This model is discussed in exhaustive detail in the book
The Enterprise NCC-1701 and the Model Maker, by N. Datin McDonald and Richard C. Datin Jr, who were the children of Richard Datin, who actually built a majority of the models for
Star Trek.
There is a chapter about each of the models he built for the show. Chapter 11 is about the hangar deck. I will here reproduce a section about the dimensions found on page 85/86.
The scale of the model was 1"=1'0 while the drawing was drawn to a scale of 1/8"=1'-0. According to my figures, the flight deck was 10'-2" long, 6'-4" wide by 3'2" high at the inboard end and 5'-0" wide and 2'-5" high at the outboard, where the clam shell doors were located. The model was based on drawing No. 6149-14 perhaps drawn by Matt, or someone under his supervision. The original construction plans called for the entire length of the starboard section from the ribbed beam in this half to the floor to be removable for filming purposes. Consequently, the interior port side wall was to be well detailed. However, for whatever reason, the starboard wall was not made to be removable and filming of the miniature could only be done looking back toward the clam shell doors.
'Observation corridor windows to be frosted and lit separately, as well as the control blimps and observation booth turrets.' The section of the roof between the port and starboard beams will be translucent and contain small control lights to be added to the interior. The clamshell doors to be hand-operated and will be of metal for stability (these were plastic). Elevator door covers to be hand operated and the elevator to be worked by rack and pinion gears (I honestly don't recall ever installing the covers, nor the operating elevator)."
This book is clearly a vanity press project that couldn't bother with an editor, so some of the grammar and punctuation makes things sometimes a bit hard to follow. But you can probably still find it on Amazon and it's great in spite of its editorial shortcomings.
More fun facts about the hangar deck: it was made of pine, plywood and masonite, it took Datin 460 hours to build the thing from 14 September 1966 to 25 October 1966. and also spent 3 hours on October 31 repairing the
Galileo model, which he did not build. (The shuttle was actually built in Phoenix, by AMT.) The whole thing was billed for $1800, plus $163 for the decals outsourced to a company called Airmark, plus $175 for labor. in today's dollars, this would be north of 17 grand.
Also, Datin's model shop was in his home's garage in North Hollywood. The hangar deck was the largest model built there and barely fit in there. I wonder if the large size of the model in the small space may have contributed to the fact that the cool special features (removable side wall, working elevator) were not included in the final version.
Datin last saw the model as it was delivered to Linwood Dunn's filming studio, and didn't know for sure what happened to it after, but assumed it was probably broken up and thrown away given its unwieldy size.
--Alex
