arran - yeah it got put to the side but after having played with mudbox it came straight back out to be played with 
I'll be redoing the sculpting in mudbox after the mesh is completed (just couldnt resist having a play). The uni course is sorted, they have been really flexible and are fine with me adapting the modules to what I would like to do instead of sticking to the generic stuff they teach
Neostrider - cheers
have a play with the mudbox demo and you'll be amazed at how you can sculpt things - definitely worth checking out!
Seeing as it has got me back into this model I thought it'd better be time to finish the base mesh before working further in mudbox. Here's a quick ear I knocked up last night (sacrificing playing bf2142). Next step is to join the head together and UV map it. Then the fun begins!
https://www.flash-fx.net/3D/images/ro.../hadrian11.jpg