Now I thought the ship was more or less unmolested, before the re-imagining.
Ed did do more to the original model than butcher the paint job. He changed things out right.
Such as-
Now one might say this is minor, but in a purists book this is a big no no.
A part was altered from the original. You can argue people's theory's all day, in reality he did what he wanted. The paint job proves it. I'll bet he was far more happy to be paid for the job, than any love of the E. Model builders in Hollywood are/were not paid all that well. And any boasting rights mean everything, because it means your next paycheck.
In this hobby you can't take people at their word. Just because it's published somewhere(especially around this ship). Keep in mind the guys that made this ship looked at it as a job. That job was about 47 years ago, memories can fade even after a few years. The only thing we can rely on is the photographic evidence, and the model itself. But if the model is altered, then things get real murky.