There are photos in existence from when the Enterprise was loaned to a college campus around 1972 for a static display of space hardware. It had been sitting around gathering dust in storage at Paramount since the series ended. This was prior to the Smithsonian ever getting their hands on it or any restoration.

Details like the infamous "grid lines" on the saucer were there all along. But where it was drawn on the model with a fine pencil line it has been way overemphasized on the current paint job.

As all the original guys who built it aren't with us anymore, there isn't anyone with the clout to definitively say whether the restoration is proper or overdone.

Wish I had saved photos from the IDIC page. It was an invaluable resource.

I only know what I personally saw in 1976 looked "right" to my young untrained eyes. *sigh*