[avmich]

> However, the benefit is that we would then have plans (diagrams, specs, etc) to build it and one built we can iterate.

To me the current state looks like as if we

    1) recreated F-1
    2) had plans and diagrams
    3) iterated - first to the level of NK-33, then to the
       level of RD-270, then to the level of Raptors
    4) carefully put those original plans back on the shelf
       and forgot about them.

Yes we can't do F-1 today verbatim. We also can't do many other things, not easily - steam engines, telegraphs, airplanes, cassette players of the time would all require some re-engineering. We however can often do better using very different approach.