Cool! Thanks for remembering me.
When I was in high school I did a project sort of in the same vein -- a scale-model car in a diorama. I had a lot of fun working on it. I really enjoyed painting all the tiny details - after all the prep and planning was finished. I think the beginning stages are as much fun as the actual work.

Thanks again for sharing - I love a good thorough post by someone who knows what they're talking about ;)