Well, i think I am one of the people who go either way - but I agree with TexasMike and Joewr in general.
Here is some reasons:
1st - if you need to ask about assembling it - maybe it is not the best idea to jump into life support equipment - now if you had asked about say - a BC - different matter.
2nd - I find the relationship with my diveshop to be crucial, I dive a LOT as some members here can attest to and I am in the shop daily for gas and odds and ends - let me tell you, more than a couple of free airfills has slipped in and a couple of very friendly priced pieces of equipment as well. And when I neded to get a thing taken care of right now - the tech guy just grabbed it, fixed it and then told me there was no charge...
3rd - I would like to keep my LDS in business so I have somewhere to go shoot the breeze and look at new cool stuff as well as BBQ my dinner...
I know that the $1000 is tempting - trust me - we all do, but I think you really need to consider how often you will be back to that shop and for what - imagine that you somehow does not manage to get your gear together properly, now you are forced to take it to the shop, have them assemble is and then pay an arm and a leg for that service.
There is one more thing I would like to point out - if you are buying regulators - NONE of the companies I know of allow warranties for online sales - the only recourse you would have would be to return the item to the point of sale and wait for them to solve it for you...
I don't want to tell you what to do - I truly believe that we do what we need to - but think about it.
as far as putting things together - have a light touch when you tighten things down - very light, just get it snug that is all you need.
Now - as far as
Dee goes - my next underwater art image will obviously have to be Dee in her Tigerskin suit... hmm - you did say that it adheres to smooth surfaces right?
Good luck,
Big T