There is a difference between “affordable” (which this is) and “most cost-effective” (which depends in part on what you intend to do with the beast in the future, and on what value you give to the “play time” and pride of constructing it.
Many, perhaps most, hobbies are more expensive than buying the same thing off the shelf. It’s hard to beat economy of scale. But getting your fingers into it and making it your own does count for something, and some of us just plain enjoy tinkering.
Impressive thing is not how well the bear dances. Is that the bear dances at all, and unlike most dancing bears LIKES to dance rather than having been abused into doing so.
