I dont think you'll get anywhere near the quality you do form shapeways from a makerbot...
anyone care to chime in on that?
We're getting there, my Samaritan (http://www.therpf.com/f9/my-latest-hellboy-prop-completely-3d-printed-samaritan-196171/ ) was printed at 150 microns, a med-high setting on a Makerbot 2x, could have gone to 100 (or some say even higher), but there is a diminishing return. With very little cleanup, this gun looks good. And I agree that both will be around, we actually used the pep files to help us design the gun in 3D. And I also agree that they aren't that expensive. About 2K gets you in, and the Makerbots are VERY cheap to run. I figure our Samaritan cost MAYBE 20 bucks in plastic...