The VPC1 is a first-class keyboard—built like a tank. I’ve had mine since 2013, scuffed but still plays like new. Physical limitations now suggest that a lighter action would suit me better… I'm still undecided.
I used to do a restaurant gig on a new smaller Yamaha grand and distinctly remember the action being at least as heavy as the VPC1. And yes, the volume level of a real piano can be something of a shock—louder across the range for digital piano players, I guess, because we get used to playing at ‘polite’ levels.
The sustain pedal I’m using is an old Yamaha FC3, now discontinued—superseded, I suppose, by the FC4. I’d recommend the M-Audio SP-2, which I bought during a house move when the Yamaha pedal was temporarily boxed up and in storage. I’ve since mislaid the M-Audio, so the Yamaha has returned to service. That said, I think the M-Audio is the better buy: it’s half the price of the Yamaha and includes a polarity switch, which the Yamaha lacks. Sometimes, when connecting a sustain pedal to a digital piano for the first time, the function is inverted. Usually the software will accommodate this—but not always. The M-Audio’s polarity switch lets you flip it manually if needed.
As I mentioned earlier, though, you only get sustain on/off—no partial or half-pedaling.