1/400 Minensuchboot M 24 (Heller)

The M class were the standard  minesweeper (Minensuchboot) of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The M 24 was a ship in the M 1935-class. Besides minesweeping, these vessels were used for different tasks such as escort, patrolling, transport etc. The ships proved versatile and seaworthy. The vessels could also undertake convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare and minelaying tasks as well as minesweeping. However, the ships were very expensive and complicated to build, and their oil-fired boilers meant they suffered from the fuel shortages in the later years of the war. A total of 69 ships were built in eight different shipyards, between 1937 and 1941. 34 were lost during the war. The M 1935 class was followed by M 1940 (coal-burners) and 1943 classes of which around 150 vessels were built.

The small Heller-kit was fairly modern when it was released in 1979. At least compared to contemporary 1:600 kit from Airfix and others! When finished, my M 24 was soon packed away and spent some 30+ years in a box. As my interest for modelling was reawakened, I decided to take her apart and rebuild/repaint and update with PE and parts from my spare bin.

The camo scheme is typical for M 1935's in Norway.

The last picture shows the ship as built in 1979!

Gallery updated 12/7/2018  © ModelWarships.com