IF you have to buy EVERYTHING.. "building board,all the ca's,epoxy,sanders,bits,etc,etc,etc"i think it would be cheaper to get an arf.. but if you plan on building kits in the future spend the $$ build the kit.. then you will have all the tools youll need to build future kits... the initial cost is pretty hefty... but after awhile you'll build a 199.99 kit rather than buying a 699.99 arf