Renovation Journal

R e n o v a t i o n J o u r n a l 22

S c h l o s s C o c h e m ~ S o u t h W i n g

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Chapter 22.1 ~ The Lectern Tower

Saturday/Sunday 21 - 22 May (and a little Monday)

(p. 39vv)

This chapter will deal with the construction of the Southern Part of Schloss Cochem or Cochemer Altstadt

This time I was alert with positioning part 11/1 and numbering the wall parts as well

I always find what makes Faller special is the way in which the stone structure of two different parts fit together exactly.

The paper masks fit perfectly. Even the placement over the light is no problem at all because of the recess.

"Only idiots and fools write their names on doors and glasses..."

I appreciate the designation for a specific color of paint to use, but I prefer my own color scheme.

I just love it!

~~~

The next day I turned my attention to the bell tower.

Although not prescribed, I found a hatch in the bell tower mandatory...

... as is this wooden hatch

It's the tallest tower, but compared to a Preiserlein...

that's a lot of stairs!

~~~

Monday, May 23^rd

Fixing the crown stone

There's still a lot to be done... fortunately!

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Chapter 22.2 ~ The Adjacent Corner Tower

Monday, May 23^rd

(p. 43)

Even with a light mask I paint the inside dark to avoid the risk of light transmission.

This door was prescribed with this side out, but the wood structure on the other side appeals to me more.

A door handle is made from the tip of a toothpick.

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Chapter 22.3 ~ The Two Towers attached to the main building

Monday, May 23^rd

(p. 44)

Well, this beautifully painted wall also disappear in its entirety behind the tower located next to it.

Since only this attic protrudes above the roofs, I have decided to add lighting here as well. Too cute not to do so...

Roof... and another roof... and again... some more roof...

~~~

The unforeseen gap between roof and wall must be sealed in the proven way.

Mary Poppins and Bert would love this scene...

~~~

Chapter 22.4 ~ The Inner Courtyard

May 26/27^th

This painted wall wil also vanish mostly behind walls and rooftops

I couldn't resist...

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May 28^th

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May 29^th

And again extra illumination!

The cables have to go behind the mask...

View on some details. The door handle at the left is also scratch

The balcony gets its roof, as does the statue.

~~~

Chapter 22.5 ~ A Chimney's adornment

May 30^th

With no less than 1102 parts, it is a pity that Faller has omitted such a beautiful detail as this wall anchor of cramp iron on this chimney, as well as a connecting iron to the wall.

The chimney can blow over in a strong wind. I therefor made it myself with a.o. remnants of the Gennep Townhall (Kibri 8300).

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Chapter 22.6 ~ Staircase and Gatekeeper's Lodge

June 1^st

(p. 52)

Today, while turning page 52, we're turning back to the front side with the huge staircase and adjacent gatekeeper's lodge.

Time and again beautifully outdated wall sections disappear behind other buildings...

June 2^nd

With a slat I press the adhesive edges firmly in place.

That's it for today! Weathering is dripping and drying...

~~~

Chapter 22.7 ~ The Chapel

June 4th

Die Kapelle (oder Rapunzelturm)

This very same part was separately released as 'Rapunzelturm' in 2021 (Faller 130822)

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Chapter 22.8 ~ The Outer Wall

June 4^th

Contrary to what was prescribed, I made some adjustments to the outer wall.

I thought the stone inlay just didn't fit in color, but also not visually sound.

That is why I opted for a wooden inlay from the back.

I replaced Deco 5 with real wood.

~~~

Since I was busy cutting wood anyway, I replaced the deco of the dormer's window with real balsa wood as well:

~~~

In the afternoon I glued the raised courtyard, but I'm still hesitant to glue the outer wall,

because I don't know yet how exactly the connection will be with St. Johann's Church (Faller 130599).

And whether a wall lamp still needs to be installed. Now I still can reach everywhere....

Today, I finally opened the box...

The painting and constuction of the St. Johann's Kapelle is described in:

Chapter 23

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Chapter 22.9 ~ South Wall

From June 6th to 10th I stayed in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

June 12^th

After my holidays in Rothenburg, I continued working on the Southwall.

Deviating from what Faller suggests, I decided to change the order of some construction steps,

to make it easier for myself and to avoid any problems later on.

The sloping part called for a small tiled roof, although Faller did not intend this. Unused parts make this possible.

A nice snapshot in between.

I wanted to make something special from the well. It was clear to me from the start that there would be 'real water' on the bottom.

Because the 'water' dries less quickly than I thought, and there was a risk of getting dirt in it, I temporarily covered the well with tape.

And so the south side is now closed...

~~~

Chapter 22.10 ~ Poetry

June 14^th

I couldn't figure out the meaning of that odd square on the tower wall.

Until I saw the original. There's a text written on that square.

While being in Rothenburg, enjoying a cup of coffee at 'Brot und Zeit', I noticed this wall decoration across the street, written on the facade of Hafengasse 23-25:

Thinking about the bare spot on the tower of Altstadt/Schloß Cochem, I realized that this would be the text I would use.

It reads:

"Gottvertraun und Selbstvertraun

helfen dir dein Werk erbaun

Beides brauchst Du

soll das Leben

deine tiefsten Kräfte heben."

These are details that give a building such as this its special flair.

~~~

Chapter 22.11 ~ The Chapel

June 15^th

Here is a clear example of different order. I first glued wall part A (see p. 60 ad D), and then wall part X.

Otherwise I would undoubtedly have gotten glue traces and I had to press wall part A into a gap that was way too narrow.

I also added extra 'connecting' parts (taken from a spare 8/4) on top of the walls for more stability and firmness.

~~~

Before I close the wall, a few more shots of the courtyard, and...

...in the afternoon I decided to make a fairly drastic adjustment. Something like 'the tree of life'.

~~~

But first...

Chapter 22.12 ~ The Forgotten Staircase

June 16^th

While working on the courtyard, I noticed that I could see inside and stare at an unpainted wall.

The rising outer wall made me suspect that there was a staircase. But the manual showed no sign of it. I suspect Faller overlooked this part.

So I took the stairs 13/7 and this part fit the bill.

In addition, I placed an extra piece of 'wall' against the back wall (see arrow) because of the view.

However,

On Tuesday July 5_th 2022, I received a very kind email from Herr Harald Köntopp from Faller Marketing.

He sent me the now adapted manual of Schloss Bran with my remark considering the missing staircase adjusted on page 59.

Left page: the original page 59 in my box wiht part 13/7 missing (top right) ~ right page: the adapted version July 2022, now with 13/7 implemented

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Chapter 22.13 ~ The Tree of the King

June 16-18^th

Even before I started the construction of Schoß Cochem, I had the idea to make something special out of the courtyard and have a central focal point there.
At first I thought of a lantern. Kind of like the lantern in the middle of the forest of Narnia.
But as the construction progressed, this idea became less and less appealing to me and I began to think of a tree.

Something like 'The tree of the king' in Minas Tirith (The Lord of the Rings).

I spent quite a few hours on making this one tree: selecting each twig, going to the store for a can of hairspray in between, greening...
But in the end I found this tree too bulky for the square. So I made a new tree, finer and more fitting in the space of the courtyard.