In the world of maritime engineering, propulsion is everything. Whether you are designing a stealth vessel, a deep-sea explorer, or a rapid-response rescue craft, the ability to move efficiently through the water is the primary challenge.
At EnDTaS, we believe that high-end engineering shouldn’t be locked behind corporate walls. To push the boundaries of the maker community, we are introducing the SolaRay Drive Unit—a versatile, 3D-printable propulsion system designed for the next generation of aquatic projects.
Continue reading for links to download this product free for your hobby uses.
From Sea to Shore: Exploring Mechanical Kinematics
At EnDTaS, our passion has always been the intersection of complex design and additive manufacturing. While our primary focus lies in the depths of the ocean and the stealth of naval architecture, the core of our philosophy is the same: Functional Engineering.
Engineering isn’t just about massive hulls or tactical propulsion systems; it is about the elegant movement of parts. It is about how a simple linkage can translate a human gesture into mechanical work. To explore this concept in a more accessible, tactile way, we are excited to introduce our 3D Printable Toy Front Loader.
Continue reading for more info and renderings, we also have a free sand buldozer model, download it at the end of the article.
For those who have followed our journey at EnDTaS, the Lun-Class Ekranoplan has always been more than just a model to us—it is a symbol of audacious, boundary-pushing engineering. In our previous release (click here to open it in a new tab), we focused on capturing the sheer scale and imposing presence of the Soviet “Sea Monster,” providing a high-fidelity 1-meter replica for collectors and historians.
But for us, a static model is only the beginning. As a studio dedicated to Experimental Naval Designs, we asked ourselves: How do we move this behemoth from the shelf to the water?
From Display Piece to Dynamic Platform
The challenge of the Lun-class is its inherent contradiction: it is a massive, heavy-looking vessel that must remain light enough to exploit the ground effect. To translate this into a successful RC project, we couldn’t simply use the same geometry as the display model. Weight is the enemy of performance.
We are proud to introduce the Lun-Class Ekranoplan RC-Ready Lightweight Edition. This isn’t just a refinement; it is a complete engineering overhaul designed specifically for the motivated maker and RC enthusiast.
Continue reading for more information and renderings,
the scene is AI generated but the model is ours, made by human hand every curve and point.
The SMS Sachsen was the lead ship of the Sachsen-class ironclads, a group of four armored vessels built for the Imperial German Navy in the 1870s. Alongside her sister ships—Bayern, Württemberg, and Baden—she represented a distinctly different approach to naval warfare compared to the ocean-going ironclads of Britain and France. Rather than projecting power across distant seas, these ships were designed with a more focused mission: defending Germany’s coastline and controlling the confined waters of the North Sea and Baltic.
This role shaped every aspect of their design. The Sachsen-class ships were relatively compact but heavily armored, with a low freeboard and a strong emphasis on protection and firepower over range. Their layout reflected the transitional nature of naval engineering at the time—positioned between earlier broadside ironclads and the more advanced turret ships that would follow. Central battery arrangements, thick armor belts, and powerful main guns gave them serious defensive capability, even if their seaworthiness in rough open water was limited.
Although not as famous as later battleships, the Sachsen-class played an important role in the early development of the Imperial German Navy. They embodied a strategic mindset focused on coastal defense, deterrence, and controlled engagement, rather than global reach. Over time, as naval doctrine evolved and larger, more capable ships entered service, the Sachsen-class became less central—but they remain a fascinating example of a navy defining its identity during a period of rapid technological change.
Continue reading for more info about our 3d printable Sachsen model,
When the United States Coast Guard began planning its next generation of large ocean-going cutters in the early 1960s, the service had been operating converted World War II-era Navy vessels for nearly two decades. The ships were aging, increasingly difficult to maintain, and unable to fully meet the demanding operational requirements of a modern Coast Guard. What emerged from that planning process was one of the most successful and enduring cutter designs in the history of American maritime law enforcement — the Hamilton-class High Endurance Cutter, a vessel so capable and well-conceived that it would serve the Coast Guard for nearly half a century.
The initial contract for the lead ship, USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715), was awarded to Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, Louisiana in January 1964, with construction beginning shortly thereafter. Hamilton was launched on December 18, 1965 and commissioned on March 18, 1967, named for Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury and founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service. She was the first genuinely new high-endurance cutter the Coast Guard had received in more than twenty years, and from the moment she entered service it was clear she represented a significant leap forward in capability. Originally envisioned as a large-scale procurement, long-range plans called for up to 38 cutters to be constructed over the following decade, but budget constraints and the wind-down of the international ocean stations program reduced the authorized number to just 12 ships, all built at Avondale between 1965 and 1972.
