Weaponry to Roasting Chickens

Now that the basic furniture for the castle is finished, it's time to start adding the accessories and finer details.  One of the first rooms to be accessorised was the armoury.

The weapons on display are largely made from straight lengths of wire with foil 'blades' on the tips.  These blades are made from thick silver foil.  I used shaped paper punches to create the shapes of the blades.  For example, the axe like blades in the central stands are made by using a butterfly shaped punch to cut a shape out of the foil.  This butterfly shape was then folded in half around the tip of the wire to create an axe-head-like shape.  Other punches that proved useful were a large snowflake and a flower shape with the arms of the snowflake and the petals of the flowers cut off to be used on individual weapons.

The swords displayed over the doorway are polymer clay.  They would make great 12th scale daggers but really are a bit too thick in the blade to look quite right in 48th scale.  The shields are printed from images on the internet.

Below the armoury a few extra details have also been added to the basement.  In the central well room there are now a couple of polymer clay buckets with wire handles to help retrieve and carry water from the well.

At the bottom of the stair tower I added some simple shelves with a random splash of colourful bits and bobs to add interest to an otherwise dull space.

 On the opposite side of the basement, the dungeon floors have been covered with 'rushes' (or rather dried grass from the craft store) to soak up those unmentionable fluids that might get spilled in such a place.

In the cell this poor little guy has been put in chains.  He is made from polymer clay and dressed in felt.

In the central guards room the guards have acquired a jug of ale and a pair of cups to help the long hours of guard duty along.

 In the torture chamber I've added a polymer clay Iron Maiden.  You can't see it in this photo but inside the Maiden are spikes made by pushing bits of wire into the unbaked clay.

Above the dungeons, the kitchen has also had some details added.

A fowl is roasting on the spit over the fire with fresh wood stacked on the outside of the andirons ready to be added to the fire as it burns down.

The bread oven and hotplates are heated by red hot coals (red glass seed beads) in the bottom fire boxes while a pair of polymer clay saucepans simmer away in the hotplate with a cauldron suspended above.

At the buttery end of the kitchen a few extra jugs have been added as well as the result of my attempts to make barrels from polymer clay (those miscellaneous brown lumps).  When it comes to barrels, the only thing to do is buy them.