Hey guys,
I bought a reconditioned old compucarve from Sears during a Fathers Day sale. It's worked well so far, and the only problem I have is a missing 1/8 cutting bit which they didn't send and won't replace unless I return the whole machine. No matter, there are plenty on Ebay.
In the meantime I've made a dozen carvings on Home Depot pine and have given them all away. I only wish I had more wood and more time to carve. I'll upload some of my patterns under a Heraldry Patterns thread. Here's an image of my best one so far.