Kentucky Armory Club

The discovery first came to light on X (formerly Twitter) when Alex Perry, co-owner of TrekCore.com, spotted an eBay auction for a “rare custom Star Trek USS Enterprise spaceship by Richard Datin.” Images showed a timeworn but instantly recognisable Enterprise, mounted on a wooden stand. The seller listed the model with a starting price of $1,000.

According to Perry, the person who listed the Enterprise model had purchased “an abandoned storage unit” and listed it on eBay, assuming it to be a replica.

You’ve probably guessed where this is going: Datin Jr was the model maker who built the original Enterprise miniature, based on the design by Matt Jeffries. The Howard Anderson Company, which provided the visual effects for the series, commissioned Datin Jr to make several models for Star Trek in 1964, and the 32-inch miniature he built was used for several shots in the unaired pilot, The Cage, and a few other early episodes. Later on, a more detailed, 11-foot-long model was created and used for other episodes in the original series.

When Star Trek was cancelled in 1969, the 32-inch model was eventually given back to series creator Gene Roddenberry. For several years, the mini Enterprise sat happily on Roddenberry’s desk – until one day it was either lent out and vanished or was outright stolen.

Dave1965 wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 01, 2023 7:10 pm

doesn't come up in completed or active search of ebay for some reason

Dave1965 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 02, 2023 6:53 am

ok, well props for him (pardon the pun) and hope he gets rich from it for sure!