[MrWilliamGraham]

Removing the neck ring without cutting it off can be quite annoying and tricky. Here's the procedure that worked for me:

Microwave some water for about 30s. It pretty much needs to be near scalding, so don't hurt yourself. Afterwards, drop the neck piece and let it sit there for another 30 seconds or so. The important part is that you want to get the plastic to be REALLY soft and plilable.

To remove the ring, you essentially need to rip the two neck pieces apart. The ring is just sandwiched in place. But the two neck pieces are glued in place at a plug that is on the top joint piece.

I suggest you use something flat and durable to start prying these two pieces. I ended up using one of those orange LEGO plate separators. DO NOT use a flathead screwdriver or something metal/sharp, the risk of injury is really high that way

So get some separation from the two pieces at the top seam of the ring. I suggest wedging in through the sides of the neck, not through the front or the back. If the plastic is really, really soft, you should be able to get a good grip on the top piece and start ripping it off. It requires some elbow grease, but this maybe the least destructive way to do this.

Hopefully this write-up makes sense. I came up with this method through trial and error, and ironically the process went much smoother the first time I did it with the Hongo figure. I think I had forgotten the best procedure when I did Ichimonji, and ended up chewing through too much of the plastic for my taste. That is why I don't recommend wedging the plastic from the back or front of the neck