I know all of this. It seemed to me that the effect supposedly being practical was given too much importance. Like in: practical is good, computer is bad.

It’s cool to have an effect with an old school look, I like it too. But how it is achieved is not relevant, imho. If there is a physical model, and if it is (most likely) 3D printed, that is not a telltale of a practical effect! That is not traditional model work at all! The more “natural” lighting of a physical model is I think what could be indicative of a practical effect.