That's about $2K U.S., right? 

I've yet to see any home prints that I'm actually happy with the detail on. You almost always see a lot of layering, so I figure I'll have to be doing a lot of cleanup work on my own. Sanding, polishing etc. But I'm still looking at the different types of printers available. I have seen add-on components for the makerbot. I've also seen some reviews that claim it's not very well assembled and some pieces break or wear out easily. 

Are you familiar with CX5? It's a modeling compound developed by an indie artist. At room temp it's solid and can be carved and sanded. Adding heat makes it pliable like clay. Enough heat will turn it into a liquid that can be used to paint with, then just let it return to room temp to harden back up. So I'm thinking I might try experimenting with that as a finish, since it can be applied in thin layers and then polished smooth - depending on how fine of a print I can acheive of course. Idealy I wouldn't need to apply any finish at all for a master cast. I intend on building figures in parts tho, so they will be about 6 to 8 inches tall when assembled, which will allow for finer detail in each piece. All of this is just theory of course, since I don't yet have a printer to experiment with, but I still spend a lot of time looking for videos and info on other people's work.