Vendors used in making Natasha (in alphabetically order)

Antares Optics http://www.antaresoptics.com/SecEM.php

Astrosystems http://www.astrosystems.biz/

Astro Sky Design http://astrosky.homestead.com/trussdobsonian.html

Clement Focuser http://www.clementfocuser.com/pages/1/index.htm

Galaxy Optics http://www.galaxyoptics.com/

Kriege & Berry "The Dobsonian Telescope"  book http://www.willbell.com/tm/dobtel.htm

Obsidian Optics http://www.obsidianoptics.com/

Protostar http://www.fpi-protostar.com/

Tech 2000 http://homepages.accnorwalk.com/tddi/tech2000/

All told, I'd estimate that I spent approximately $4000 on hardware, and this includes getting some real "deals" and/or reusing parts which saved me about $1500!!!  Add in the estimated 150+ hours that I spent in construction, and you've got an idea of the time and materials involved in this project. 

Could I have bought a commercial scope for less-- either as a kit, or by working with any of a number of fine vendors to customize their stock telescope packages?  Sure!  The closest analogue I could find-- customizing one of Ed Taychert's "T-3" scopes-- would have run ~$7000 with my upgraded hardware.  And of course, as an inveterate ATM'er, I'd have wanted to start drilling holes and tweaking it regardless of how closely I'd worked with one of the "big name" scope builders, so this way I just cut out the middleman... and had a lot of fun in the process.  (Yes, I'm one of those ATM'ers who sometimes has as much or more of a good time making or modifying equipment than observing!).  Honestly, if you've read this far, I probably don't have to tell you that Natasha features a combination of hardware seen on no other scope to the best of my knowledge.  Hopefully she'll keep me happy for many years to come.