I am pretty much in the same boat as you.  Mastercoin is very interesting to me and it looks like the only way to purchase it is through this post https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=287145.0 using the google doc .  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApGPLGUd5ZCzdHFxbnhHQjBDSDVKamY5UHlWdkNMNWc#gid=0 . 

My bitcointalk.org account is over a year old, but I have never made a post before.  I tried to make a post there also, and tried to PM user MaxMint, but I do not have PM access yet.  So what I have learned is that I need to create one post, and then wait 4 hours.  At that point, I should then get access to PM and post outside of the Newbies forum.