Well Tony and Tom have really made me take a second to think about the machines.
Dividing my attention between the LR and MPCNC takes, well, twice the time. The LR is really fun to use and might be the one I should pursue going forward.
The LR has some secrets built in that I no one has noticed yet and instead of revamping the MPCNC I could do a some tweaks on the LR.
MPCNC - kinda easier to build (except squaring), costs less mostly because of the LR linear rails, easier to source.
LR - kinda easier to use, removable from the table, might be able to make some design changes to beef it up a bit more possibly reduce cost, smaller footprint/usable area. This one does seem to have more fit and finish, and room for changes.