Extended Dummy with custom Mesh

Hi Dave, this post is specially for your question:
Can I extend a dummy object and replace the mesh and wirecolor of the Dummy object?

Yes, you can, using getDisplayMesh and createInstance just like its done in simpleObject geometry class plugins. In createInstance function you can supply needed propetries like wirecolor and etc.

I know a site with existing example code - Snipplr.com - it's a coders community where to get or upload code snippets and they have (not so rich but useful) MaxScript section. There is the link to the example extended Dummy helper with custom mesh:
http://snipplr.com/view/11904/scripted-helper-object-plugin/