Ok, the first photos are the new poses and articulation possible with the alterations. Sorry the phots are blurry and poor. I took it with my camera and took them as after-thoughts but I think it conveys the idea enough.
The arms are now at a 90 degree angle from the body.
Notice now how high the arm can be raised, also the thigh is higher as well.
Front view
So here are the steps.
No pic, I think it's easy to follow. One, detach the armor of the arms from the shoulder plates, just unplug it underneath. Remove the hand and gently remove the armor from the arm, be careful of the bicep strap. DO the same for the other side.
The belt strap across the chest is not glued on and can be undone from the back, you don't need to remove it completely just have it unclasped.
This photo shows the clasp on the side of the armor is glued together at this juncture, just carefully pry them apart. Do the same on the other side.
You'll need to unclasp the abdomen plating connected underneath the chest plate, do the same for the back. NOTE: when you are re-assembling this part, you will require some sort of small, thin tool to push this clasp back onto those little connectors. It's fairly frustrating but do-able. Once the ab plates and back plates are detached from the chest plate, it should be easy to pull off.
Notice that the neck plastic is partially glued onto the cloth, be careful prying it apart. I did it without tearing the cloth and that will be covered up again so no worries of damaging the texture.
Here's a photo of the back stitching that you will need to undo. This also shows the small clasp at the edge of the back plate that attaches to the chest piece. Also note that I did not have to detach the bat belt. I just left it on the figure. Less to take apart, less to put back together.
Pull back the cloth and there is a partial rubber suit that is the real problem of this figure.
Here's the front part and really shows you why the articulations is so bad on the shoulders. Of course, it won't let that shoulder move at all, it's basically connected to the chest with that stupid rubber.
The solution is really simple. Keep in mind that this whole area is not only covered by the shoulder part of the chest plate but also with the shoulder plates; so the alteration you will make will be unseen completely. I just cut the connection between the shoulder and the chest rubber. I took out a small section (just as you see on the photo) to allow the shoulder to go 90 degrees away from the body without the rubber of the arm cutting into the rubber of the chest. That's it!! Do the other side and pull the suit back on(not the armor yet). Test the articulation. Be careful; move and rotate the shoulder by holding it at the shoulder joint. DO NOT articulate the shoulder by pulling on the arm or bicep. Test the range of movement so you will know how far to go.
Once, you're satisfied just go backwards with your steps and put everything back together. Don't re-clasp the arm armor to the shoulder to allow a better range of motion.
Now, for the legs. It's really simple so I didn't bother with the pics. Pull off the boot. Notice that as you pull off the leg armor, at the knee joint the clothing is catching the joint preventing it to go down at all. You need a small tool to free the clothing away from the joint as you pull it off. That's it, just keep that area clear and it should pop off easily. Do the other side. All you need to do is push up the leg material into the crotch. Just a little and test the articulation, to see if it now moves better. Also, the more you pull that thigh up the more it bunches thickly at the crotch; Can't be helped. Anyway, keep it loose up there and put the leg armor back on. Before you put the boots back on, test the articulation again to make sure it's still good. It should be loose enough to bend the leg but not too loose so that when you have the legs straight there is a wrinkle. That's it, put the boots back on, frustrating it is but not too bad.
I hope you guys find this useful. I am now happy with the figure. It is ready to stab Supes with the spear.
I'll post better pics in different poses later.
