I was rather impressed by KewlToys' Stealthstar. I do think that by revisiting the geometry/UV map, the model in question there could easily be recovered and put to good use. However, given the feedback... "intimidated people from joining" might be a pretty good way of putting things.
Furthermore, I note that with several projects I've seen, many teams seem to have serious aversions to cooperation with less experienced team members. Thus, less skilled individuals who would otherwise volunteer to contribute a portion of a good model don't do anything at all, or do something, and are then turned away after some element of their contribution falls short of expectations. Quality control and expectations are great things to have, but it's probably also true that you can have those things while working around the skillsets of those who would want to offer their services.