Curiously what might you guess what you would have invested?
I have a good memory and if that failed, I have all of my online orders documented in my email account. But I don't really want to think about it. The money was spread over a lot of years. Since 2008, I have had a job that has an hourly wage and I get paid time and half for overtime. So, I usually pace my purchases to match my overtime, typically getting things like a new gpu. Some of the most expensive stuff I have is the real F-4 Phantom hardware and the seat/console I built around that hardware. I have two real B-8 grips and they were $500 each. I have the real stick for $500 that matches the connector on one of the grips (which is the reason I bought a 2nd grip, to get the correct milspec multipin adapter). Ejection seat hardware is very expensive and a real complete seat is very heavy, too. So, I built one around some real components: survival pack/lower seat cushion, lumbar back pad, parachute pack/headrest, and the metal backplate that holds parachute pack and supports lumbar pad. Each one of those items is about $100 minimum. I didn't go cheap on the seat or console either. The wood is very good wood and I used a ton of screws. I wanted this thing to be sturdy and survive years of climbing in and out of it. So far, it has held up well. Probably somewhere between $300 and $600 in the wood and hardware.
Recently, I decided to commit to the throttle levers and surrounding panels, which are available from the same place I got most of my ejection seat hardware:
https://www.flighthelmet.com/ I was in the process of trying to build a fully functional throttle quadrant around the throttle levers when I stumbled on to an F-101 Voodoo throttle quadrant on eBay for an exceptionally low price compared to the very scarce F-4 throttles (been searching for years!). I immediately recognized that it was almost identical to the F-4's throttle, so I bought it. The levers fit perfectly. The mechanical operation is almost identical and with a small, non-damaging modification, I am going to make it virtually identical.
In order to keep flying while working on the console, I got the WinWing Hornet HOTAS that has desk mounts. My Warthog throttle will be integrated into the F-4 throttle operation. In the mean time, my console has been replaced by the desk clamp Hornet throttle with the surrounding panels. Covid-19 plus bad weather gave me a ton of overtime and the Hornet HOTAS ate a big chunk of it. But now I am still flying every night AND moving forward on my F-4 throttle project. I intend to restore the real F-4 stick to operation to go with the throttle. So, I will have a desk-clamp setup for routine flying (especially more modern aircraft) and my F-4 console/chair/stick for flying F-4s and any aircraft old enough to have similar or less controls. For now, both will use the same computer, tv monitor, and VR headset. But eventually, I will make the F-4 setup with a full main control panel with its own PC, TV, and VR headset... but that is probably at least a year or two away. Everything I have done was spread out over a lot of years.
The VKB stick base and associated grips will remain the heart of my desk system matched with the WinWing throttle/startup panel. But the F-4 project will get a Warthog throttle and stick base with some creative modifications to interface with the real hardware. If DCS World ever gets around to finishing and releasing the F-4E Belsimtek started before ED hijacked them into the current development cycle, I will go full tilt to get the F-4 pit as complete as possible fabricating reasonable substitutes for anything I can't find or afford to buy. A real control panel is out of the question... but a lookalike backed by LCD screens is on the table.
