I bet that was a Nobler

I always build from scratch, which in my case means a sketch and sheets of balsa. I costed one model as I was building it and the grand total was $100 (US$70) for everything. For my purposes there was only one equivalent ARF which sold in the region of $1500 so I came out in front there. However it took me a solid 3 months of work to complete compared to maybe 30 minutes for the ARF. But this is a hobby and a hobby is something you do in your spare time for enjoyment.

ARF's are fine for those without building experience because at least it'll fly reasonably well and you start to get building experience after the first prang

Kits are good in that you learn how to assemble a complete model from bits and pieces and later on how to decide which wood is suitable and which pieces are junk so you scratch build those pieces from better wood.

Building from plans lets you decide what materials you want to use and gives the chance to make small changes so it looks a little different and becomes more individual. If you're serious about building a better model this is when you take your digital scales to the shop to find the most suitable wood. You can also hone your engineering skills by finding different ways to build it stronger but lighter.

Then there's designing and building your own model using everything you've learned and you get a great kick out of it when it flys better than anything else you've done before