005004 Danube-class runabout “Rubicon” (September 5, 2003)
from: Star Trek Deep Space Nine television series / size: ± 42,5 cm x 28,5 cm x 9,5 cm
Download:
parts (2,54 MB ZIP file)
Revamp by Paragon:
Rubicon revamp parts (2,29 MB ZIP file)
mirror host (Paragon Cardmodels)
Repaint by Paul McCool:
Rubicon repaint parts (4,61 MB ZIP file)
mirror host (The Model Citizen)
Pictures:
Google Photos
Ninjatoes' papercraft webpage 
Where is the instructions link?
The Rubicon runabout is one of my early papercrafts, and I’m afraid I didn’t create step-by-step instructions for it, sorry…
Instead, I added notes on the glueing flaps and little arrows telling you which part to glue to which part, and one or two little schematics on the templates.
Other than that, make sure you fold the fold lines the right way (…. for a valley fold (fold upwards) and —– for a mountain fold (fold downwards)).
The pictures I made aren’t great to be honest, but try to use them to get an overall idea of how to put all the parts together.
hey Ninjatoes. I do really love this model of the runabout (repaint). I’m theSpleeDeal from YouTube lol. I wanted to show you my first attempt at this. http://neildixit.wordpress.com/category/star-trek/
I’m not advertising and hopefully it won’t dump me into your spam folder. :)
Haha don’t worry, I always love seeing other people’s paper models! ;o)
You did a great job, not just on the runabout, but on the other ones as well! If you want, I can put them in the hall of fame: link ?
Not that particular one. I’m starting a redo of the Runabout today, and I’ll make the cockpit removable using magnets. (Maybe I’m the first to do so. Don’t take my idea yet! lol)
I won’t steal your idea! ;o) Have fun building, and just let me know if you want to be in the hall of fame! ;o)
Oh speaking of models, you should make a FB account just for Ninjatoes Paper Models so people could message you and ask for help. (Assuming you have time). :) I’m about 3/4th done on the runabout. ^_^
I do have a Facebook profile (http://www.facebook.com/ninjatoespapercraft) which basically automatically reposts all my weblog posts, so people can also contact me on Facebook if they want, but most people just do so by e-mailing me if they really have trouble.
Papercraft is difficult to explain in words anyway I’m afraid: the best way to try and figure out a difficult part is to examine the template again: often, people simply forget a fold line, or folded it the wrong way (up instead of down or the other way around) because they’re often difficult to see on the printed version.
It’s better to use the digital PDF or Jpeg images of the instructions too instead of actually printing them, so you can zoom in a bit or adjust the brightness if it’s difficult to see.
Once you think you have the right idea, try it without glue first to see if it fits like that, so you can always fold the part a different way if it turns out it doesn’t fit like that. Sometimes it really takes a lot of trial and error before you get it right, but hopefully most parts will be much easier than that of course! ;o)
I hope you’re having fun on the runabout, and that your magnet idea works out the way you want! Have fun building!
I sent you an email with the finished Runabout!!! Now I’m making an Akira Class ship. lol
I’m afraid I didn’t recieve any e-mail of you yet, maybe the filesize was too big…? Did the message bounce back to your inbox?
But I did check your weblog again, and I saw the pictures there! ;o) The magnet-system works very good I see: now you could swap out the middle-section and change the transport modules, just like the real ones were supposed to be able to do! (although I can’t remember if they ever did use that feature on the show…? ;o)
I don’t know if you tried to send me any other pictures than the ones that are on your weblog? Like I said before, I can add them to the hall of fame with a link to your weblog?
Anyway, thanks for sharing your pictures, I always enjoy seeing other people’s ideas! ;o)
Have fun on your new ship!
I sent the same ones, but a fewer number. Yeah can you just use the link? Thanks!
And unfortunately the magnets aren’t strong enough to make every cargo pod removable, so for now only the cockpit is.
I still think the result looks great! Paragon did a great job repainting it, and you did a great job building it! And I think with stronger magnets, your idea of removable cargo pods should work fine. ;o)
I added one of the pictures to the hall of fame so people can see the result, but I linked to your weblog for the rest of the pictures, so people can see the rest of the build pictures and your magnet idea on your own weblog.
I hope you like it, here’s the link: https://ninjatoes.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/star-trek-runabout-repaint-by-neil/
Thanks for sharing your pictures and telling me about your ideas!
Does this ship fit together better than the USS Defiant? I’ve tried it (Defiant) multiple times and it will never go together. Pieces are either too big or too small, thus a poor fit and sometimes even no fit at all.
The Rubicon was made the same way as the Defiant, so the fit is really the same (the Rubicon is very big, though!)
Although I always build my own models (that’s the main reason why I make them ;o) so everything should fit together within tolerance, the parts were drawn by hand so not everything will likely be absolutely perfect: don’t hesitate to work with the parts a bit to make them fit if you’re not happy with it!
Like the Defiant, there’s a redraw version available (and Paul McCool is making another one: ) but they are based on my original files, so I don’t know if you would have the same fit problems as with the original model…? And unfortunately, I don’t know if anybody else made their own Star Trek runabout? (search around a bit though, because I could be wrong of course! ;o)