I wouln't even be averse to sending someone a figure and letting them keep it. I'd just make sure it's something I can replace easily and cheaply, and I probably wouldn't make too superhuman an effort painting it (which is not to say I'd be entirely slapdash about it either).
But I'd also be okay playing with one of the GM's figures, especially if there were a number of them to choose from.
I'd like to run a game like this sometime in the future too, but right now I don't have the resources.