I quite understand that one can manually construct this sort of model-- I have done so, though not for gaming aids, rather more for art forms and general amusement. However, the ability to quick-cut a number of items as needed was definitely the thing that was prompting me to invest in quality, commercial models for gaming, rather than simply using the volumes of free hobbyist stuff out there. Moreover, the cutter would be useful for other hobbies as well.
So, the cutter is not the sole issue-- it's whether I wish to go from a hodge-podge of scratch-bulit and/or freebie terrain, to a more unified, organised method that would utilise a format like TerrainlinX, or not.
At this particular point in my allocation of time to hobbies, the ability to use pre-cut pieces is, for me, definitely not just a "perk". It is significant value added to the intrinsic desirability of the purchase as a whole. If I wish to manually cut and assemble, I can still always do that. If I need to get some pieces together quickly, I can do that too.
Nonetheless, the high quality of what I have seen on the various product pages still entices me to try some of the offerings. However, the current cutter compatibility issues do definitely detract, if I am to be frank.
Rather than simply looking at what I saw on the boards and telling myself "Oh-oh, forget it", I thought that I'd ask. I am glad that I did. The actual response as far as the questions themselves is not reassuring, but: equally important is the willingness of Mr. Unger to reply so quickly in behalf of the company, and that the community here is supportive and caring of the hobby.
So, I will most likely look over the TerrainlinX stuff and pick a set and try it out-- without a cutter, for now. I wil reserve judgement regarding going into the line(s) "whole hog" until I can weigh how much time I can afford to put into these, to do a good job. It's mainly my own problem-- I am meticulous and like to read the guides/do the tutorials and try for a "professional" look, and that uses up more time. I was hoping that the cutter would save some finicky bits.
