I have this cage too and am really happy with it
I didn't need pliers in the end and it just fitted together nicely. Height wise as long as you have substrate in the bottom I wouldn't worry too much. The plastic base is good quality plastic and fits together well with the mesh top. Also as has been mentioned before the doors are a good size and one can let your hamster climb out onto the floor which I find useful for playtime/taming.
Only downside is that the supplied ramp is a bit useless and too slippy for either of the two hamsters I've kept in the Alaska cage but I've added my own wooden ramps to resolve this. Oh and the shelf can be a little tricky to take in and out but not any worse than other cages I've owned.
Very good especially for the price!