RP Flip the Floating Instrument Platform

Posted on 24 March 2025 by yonetici in 3d models, General, Outdoor, Products, Ships, Toys, Vehicle Models, Vehicles | Comments Off

The Ship That Flips!

Imagine you’re sailing on a ship, the sun is shining, the waves are gentle… and suddenly, the entire vessel starts tilting backward like a sinking submarine! Panic? Nope. If you’re aboard the RP FLIP, this is just another day at work.

The Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) is not your average research ship—it’s the ultimate party trick of oceanography. Built in 1962 by the U.S. Navy and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, FLIP was designed for one thing: flipping! Unlike normal ships, it can stand vertically in the water, like a giant floating thermometer. How? Well, about 90% of its 108-meter (355-foot) length is just a hollow, ballast-filled tube. To “flip,” the crew floods the rear compartments with water, and slowly—over the course of 20–30 minutes—the ship tips up until it’s completely vertical. It’s like watching a giant whale doing a slow-motion backflip, except it never falls over.

19 saparate pieces are freely downloadable at the end of this article. Please continue reading to download.

We also have a high-poly version with interlocking details and bulkheads between parts for easier printing-assembly and stronger model. Convertable to RC. You can get it from here.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald 3d Model

Posted on 10 March 2025 by yonetici in 3d models, Ships, Toys, Vehicle Models, Vehicles | Comments Off

She was more than just a freighter—it was an icon of Great Lakes shipping, a vessel that carried both massive cargo and an air of prestige. When it was launched in 1958 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, Michigan, it was the largest ship ever to sail the Great Lakes, stretching an impressive 729 feet from bow to stern. Built to transport iron ore from mines in Minnesota to steel mills across the Midwest, the Fitzgerald was a titan of industry, capable of hauling over 26,000 tons of taconite pellets in a single trip. Its size and reputation quickly earned it a variety of nicknames, from the “Pride of the American Side” to the “Titanic of the Great Lakes.” Owned by the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company—one of the few insurers to directly own a ship—it was considered a prime investment, and the company spared no expense in making it one of the finest freighters on the water.

The STL files for the hull of this 1.5m model are freely downloadable at the end of this article. You can also buy the full model with complete details and fittings seen in the renderings from here. Please read more for more info, renderings and your free files.