Photos by the author

The Original:
The castle Neuschwanstein was build by the Bavarian King Ludwig II in 1869 to 86 near the Schwansee ("Swan Lake") in southern Bavaria. Inspired by the Wartburg castle visited two years earlier, Ludwig II asked for a fairy-tale like castle for his new residence. Until today the king is remembered as much for this castle as for his sad life, which ended not far away from his dream castle. Nowadays Neuschwanstein is one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Germany and often shown on photos surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. Many people think that it was this castle that inspired Disney and others when drawing their dream and fairy-tale castles.

The Kit:
Schreiber-Bogen is most likely one of the oldest publisher for paper models, though it changed ownership and name in its long history. J.F. Schreiber-Verlag apparently published the first Schreiber model in 1878, and already in 1887 they offered a model of the castle Neuschwanstein printed on 5 pages. For long Schreiber offered a model in 1:250 scale, which was properly designed in the very early days of paper modeling and printed on 15 pages holding some 193 pieces; I still remember that kit from my children's days. Last year Schreiber-Bogen decided to replace this historical model by a totally new design using the latest computer technology. The pictures given below give you some impression on how the design and layout of the models have changed over time.

The new model designed by Przemyslaw Tabernacki is printed on 11.5 A4 size pages plus 5 sheets of cardboard for reinforcement of some structural parts. Instructions are given in a German and an English text as well as a photo guide showing different steps of the assembly. For most pieces I followed only the photos as they explain well the location of the different parts, however, the text can be helpful, and some general advice for beginners is offered. The printing and the paper are of the high quality I have seen for all Schreiber models. It is nice that their new models have added all the required cardboard sheets.

The Construction:
The construction started with gluing the five pages with structural parts on cardboard sheets and letting them dry well for a day or so. The base plate and the interior structure were made of parts 1 to 3:

Parts 4 and 4a add the two levels of the courtyard. The assembly of these pieces moved on fast and easily. However, it is very important to make sure that these pieces are put precisely into place.
Components 5 to 9 make up the brick wall in the yard, the stairs connecting the two levels and parts of the outer rocks. Those pieces went together well and the fitting was nice:

Next the gate of the castle was assembled from pieces 10 to 20. Here, you have the option to leave out some parts to make the construction easier. However, the extra parts should not be very difficult to add, and they help to give the model a nicer appearance. Again the assembly was straight forward as the pieces went together well. I was wondering about the dormer on the right tower (parts 20d and e): I do not see it on the photo of the original shown on the front page of the kit? Not knowing any better, I added the pieces. The pictures given below show the finished gate area:

Components 21 and 22 were assembled into the big square tower close to the castle's gate. For part 21, pieces 21 c, d and e can be left out. To include those 12 pieces may not be an easy task for a beginner. For piece 22 I am again wondering whether all windows are shown correctly: The piece shows window only on the two opposite sides, but on photos it looks like there are more windows on the front and side? Otherwise the tower looks nice:

By adding components 23 and 24 the front part of the castle was finally concluded. Those were assembled into the path to the castle and some enforcement near the entrance.

Part I of this review ends here. The construction will later move on to the main building at the other end of the model. So far this model was fun to build as the parts fitted together nicely and the construction went on smoothly.

Summary:

Model:	Castle Neuschwanstein
Kit:	Schreiber-Bogen
Designer:	Przemyslaw Tabernacki
Scale:	1/250
Difficulty:	Medium, some parts are optional
Number of Parts:	Apparently 352 (I did not count myself)
Instructions:	Photos/diagrams and text in German and English
Fit:	Very good
Coloring and Artwork:	Very good
Resources:	http://www.neuschwanstein.com/english/index.htm http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Central_Europe/Germany/germany7.htm