The next castle, already prepared, is Tannenfels Castle. A hillside castle on a steep slope formed during the Ice Age. Two rocks broke off above, coming to lie next to each other in the scree. The larger one protruded 10 meters, the smaller 6 meters, from the scree. This rock formation was already used as a protected camp before the castle.
Trenches for iron ore mining had been dug to the left and right of the rock in earlier years. Towards the valley side, the terrain behind the rocks was flattened to about 80 meters, making it ideal for a farmyard or outer bailey.
The castle’s residential tower was built on the larger rock. The smaller rock presumably had a protected inner courtyard, but this cannot be precisely verified.
The website Burgen-archiv.de lists the residential tower as being 30 meters high, plus the 10 meters of the rock. However, this seems rather optimistic to me. After extensive testing and several prints, I decided to construct it at approximately 23 meters (plus 10 meters of rock).
First, I built a test diorama a quarter of the size of the final diorama to get an idea of ​​the terrain layout and proportions. I’m currently still printing the roof, as I’m not sure which of the reconstruction drawings I consulted will look best in the diorama.
Sorry for the long post. I have a lot more to write, but the short version is almost too long.
When I saw the cigarette I thought “that’s nice but a bit overdone for an ashtray!” 
Loving all of your stuff Frank. Loads of research and preparation leading to fantastic finished models!
Love it! Great compact little castle. What scale is it - 1/144? 
Thank you very much for the comments
mmmh…what a pity. You put in all your effort and nothing happens 
25% of the original model…so 1:288
@Sam: Would you prefer a money box instead of an ashtray?
The drawbridge chains and a dung heap were added. The previous photos weren’t the final version.
Research is key to creating a realistic castle. Unfortunately, the information is often contradictory or sparse. Other people’s reconstruction drawings only convey their ideas. I supplement these with my own. Unfortunately, the result will never be the right one…always just “this is how it could have been.” That’s why I take the liberties and combine the diorama with my own ideas, which, however, are demonstrably incorrect in their form. At Reussenstein Castle, for example, the area in front of the castle facing the mountain and the entrance to the main castle.
You sure are creating some beautiful castles…
Thank you very much for the compliments
Who cares?? 98% of people who view your models won’t be aware of any discrepancies, and will just be admiring your fantastic work!
On a modelshow: Guck mal Mama, ne Ritterburg!
Me too that’s great work. Not many castles in Australia