"Seems to me it would be easy to create a couple prototypes and send them to a few for review, then open up orders and not deliver. "

AM. can't bee very easy to do I have waited Gekkoscience upgrade boards for S1,S3,S5 many many months and they are not yet available. Have even send support hamburger money for many meals and still waiting.
I don't think that Bitfury sends samples if You just ask, pure SCAM easy prototype + scam hard.

Some kind civil war or Russian occupation going on in Ukraina so don't know how they can built miners there but at least anyone haven't asked any BTC for miners yet. Only 900 miles to Kiev so easy to make roadtrip and claim scam money back if target is known, I have seen many war zones in my life.