I put this together for rhboyd but thought it might be useful to others tackling this build...
The first thing you need to realize is that Watson engineered this like a tank. It's _so_ sturdy even if you don't use glue on the interlinked braces. Since most of the parts are "friction fit" it's easy to try them and back out... just don't press the pieces all the way together until you're sure they are in the right spot or it will be more difficult and nerve wracking to pull them apart.
The numbering scheme is pretty straightforward. I'd start by watching his build videos. The helped to give me a feel for how the parts fit together.
Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex4ql1OlXw4
Part 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ldlqvH70Ys
Part 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OyZzUDHpFg
Like mine your kit will probably be slightly different from what's on the video, but once you get a feel for how he's thinking it becomes easier to figure out which parts go where.
A few notable things...
- The "floor" part was the most delicate since it has the notches for all 4 walls with the "exterior" ends of the floor barely hanging on to the rest of the board. Don't worry if they fall off. Just glue them onto the base structure. Position a door panel in the groove when you do to make sure you leave enough space to slot the wall in.
- The corner posts on your kit are likely different from what's in Watson's video. No skins are needed since I assume he sent you a set of solid square posts (like in my kit). It's a lot easier using the square posts, but I found the veneer to be tricky to attach because I attached it before attaching the posts to the base. I'd put the veneer on _after_ you attach the posts to the base. That should allow you to position the veneer correctly, but have good photo references on hand when you attach it to make sure you get them in the right position.
- When you glue the raised dividers onto the side panels make sure you weigh them down with something real heavy since your wood may have warped since you purchased it.
- You'll want to decide whether you want the telephone door and the front right door to open. If so you'll want to cut those before putting the raised dividers on the side panel. Watson or I could tell you where we got the hinges from if you PM us. You'll need to notch out the attach points on the door panel and the corner post to keep the hings flush. Same for the telephone door.
- Watson designed the windows to be pressed into the door panels. That means he assumed you'd do that when you could lay them flat, _before_ you attached the panels to the rest of the Tardis body. Unfortunately I decided to build and paint the entire kit before adding the windows because I didn't want to mask them. Therefore I had a godawful time getting them pressed in and had to shave all the windows down to get them to fit. This was by far the most difficult, painful and nerve wracking part of the kit for me because those window pane dividers are _so_ thin and delicate. Just take a deep breath and remember that glue is your friend.
- Since all the door panels are basically the same I would try everything first on the back panel and then on the sides so that by the time I got to the front I was an expert.
- I'd also consider painting the door panels (at least the primer and a base coat of blue) before you attach them, especially if you plan to have the front door open. I had a warping problem with the front door when I painted it after being attached. Had I painted first I would have been able to weigh them down as they were drying.
- Watson didn't mention whether you're supposed to take the paper off the window panes. I decided to leave it on to give the windows the white look even when the lights aren't on. I also put the frosted side of the pocked panes facing inward, but that may be obvious.
- Lighting. I ended up using neopixel strips behind the "Police Public Call Box" signs. Watson has holes for wiring in the framing for the signs but after a failed attempt at getting 4 separate strips wired together (lord, it's difficult to solder wires onto those paper thin solder points) I broke out my dremel and opened up those holes into 1 big hole that I could push an entire neopixel strand through. I ended up using one continuous strand of about 44 neopixels to light the signs. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the electronics. Since this was the most elaborate lighting I've ever done it looks really messy.
- I also used 1 neopixel for the lamp light.
- FYI... I used neopixels since they would give me the ability to tweak the color of the lights and even change them by programming them. You may decide to go the simpler route if you don't want to learn how to program an arduino module.
- The phone door sign. I never liked the lighting effect so wasn't going to use the clear plastic behind it. So I decided NOT to use it as a decal since I was _real_ scared of ruining it. I attached the entire piece to the door panel. It fit perfectly and looks fine.
Finally. Ask Watson or I questions. He was very responsive and _extremely_ helpful when I started building mine. The information and tips he offered some from other builders were invaluable.
