[fock]

> Let's just say I find more value over taking a few weeks to experiment with various wood aging and staining techniques to get just the right look for the weathered decks than I would tweaking a shader.

In my opinion beyond a certain level this is also happening with plastic models - the kit gluing is a small part, reshaping the odd parts, adding historical accurate details and finish are the main parts. And funnily, most people doing this also build parts of the detail on the computer nowadays.

[pugworthy]

True enough - not meaning to dis the plastic ones. I've seen some amazing craftsmanship by some people that just goes so far beyond those kits I built as a kid (or ever could build as an adult).