?

"The idea is that my archeological group has found an Egyptian site that has previously gone undiscovered. The concept that something as large as this could have gone undiscovered until the first half of 20th century despite the fact that it is within driving distance of modern civilization hinges on the vast emptiness of the desert. In the years following WWI it seems reasonable to me that a plane flying over the desert could accidentally happen upon an unknown ancient Egyptian complex that had gone unnoticed simply because there had been no modern reason for traveling into that part of the desert, but from an airplane that which was unknown to those bound to the earth could be seen by those with the freedom to fly. A year ago I watched a cable show that centered on an archeologist whose area of interest was anceint Egypt but whose tool was satellite imagery of the areas of the desert that had not been previously investigated. She was able to find topographical evidence of many previously undiscovered ancient grave sites despite the fact that they are only a short distance from the Nile.
The Mummy with Brendan Fraser is probably the film that had the greatest influence on this project I love the look of that film. I'm sure that movies like Indiana Jones (Lost Ark and Crusade), The English Patient, and Legend of the Lost also had some influence though less direct in nature."

So what will this gallery consist of?
"The gallery will be set on two 5ft x 7ft tables this will be the first time I've used two tables for a gallery. One table will have an Egyptian town (about 22 buildings) and my Nile. That table is really about the fact that I love buildings, boats and people going about their daily lives. The other table will have a large temple complex (2 ft x 4ft) and two Playmobil pyramids (each pyramid is 20" at the base and 15" tall). That table will also house the archeological encampment and will be the home of most of the action.

"I plan to have a number of interior layouts most of which will be based upon five PetCo fish tank decor pieces I picked up during a going-out-of-business sale at one of their stores. Each of those rooms are 7"W x 8"L x 9"T and have a very ancient Egyptian ruins look to them. I've modified then so that two can be put together to form one larger room. They will form the tomb room, treasure room and one other room where a mummy vs. archeologist adventurers  battle will ensue."

Original Playmobile pyramid sides.

Modified Playmobile pyramid.

"In putting the together the two Playmobil pyramids, I added a fourth side wall to both, the toy comes with only three walls so that the kids can play inside through the open fourth side. I left one of the pyramids with the look that Playmobil gave it, which despite it's non-traditional appearance will paint up great and add to the overall look to the table. The second I significantly modified to give it a more traditional pyramid look. That was a little risky for me because it's an expensive piece and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I'm very please with the finished product. I added to the second pyramid a removable section that gives the appearance of an opening into the pyramid complete with scaffolding.

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The above images are of some of the buildings he has painted up for the Egyptian village which will appear on the first table of the gallery. The are from Kobblestone Miniatures.