Review of SS Rotterdam V Scale Model

By Joe Koshuta on 05 July 2025.

Back in 1994, during the wild west days of the Internet, I launched several travel-related websites—including TravelPage.com and CruisePage.com. TravelPage.com had one of the first online forums about cruise ships and cruise travel and at its peak we had more than 100,000 registered users.

One of those users was a young man from Eindhoven in the Netherlands named Onno Heesbeen (www.onnoheesbeen.com) who would post pictures of scratch built models he created from nothing but cardboard, glue and paper. Even then, his work looked like something you'd find in a maritime museum.

I always admired the precision and realism in his models, but never imagined owning one. They were delicate, personal projects—and frankly, I doubted a paper model would survive the 4,000-mile journey.

Well, fast forward a number of years and Onno is now an established artist, photographer and model creator - and in 2023 he announced he was taking commissions for 1:400 scale models of the SS Rotterdam V.

The SS Rotterdam also holds a special place in my heart. It entered service in 1959 as the flagship of the Holland America Line and now operates as a hotel and museum ship in Rotterdam. My family traveled on that very ship many times—through Alaska, the Caribbean, even the Panama Canal.

So when the chance came to commission a model from Onno, I didn’t hesitate. By now, he had moved past paper and cardboard and was making the models from professional-grade resins with the help of a 3D printer.

The finished piece arrived safely yesterday (04 July 2025), and I’m thrilled to share photos of this new addition to my collection of maritime artifacts.

Photos of the SS Rotterdam V Model

Below are photos of the model, each with a comment from me (Joe):

Starboard view of the model.

Starboard view of Onno Heesbeen’s 1:400 SS Rotterdam V scale model, showcasing its detailed blue hull and deck

The model is mounted on a wooden platform that supports a plexiglass cover.

Onno Heesbeen’s SS Rotterdam V scale model mounted on a wooden platform

Bow view of the Rotterdam model.

Bow view of the 1:400 SS Rotterdam V scale model, highlighting the ship’s front design and craftsmanship

Close up of the bridge and lifeboats. I can remember sitting in a wooden deck chair under the lifeboats reading a book about ships as we sailed from island to island in the Caribbean.

Close-up of the bridge and lifeboats on Onno Heesbeen’s SS Rotterdam V scale model, showing intricate details

Aft shot of the Rotterdam model with the unique twin funnels, tenders, and swimming pool at the stern.

Aft view of the SS Rotterdam V scale model, featuring twin funnels, tenders, and the stern swimming pool

Aft starboard view of the model. When originally commissioned, the plan was for the model to sport its original pebble grey hull color, but at the last minute, I asked Onno if it would be possible to change the hull color to the blue that it sported when we sailed on her. Onno didn’t hesitate and made the change in color, but he is such a perfectionist that he also made other changes to ensure the model represented the configuration it had when sailing with a blue hull. These changes included adding the larger tenders with the lifeboats and re-configuring the aft deck area to match changes that had been made over time. Onno is a true professional, and his attention to detail is unparalleled.

Aft starboard view of the SS Rotterdam V scale model with a custom blue hull and reconfigured deck details

Photo of the model with the plexiglass cover. When I opened the box the model arrived in, there was a pleasant surprise: Onno had created a small book detailing the creation of the model, including photos of the process and design renderings. This is a truly stunning and exceptional addition to my collection of maritime treasures.

SS Rotterdam V scale model displayed with its plexiglass cover, accompanied by a booklet on its creation

The packaging of the model was almost as impressive as the model itself. When I opened the shipping box, there was a 12-page booklet with step-by-step instructions on how to remove the model from the box and remove the packaging in a very specific sequence. Following this process, I now have enough packing materials if we ever move again.

Packaging for Onno Heesbeen’s SS Rotterdam V scale model, including a 12-page unpacking instruction booklet

The model at step #6 of the unpacking process.

SS Rotterdam V scale model at step 6 of the unpacking process, showing careful packaging removal

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