A little dilemma + paint question

A little dilemma + paint question
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Custom WorkstationI got my Conan figure earlier this week to turn into The Flesh, but I'm a little stuck on what to do. There's a pull-string on the back that makes Conan's arm move up and down like it was stabbing something. Pros and cons time!
Leave the mechanism and string where they are:
Pro: Gives it more of an "off-the-shelf" look, make it much easier to convert
Con: The mechanism locks the arm in certain positions, limiting the range of motion of the arm. Also, the "handle" would get in the way when repainting (and ultimately, filming).
Crack the torso apart at the seams:
Pro: Figure is all hard plastic, so I can't boil-and-pop anything out and try to work from the inside
Con: I don't have a steady hand, plus the edges look heat-sealed, so I really don't want to risk ruining the figure
Also, a question about painting. I'm trying to keep repainting down to a minimum on this one because there's a lot of paint detail in the eyes, and as I said I don't have a steady enough hand to go back and fix them. The plastic is primarily skin-tone anyway, so should I just be able to sand off the trunks and stuff and then just, I dunno, polish out the areas to match the glossy-ness of the rest of the figure?

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User Comments
Robots on eBay
If you look in the ALN shorts, The Flesh has screws (or something similar) on the sides of his shoulders which aren't present on the original figure. I'm guessing they removed the arms to take out the mechanism and screwed them back on. I'd cut the pull string first, get rid of the ring, block up the hole in his back, and then remove the mechanism and screw his arms back on. That way, appearance and function-wise, he'll be the same as on the show.
For the eyes, I'd say leave them for now, sand off his trunks and details, take the figure's articulated parts off and paint everything in the appropriate color(s). Remember, you still have to add several swivel joints that aren't present on the Conan figure, such as waist and neck articulation. So cut those parts off and screw them back on.
BTW, are the Conan figure's eyes originally blue? I don't actually have mine next to me at the moment, and I forgot. If they are, then leave them alone, as The Flesh's eyes are blue. If not, then paint the eyes last.