Like the previous 3 turtles I've shown on here, Raphael was done by first removing the belly and belt, then sanding down the joints and skin to allow the pain to adhere better. I also modified Raph's left hand, to allow him to better hold his sai by the blades instead of the handle. I'm probably wrong, but I don't recall seeing another Raph that's been done this way.

I took an exacto knife and cut into his hand just a bit, up to the end of the finger bandages. Then I sanded the inside of his fingers to smooth it out. It's hard to tell the figure didn't come this way out of the box and odd that it doesn't. Either way, it allows him to do a few additional poses, which is always a good thing with a set of figures as awesome as these.

After the modifications to his hand were done, I applied the acrylic paint, again going for the classic 89 skin tone. I created the belt from scratch, using leather strips from Michael's. To hold his sais, I cut off pieces of Leo's scabbard and glued them to the belt. They're skinny enough to hold the sais in place and look pretty great. I couldn't use Raph's regular holsters since they were used for a Slash figure that I'll be putting up later today or tomorrow.

The sais themselves are covered with masking tape, colored red and super glued on. This makes it possible to add color to the weapons without constantly worrying about the paint chipping. (However, I've found on some of the figures I painted up over a year ago that the paint has adhered very well and won't chip anymore. If you've got the patience to wait 1 full year, this may be an option for you.)

Finally, a clear coat of sealant and a super fine permanent marker for the line work, and Raphael was complete, along with the set of TMNT. I hope you enjoyed them all!