You_Too said:
So what would all those needed parts cost? £600-700 like you said? That's still a lot!
I agree, it is a lot and normally I would not do things like this.
However, a near fatal heart attack of a much younger friend got me thinking "Why not" and then the news of a double fatality of a two neighbours sealed the deal!!!
Besides, I have pretty much quit drinking and stopped having fatty take-away food (see "near fatal heart attack of a much younger friend" above) so I will save enough to pay for it in about 6 months!! Apparently, heating healthy food is much cheaper than the stuff that is bad for you!!
Here are a few metrics on the cost.
I went to the Bricklink page of all 266 items I needed. I logged the cheapest cost new and used and the average cost new - just to give me an idea what the cost was likely to be and what effect my "changes" would have.
As per the official Lego kit
Cheapest Price New £508
Cheapest Price Used £343
Average Price New £1100 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
My version
Cheapest Price New £224
Cheapest Price Used £142
Average Price New £604
So, basically, I am aiming for Average New plus shipping as there is no way of getting enough items at the cheapest prices. I have all the links to all the items in a spreadsheet if anyone wants to check this out for themselves...