Nice report Andy. Those 3x plastics are a trip. I worked with that material a little bit at SR when it was first introduced.
It is a lot different than regular plastic as it does not come in a liquid form but instead in little balls. I seem to remember it smelling really sweet as well. Also it has to be Melted over direct heat, no Microwaves. And colors are limited becasue while regular plastics can be colored with power or liquid colorant, this can only use powder.
Overall it is a huge PITA to work with but great to fish with (most the time).