Thanks guys.
Hopefully this will prove to the nay-sayers on the internet that Flash (before Adobe got their hands on it) can't do 3D - just not some of the more advanced bits like texture mapping. I may be 5 years too late with that argument though.
Still, I feel I have taken 3D in Flash 8 about as far as it can be taken. I'll try for a light-sourced sphere just for fun before seeing what VB.net can do.
All the best in the contest - I'll sit back and see what everyone else will make, while I convert this into Yabasic.