So you do have a 1st name
... Hello Jason
Young Mr Stahl make a comeback...? I doubt it! It's 1.5yrs already & nothing. There's several constr model companies within Germany that have surfaced in the last 5 yrs, several more within the European Union, plus worldwide... unless Mr Leimbach is a gambling man and throws young Mr Stahl a branch... even then, the kid has already blown his ol man's reputation to smithereens!!! Too bad... the models were very functional, durable and reasonably priced.
I don't know any specifics of Fumotec's 490 hoe, guess we're gonna have to wait till the unvieling at the Bauma show, whenever that is. The Vario hoe, I would assume Frank sold the cad files & copyright to that model to Vario and is maybe making a little from royalities.
Afterall Vario is producing & marketing it on their own dime & reputation.
Given that I know that you know nothing of this pricey hobby, other than written words on the net, nor would I assume if you have the abilities to tackle such an unknown project for yourself, only you can decide whether to buy or build... and there's alot of variables to consider to get it working right the 1st time without any waste.
Personally, I've found it much cheaper & far more enjoyable to buy some one else's proven work vs me risking the cost of figuring it out for myself for the 1st time, and then I can grow from that 1st hand experience and change whatever so it works to my liking.
All these guys that do build their own, you never hear what $ investment they have in tools & machinery or how much sh*t they broke or material wasted during the learning curve.... and I'm sure for them it's less about the potential cost savings & moreso the challenge of "I did it myself", is what matters most.