It was relatively clear, but I'm not sure how fluid the raw material is. Although the topic was distinctly zoological, my botanical experiences cross kingdom boundaries. They could use any material they wished. Components included PVC pipe, Pringle cartons, laminated woods, poster board, soda straws, and paint. It was really amazing to see how creative students could be, and more importantly, it allowed them to create 3-D models of things that they saw on microslides or electron micrographs.
Most students have a difficult time conceptualizing three dimensional objects in their mind's eye.
There is an abstract of this published in the 1993 volume of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, where the topic was displayed as a poster session. I did take Kodachrome slides of many of the best, and would be will to share those images with anyone who might be interested. Jim Perry Campus Dean and Assoc. All really nice. But if you want to really build histological models, Use serial sections, a digital frame grabber, and build 3-D rotatable models.