Well, it looks like my "Plan B" was the movie's actual "Plan A", lol. Head almost entirely in the neck it is!

I took a TON of caps from the DVDs today for reference. I'm having a friend make a 3D model of the helmet for me, which will be used to spawn a papercraft base. So, the plan now is:

* Dome - vacu-form. If I have time left over, I'll do a cracked open dome for fun.

* Helmet - removable, no moving parts this version. Fiberglass over papercraft base + general findings for the mouth and vents.

* Neck - heavy fabrics and rubber matting. Zips in the back.

* Bib - rubber matting + findings for the valves and tubing.

* Leg/arm braces - Probably fiberglass.

* Fingertips - Not sure yet. Leaning towards wonderflex as a base + sculpted valve tips.

* Jumpsuit - Scratch-made, probably. I don't want any zippers/seams/pockets that aren't in the movie.

* Belt - Going to hop on the StarWars costuming forums to see what people use to do for their custom belt pouches. I'd like these to be functional because, lol, no pockets.

* Buckle - I'd like to cast this as a resource for other Hellboy cosplayers.

* Boots - Going to ebay/thrift some heavy boots as a base.