Catsidney, the brass deck is probably from us at www.modelbrass.com
You will not be disappointed with your choice, as the etched brass detail is unsurpassed in clarity, and the kit contains many features besides the deck all in one price. The proper flooding grate patterns make the model a real head turner, and not having to open all those slits in the deck, well that alone is worth the price of admission.
Here is the URL:
http://www.modelbrass.com/revell_viic.htm
If you ordered it from Squadron, I am still waiting on brass to fill their order, but I expect to fill it in a week. If you ordered from us directly, all orders have shipped that were placed by August 3rd and all orders placed by tomorrow will ship Wed. (We ship every Wed)