The Great Star War Debate Part I. Muppet Yoda.

Okay I am about to let force my nerd herdness and start debating Star Wars. After all Episode III is coming out soon.
I am a big fan of Star Wars but Old School Star Wars. I liked episodes I and II but was disappointed to say the least. Episode III looks thight but then again so did the other two in previews.
So in installation one I start of with a big topic Muppet Yoda vs CGI Yoda(or more generally puppet/models vs CGI)
Article I The Yoda Debate
So Yoda the much beloved character from Empire and Jedi was essentially a muppet that had to be operated on a stage with the puppetier hiding below. He was needless to say cool. He had great expression and his eyes seemed so real.
Yoda of Episodes I and II was CGI. He could move around and fight with a lightsaber(I thought that was so cool) But Yoda had lost the cool befuddled grammer he had in V(Empire) and VI(Jedi). He was also much more green a fact that I might be mistaking due to my color blindness. Now George Lucas might say that the color issue is due to his age. But here is my issue. Roughly Only 20-30 years pass between the events of Episode II and Episode V. Yoda claims in Episode VI to be 900 years old. So 30 years is nothing. Yoda in theory should have already been an very old Jedi in Episode I and II. But I degress because I am getting away from my major beef with George.
George seems to be of the belief that CGI creatures and CGI ships etc are better then models/muppets. Why because it is a cool technology. Because he is putting all this CGI crap in just to show that he can. In my book(and this might change pending the Yoda fight scenes) Muppet Yoda wins hands down.
Article II the CGI environment debate
Why did millions of Fans actually think they were on Hoth in Episode V. Why did millions of fans think that Middle Earth could actually exisit in the recent LOTR movies. I will tell you why. Becasue they did(well sort of ) In both the movies but especially LOTR the directors/producers decided that instead of creating some bootleg looking CGI background or building. They would actually build said struture or film on said location. Middle Earth exisited because Peter Jackson(man do I hate him some times) filmed in New Zealand. New Zealand was Middle Earth.He also built the major ciities and castles. And guess what his movies rocked. Lucas used to be like that in Episodes IV, V and VI but now all he does is CGI. He would probably create a CGI actor and thus elimate the need for actors if he could. Again just to show that he can. Lucas needs to look back at his old self and realize that models and minatures and on scence shoot with huge sets(that take months to build) is not bad film making it is good film making.
There I have said my peace. Wait a few days for the next installment my blood needs to cool.