Making a miniature IBM 1401 scale model

That person also made the desk and terminal.

Previous discussion 21 days ago:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23107805 "Miniature 1959 IBM 1401 Console handmade polystyrene scratch build"

This is what the internet is made for. Beautiful, skilled, passionate. Wow!

The wires.

Why no 3D? Could be a good starting point for other proj

That was my thought as well.

I am guessing it's just not part of the author's workflow. They want to spend time drawing pencil sketches and making precise cuts with a sharp knife, not clicking around in Fusion 360 and having a machine do all the work.