I have settled on design number 8.
As this model is going to end up to be a physical 3d printed model, I began by figuring out the bare basics.
- How does the head fit inside?
- How does the helmet open up?
- What is the most efficient way of spliting the helmet into pieces for 3d printing?
- How does a real mechanism fit inside and operate the movement of the opening mask?
Once I had these questions answered I was ready to prepare my model in Zbrush, which currently is my number 1 tool for any kind of design work.