I am a bit disappointed that only the look&feel was cloned not the internals. It's just a PIC24FJ128 in an over-sized case. I would much prefer to have a clone that comes with a thick manual and that you need to solder for 2 days. That would be fun. Something ala Ben Eater computer but more pro.<p>The pricing page is funny, especially the old price listing saying how much you get for "free" with this kit. You start expecting an unreasonable price after that and indeed you are not disappointed.
I have an original, real Altair 8800. They aren't super solidly built (lots of individual wires), and having been sold as kits, the assembly quality on them is very variable. Among the many tens of vintage computers I own, the Altair is definitely the most finicky to keep running.<p>If you're interested in understanding what it was like to use an Altair 8800, the software available for it, etc., this is a great way to go. I've been really tempted to get one myself.
Been daydreaming about a full-size working replica of an IBM System/360 processor unit (mostly empty, with an RPi Zero inconspicuously glued to one of the corners inside).
This YouTube channel has a ton of great Altair videos. I learned so much!
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB3mwSROoJ4KLWM8KwK0cD1dhX35wILBj" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB3mwSROoJ4KLWM8KwK0c...</a>
A computer with a backplane form-factor that mimicked the old S-100 bus but with modern components (and a modern bus speed) would be much more interesting.