help with first figure

If you have a grinder that would be handy...but I usually just whittle away at it with a sharp knife and then sand the rest. You can also pass a knife around the unwanted stub a few times and then snap it off, then sand the rest. A fine tooth saw would be another way to go. As with any kit, test fit the parts before gluing....some use an epoxy so they have some time to fiddle with the final positioning - this comes in handy if the figure is holding something, a weapon for example. The head too you will probably be able to pose in more than one postion. Have it slanted a bit to one side or looking a bit left or to the right, whatever looks natural. This makes the figure more interesting as opposed to facing straight forward.

I always use a razor saw to cut off the bullk of the casting blocks (it's like a super fine hacksaw. X-acto makes them as well as other manufacturers).Then you can trim the remainder off with a hobby knife and clean it up with sandpaper. Test fit your parts a few times before glueing anything together. ABOVE ALL ELSE USE A RESPIRATOR OR A MASK WHEN WORKING WITH RESIN PARTS-THE DUST IS VERY FINE AND BAD FOR YOU!

I use a fine razor saw to cut the parts from the molding plugs, and you'll be best to get a fairly deep blade to cut the parts from the bottom of the torso and top of the legs. Once you have cut most of the blocks away, tape a full sheet of 400 grit paper (or coarser if you like) to a flat piece of wood, or even better a thick piece of glass, then by moving the part in a wide figure 8 motion sand until all the remaining resin plug is removed. If you change direction often, and rotate the part every few circuits, you will find the surfaces end up quite flat. Be sure to use wet and dry paper with plenty of water as this will keep down the resin dust.