When the United States Navy introduced the Littoral Combat Ship concept in the early 2000s, it represented a fundamental rethinking of what a modern surface combatant could and should be. Traditional warships were large, heavily armed, and designed for blue-water operations far out at sea. The LCS was conceived for an entirely different environment — the littoral zone, the shallow coastal and near-shore waters where conventional warships struggle to operate effectively, yet where a growing number of real-world threats were emerging. Fast, nimble, and built around a modular mission system architecture, the LCS was envisioned as a vessel that could be rapidly reconfigured for entirely different combat roles depending on the threat — surface warfare one week, mine countermeasures the next, anti-submarine operations the week after.
The Freedom Class is one of two LCS variants developed for the US Navy, built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine at their Wisconsin shipyard. Where its sister variant, the Independence Class, adopted a radical trimaran hull form, the Freedom Class took a more conventional semi-planing monohull approach — sleek, fast, and remarkably capable for its size. Displacing around 3,900 tons at full load and stretching just under 116 meters in length, Freedom-Class ships are powered by a combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion system driving quadruple waterjets, allowing them to reach speeds well in excess of 40 knots — making them among the fastest warships of their displacement in any navy in the world.
Continue reading for more info or here are the purchase links of the model.
From World War I Torpedo Raider to Modern 3D-Printed RC Model
Origins: A Bold Idea from Junior Officers
Few naval weapons have such an unlikely origin story as the Coastal Motor Boat (CMB). In the summer of 1915, three junior officers of the Harwich Striking Force — Lieutenants Hampden, Bremner, and Anson — hatched an audacious proposal: could a small, fast motor boat, armed with a torpedo, travel over enemy minefields and attack Imperial German Navy ships at anchor in their heavily defended bases?
The Admiralty gave tentative approval, and a Staff Requirement was issued for a new type of vessel to serve in the North Sea. The specifications were demanding. The boat had to be capable of at least 30 knots when fully loaded, carry enough fuel for a meaningful radius of action, and be armed with torpedoes, depth charges, or mines, supplemented by light machine guns. Several established shipbuilders were approached, but only one company believed the requirement could actually be met: John I. Thornycroft & Company.
History, Design, and Our 1:24 Scale 3D Printable Model
The Tupolev G-5 occupies a unique place in naval history as one of the most distinctive fast attack craft of the interwar and early Second World War period. Designed in the early 1930s by the Tupolev Design Bureau, the G-5 was the Soviet Union’s answer to the growing demand for high-speed torpedo boats capable of striking larger surface vessels and withdrawing before retaliation. Built primarily from duralumin, the same lightweight alloy used in aircraft construction, the G-5 reflected its aviation heritage in both material choice and overall design philosophy.
Compact, aggressively streamlined, and extraordinarily fast for its time, the G-5 was capable of speeds exceeding 50 knots under ideal conditions, making it one of the fastest military vessels of its era. It carried its torpedoes externally, launched rearward from open cradles—a bold and unconventional solution that allowed the hull to remain slim and hydrodynamically efficient. Over its service life, the G-5 appeared in numerous configurations, with variations in armament, deck equipment, crew layout, and superstructure, adapting to changing combat requirements throughout the 1930s and into World War II.
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A 1-Meter Articulated Mega Model: Pride of Imperial China Reborn in 3D, now completely RC-Ready
The late 19th century was an era of iron, steam, and unprecedented naval ambition. As European powers carved their empires across the globe with steam-powered fleets, the Qing Dynasty faced a stark choice: modernize or perish. The result was one of the most remarkable warships ever to sail under the Chinese flag—the Dingyuan-class ironclad battleship. Now, through the precision of modern 3D printing technology, this engineering marvel has been reborn as a meticulously detailed, fully articulated one-meter model that captures both the grandeur and the tragedy of Imperial China’s greatest naval endeavor.
Continue reading for more information, renderings and historic photos
The CSS Neuse remains one of the most compelling vessels of the American Civil War—an ambitious Confederate ironclad that, despite never fulfilling her intended combat role, gives modern historians an extraordinary window into 19th-century naval engineering under extreme resource constraints. Built on the Neuse River in North Carolina, the vessel featured a shallow-draft hull, a heavily armored sloped casemate, and twin Brooke rifles meant to challenge Union naval dominance.
Continue reading for more information and renderings.
