The sun is low, the heat is unbearable, and the sand gets everywhere.
Granted, it’s not the perfect setting to fight ancient aliens in giant mechanical scarabs, but at least it makes for an incredible view.
It’s also not a usual scene for Jakub Różalski aka Mr. Werewolf, who famously set his mech-laden 1920+ universe among frosty forests and muddy fields. This time however, he agreed to join a Limited Edition project that took his art all the way to sunbathed ancient Egypt.
Here’s how we convinced Mr. Werewolf to enter the sandstorm and face the False Gods.
The scarab leads the way
It’s not often you see Jakub Rożalski stepping outside his alternate-history-slash-dark-fairy-tales comfort zone. Turns out what did the trick was the opportunity to set the timer even further back than 1920.
What got you to accept our Limited Edition offer?
Usually I don’t do commissioned or collaborative projects that aren’t directly related to the worlds and IPs I’ve created. This time however, I couldn’t say no. First of all, because I very much value our cooperation with Displate, and second, because the ancient Egypt theme felt just way too exciting to pass!
What about ancient Egypt do you find most inspiring?
So the project was going to be loosely based on the conspiracy theories that the pyramids were built by an ancient alien civilization, stuff that was hugely popular when I was young – you know, back when The X-Files was the no. 1 show on TV. The ancient Egypt of the pharaohs has always fascinated me with its dark and twisted secrets. And so when the Displate team sent me details I started coming up with stories and images almost right away.
Just picture all these monumental structures and think just how overwhelming they must have felt back in the day. Even ancient Romans saw Egypt as a cryptic and uncharted civilization. Their dark rituals, forgotten deities, and beliefs. The forbidden scrolls, the riches, and the religious fanatics in power. The pyramids, the The Great Library of Alexandria, the mummies! Ancient Egypt is just beyond inspiring.
To me, it also holds a personal connection: I met my muse and my beloved wife Alsu in Egypt. All the more reason to feel really glad I agreed to work with Displate on this project. I can’t wait to see how this specially enhanced Limited Edition turns out.
So what’s the story behind this particular piece?
I wanted it to loosely tell a story of the rebellious believers of the old gods taking their last stand against the invaders who came from heaven and called themselves New Gods.
My key inspiration was the scarab and its symbolic and spiritual meaning among ancient Egyptians that reaches back to the Old Kingdom days. And so I designed the alien invaders and their machinery based on the look of a scarab. The rest is just pure imagination and improvisation.
How our Design Studio tackled the ancient tech
Once the sands have shifted to reach Displate Design Studio, the team set off to give the rebels their due and turn their fight into an even more visually enthralling ancient tale.
When we saw Jakub Rożalski’s Limited Edition design for the first time, we knew right away we had to do everything we can to give this scrupulous design of the False Gods’ machinery the most detailed treatment possible.
And so we covered the robotic components with gloss varnish and applied a 3D-print outline on the giant scarab’s detailed armor. What stands out here is not only the giant machine but also the smaller scarab emblem which is covered in duochromatic powder.
We’re in the middle of a desert, so we topped off a scene with a silver underprint to give the sand a sparkly metallic shimmer. Hope you’ll enjoy your time in ancient Egypt as much as we did!
The sands are running out
Now that you know the full story behind this sandy design, be ready to face False Gods as they invade your Displate collection. You can almost hear their machinery closing in, so hurry up – this unique design by Mr. Werewolf is only available in 700 copies!
Next chance to visit ancient Egypt with Limited Edition may not come soon.
