In the late 19th century, Merina forces defending Madagascar’s central highlands relied on simple, improvised gun positions. These weren’t engineered fortifications; they were practical earthworks built quickly with whatever materials were available — stones carved from the hillside, timber scavenged locally, and packed dirt shaped into berms. Recreating these emplacements in miniature adds realism and narrative depth to a tabletop campaign, grounding the battles in the terrain and methods of the period.
These models begin with a base of pink insulation foam, carved to shape and textured where needed. The stone walls are carved directly from the same foam, giving them irregular, natural forms.
The bases were textured using Sculptamold to represent compacted earth.
The flat ground is covered with tile grout, which dries into a convincing hard‑packed surface. Once everything is sealed and dry, the base receives a thinned brown coat to let the natural wood and surface texture show through.
Painting is almost entirely drybrushing. The stonework starts with dark grey, then lighter greys on the faces, followed by a warm soil wash to tie the rocks into the earth. A final dust pass with Vintage White and Antique White gives the stones a sun‑bleached highland look. The dirt berm receives similar dusting for cohesion.
The gun platforms are made from painted coffee stirrers. On the stone emplacement, the planks use warmer “new timber” tones to stand out. On the dirt emplacement, they’re painted in dusty, muted colors so they blend naturally into the earth.
With guns and crews added, these emplacements bring authentic Merina fieldworks to life on the tabletop — ready for action!
A large portion of the Merina artillery park seems to have been Hotchkiss Mountain Guns. They are certainly prominently featured in paintings. No one makes models of those guns, so our Askari Russian 4 lb Field Gun makes a pretty good stand-in.
Merina artillery position. Period drawing and inspiration for the emplacement models.
Awesome..have always wanted to do this