Yeah. I would kill myself If I tried to build my own, even if I could scrape up the time ( which I cannot).
Are there any retailers/companies doing one...65...drZ, etc. ?
The big question is, who uses those expensive components, namely the really proper transformers.
You can copy the schematics all day long, without that heavy output transformer you'll not get close.
Was VHT inspired by Hiwatt? A friend has one, and it sure sounds like it to me.