The Granaries

As I’ve mentioned a few times, Acheson Creations is closing its doors. They produce some of the finest resin terrain pieces I’ve ever seen. I’ve made as many purchases as I could afford since learning of Craig Acheson’s upcoming retirement. I’ve concentrated my purchases on African terrain and miniatures. Every single piece has been excellent with no flash, no mold lines and no residue.

I purchased the African Village Set, which comes with a veranda, four huts, and two granaries. In addition, I had also purchased two other African huts and a granary. I decided to paint the granaries first since they are smaller and gave me the opportunity to get realistic colors for both the granary and its thatched roof. I would then use the same colors for the huts.

In pictures of wargames or African dioramas, you seldom see a granary, yet in some parts of Africa nearly every household had one. It was considered taboo, bad luck, to destroy one until the late 19th century when the colonial powers introduced the concept of “total war.” Today, there are few of these granaries left. The decorative doors of old granaries are now sold and collected as art.

Most of these granaries are made of pottery or the same mud construction as the homes. The exteriors are often covered with a mud-dung mixture to repel most insects. In some areas, the granaries are constructed on stilts or foundations raising the granary off of the ground. Also, in some places the granaries are painted with similar geometric patterns as painted on homes.

The granaries from Acheson Creation each come in two parts – the granary and the thatched roof. While each granary is a different sculpt, the thatched roofs are all the same.

In basing my granaries, I chose not to add any vegetation to the base. In many photographs, the ground around a granary is often cleared as a deterrent to many pests, especially a large number of rodents including the grasscutter or cane rat found near rivers in West and Central Africa.

I mention the grasscutter, because it has long been a part of the African diet and now is raised as livestock. Which brings up the perennial question: “How much beef is in your burger, and how much chicken is in your chicken nugget?”

While this is perhaps a poor attempt at humor, if the climate crisis isn’t dealt with, we may all soon be eating alternate sources of protein out of necessity.

Your comments are always welcome and appreciated. Let me know what you think about the terrain pieces. And remember, you only have until the end of May to order from Acheson Creations.

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