I for one love the idea of being able to make it from scratch (not buying kits etc) and the whole (long & frustrating) process.
But see, technically you ARE just assembling a kit.
Most these pep files come from other peoples designs, IE ripped from a video game, or a 3d scan or a character, or a file someone creates and offers to the community. (Also, Rinzler, not trying to poke at you or single you out, just your quote led to my initial point)
We do have a lot of folks here talented in 3D design who create their own pep files from scratch, but probably 90% of the "pep threads" on this forum, are just people using someone's created work and just printing it off and taping it together. It's the same mentality as me buying someone's "kit" and putting hours and hours of finishing work into it, and attempting to make it better than the artists original piece. I spend hours with precision jewelry files edgings out grooves and angled recesses to perfection, or filing the tiniest pin holes to give an unrippled and unscathed surface for paint.
In all honesty, I have tried my hand a pepakura, and you are right, it takes an incredible amount of patience to do. In fact I own a Master Chief kit by our own Thorssoli, whom constructed his suit out of pepakura and molded it for fiberglass repro. There are some true masters out there who are insanely skilled with pepakura. But most the persons using Paper-Craft think it is the end all be all of prop making methods. When in fact, to me, its nothing more than a prop-making "paint-by-numbers". We have members here who were classically trained at some of the best institutions in the world for sculpting and production, who have put YEARS into their craft, to have people (and I'm sorry to throw it out there, but I'm going no holds barred on this) who are in the age bracket of 12-16 years come here and expect us to gravel at their wobbly Iron Man pep helmet they made in a day or 2, when we have members like TMP who spent WEEKS, MONTHS EVEN, sculpting from a raw clump of clay, an full IronMan suit. No numbers to line up, no instructions, just raw uninhibited talent taking over.
So, my opinion, like it or hate it...but I think Pepakura really brings the prop world a very unskilled demographic, but at the same allows props and costuming to become a hobby for those who might not truly be able to afford it.