Totally agree, nothing matches the thrill of getting a tune dialed in and hearing the engine sing! ;) That's what this sub-forum is all about!
(Sarcasm aside, we nitro heads don't come over and troll the electric sub-forums. In fact, many of us are fans of both- you catch my drift?)
You could probably remove the flywheel and fit a prop just for the bench-testing / restoration, would also give it a natural resistance to overspeeding.
Otherwise you might need to use a handheld starter with a "bump" wheel like this one, though that example's pretty pricey for just the wheel...