Thanks! Making "stock" models and textures and meshes is the way I'd launch a big-ticket Kickstarter if I were SmiteWorks.
Exactly. Again, I refer to the example of Nexus mods. The modded Skyrim game I'm building already has 122 active mods, and I've yet to install SKSE 64 and some mods that rely on that utility. Some of the mods make significant changes to the combat mechanics, enemy artificial intelligence, game mechanics, and so forth. Skyrim came out in 2011, but most of the big mods were out by 2014. Todd Howard and Bethesda gave Skyrim owners an opportunity to create, and modders delivered big.
The same holds with FG. Give modders an opportunity, and the talent will show up.
Yup. My only suggestion is that SmiteWorks go for state-of-the-art stuff if and when they make their move. Don't do any big-ticket Kickstarters or make any expensive asset purchases unless or until you've ideally got Skyrim or Witcher 3-level stuff within reach.
If my only option in the meantime were to do little to nothing regarding 3D assets, that's what I'd do. Apart from making a creation toolkit and some baseline 3D assets, I'd wait until I had a moment of vision, until I saw the big opportunity right in front of me.