I bought a Chameleon the other month and that wasn't exactly cheap, but I'll be buggered if I can see the need for a $600 emulated C64 that won't let me plug in a real floppy.
Now I could see the market for a cheap (and I do mean cheap) retro style case for those who want to use the Chamelon in "standalone" mode without having to plug it in to a real C64.
Doing a case in small numbers is never going to be cheap. Which is why the vic/c64/c16 used the same moulds.
If you want a 64 then the cheapest way is to buy an original one & get a 1541 ultimate II.
A stand alone chameleon is no better than an emulator on a PC, you can plug a 1541 & joystick into any PC using a USB adapter.