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RAISED DECK
The raised deck is also made from 4 interlocking pieces. I used the same method to assemble this as the lower deck. I also cut off the tabs on the gray section that are for securing the deck to the slots in the base. I glued these in place as I worked my way around.
When I got to the last section I had a problem. Somewhere my pieces were off. I don’t know for sure if it was the way the parts were cut or if I assembled the floor slightly out of whack, but the tabs and slots didn’t line up. I could also see the floor didn’t line up exactly with the riser ring. There should be a slight overhang of the deck above the riser, but on one side the deck was flush with the ring and on the other it had a significant lip. I decided to wait to put on the last piece.
I moved on to the railings. The were simple, a little fragile. To keep from crushing them, I cut sections of bamboo skewers to length, colored them with silver Sharpie and glued them to the center of the rail post. I used my X-acto to make the railing slots in the floor a little longer to give myself some leeway and avoid forcing the railings in and possibly twisting or tearing them.
Next, I glued 3 of the 4 railings in, along with Spock’s consoles and chair, and Chekov’s weapons station.
Time to figure out the last deck piece. The best way to assemble it was to use the line up the tab toward Spock’s station, then cut off the tab toward the view screen and glue the deck in place. This caused the outer edges to not line up exactly, and I had to trim a little off the front to get the deck edges to line up, but it worked OK.
Finally, I glued the other 2 chairs in place.
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