Help me build a A1200 system!

[Moto]

So first off, let me introduce myself.  I purchased my first Amiga system back in 1989.  It was an Amiga 500 with a 1084S from a reseller in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  I sort of dropped out of the amiga scene around 1994 but never got rid of my A500.  There's only two things I've kept from that era.  My A500 and my 87 Scirocco 16v.  Both are still in great working shape. :-)
I still have all my original software and 68k asm programs that I wrote in those days.  

So I would really like to build a new A1200 system from AmigaKit and I wanted to get your opinion on the options that are most useful.  I never got past v1.3 ROM in my 500 so I have no experience with using HDs on the Amiga or the newer OSes.  I would really like to be able to play my old Amiga games and demos in PAL mode which my 500 was never capable of.  I also see that there are ethernet options and USB ports available.

So please, help me build my dream amiga 1200 system.

Thanks in advance!

Daniel

[Moto]

Thanks for your reply.  Looks like a serious project getting the 1200T up and running. Congrats on all the hard work!

So I think initially, I'd like to keep the 1200 unmolested as much as possible and leave it in the original case.  So far, the parts that I want to add:

* Indivision scan-doubler so I can hook it up to an LCD panel
* internal HD
* Ethernet PCMCIA card (mainly for transfering files to a PC for archival sake)

The part I am not sure about is whether or not I need an accelerator board right off the bat.  I know the 1200 comes with a 68020 but is this enough to run the newer OS?  I'm coming from an WB1.3 so I have absolutely no idea what the newer OS has to offer.   What is the difference between 3.1 and 3.9 ?  

So, next questions:

1) Do I need an accelerator board?  
2) What OS do I run?
3) Can I easily switch back to earlier ROMs such as 1.3 on the 1200?

Thanks again!

-daniel

[Moto]

Thanks for the input guys!

I ended up placing an order for a new 1200 desktop system from AmigaKit.  I am starting out with a simple system and if I am so inspired I will later build up a tower system.  This is like a new computer system for me because I only have experience with the first generation of Amigas like the 500 and 2000.  I did a lot of asm programming to the hardware back in those days.  I still have my AmigaWorld magazines talking about the newer machines such as the 3000, 600 and 1200.  I pulled them out to catch up.  It was like reading about new technology all over again.

I am also getting the 030 accelerator with 32mb and a 4GB CF drive along with the scan doubler.   I will work with OS 3.1 and 3.9 and see what they have to offer.  I also will be playing a lot of games.  I grabbed one of the newer competition pro joysticks to replace my old blue and chrome one from the early 90s.  

I look forward to getting back into this amazing machine and also great Amiga community.

Thanks for all the good advice.

-daniel