Lockon13
If you're the type of person that thinks you can put together a pep file, / harden it, / sand it a little, / & then paint it, and think you have a finished piece in your hands that you're happy with, then the answer for you would be YES. And many people do just that. 3D printing takes the pep stage out of the game and many of the inaccuracies associated with it. However it brings a new set of challenges to the table as well. I still have well over 150 hours of hand sculpting into this in order to get the details the way I wanted them along with removing all the unwanted visuals associated with the 3D printer. The 3D printer is another tool that can help you build better. My finishing processes are the same with a pep-ed piece as with a 3d printed base. I guess it all comes down to what level of finshed quailty it is that you personally find to be "good enough".
I can see how people less intuned to detail and finishing may look at it that way.
Jim McCrea