I've never tried MMf, but I'm thinking about taking the leap. What I need to know is if it gets hard enough to make figures and decorative items with. (Like Wilton... GAG) Or is it best suited for covering cakes? (In which case I would make the other items out of the yucky stuff, since they are less likely to be eaten. Thanks for helping me out... again.

I use MMF all the time for figures and accent pieces on my cakes. I have only done a couple fondant covered cakes ever and it worked just fine.
I'm in Arizona and it's very dry here so I don't have any problem with the MMF hardening up fairly quickly. Usually overnight is good enough but often times I make the pieces a couple days ahead and they dry just fine.

KimAZ

MMF is all that I have ever used, it is so yummy and much less expensive than the wilton fondant.

I'd say it depends on where you live. I'm where the air is always humid and my fondant (MMF or store-bought) never dries hard. If you're making fugures that will not be eaten, you could always try gumpaste. I really like the Wilton gumpaste & it dries quicky and is hard as a rock.

We'll then we're neighbors!

I love Satin Ice and Fondx both. There aren't many cake stores very close, but you can always try Pila's Pantry in Temecula or Do It With Icing in San Diego. However, with gas prices the way they are shipping costs might be cheaper than driving! Definitely try MMF too. It is not as easy to wrok with as the "real" stuff, but it tastes good and is very easy to make.

Try the Wilton gumpaste if you're doing figures. It is like fondant - yes you can use the gel colors. It just dries very quickly, so you can't leave it out long while you're working with it. And you really have to knead it a lot at first to get it a nice consistency to work with.