You don't have to give in on the feather-push. I would like more heavies. But it's a steep learning curve with a pricetag attached.

Oh well. The formula for a robot. Time*Resources*Creativity= robot.
Time doesn't need an explanation.
Resources can go from the obvious, a stack o money, to a workshop, to a large pile of "scrapyard parts".
Creativity encompasses all non tangible resources. From raw brainpower, to a deft hand at google fu.

Coming to events is a great way to fuel creativity.

The questions you can ask yourself.
Spend time and creativity to re-invent the drivetrain, or spend money to buy a semi-ready to use one?
Testbed with Plywood, or going full monty with the "right stuff"?