UPDATE

The forks have arrived! Big thanks to Kcut for their help. Now I can finally get the lifter properly assembled (see first photo for a rough mock-up), and I can get the rest of the electronics fitted comfortably around it over the next couple of weeks.
Also, I just got the eyes working. No more LEDs bulging out of the front, this time the light is beautifully dissipated (see second photo). I'm finally starting to achieve the organic feel I was aiming for, and there's a lot more decoration to come!

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