After a bit of trial and error, I finally have a comfortable way of updating the local #NetBSD base system and #pkgsrc repositories from the interwebs, and rebuild everything the way I believe I want it. Now I can start looking at testing patches, and possibly even installing this thing on a dedicated real machine.
It feels odd being back with NetBSD after 25+ years. Like coming back to one’s hometown after a long while and noticing all the changes that have been made.