Thanx everyone... i have a trial version of the daz figure setup script.. and have been playing around with it... here are a couple of pics of the model i created with it... it took 20 tries to get the rigging anywhere near what i thought worked and is probably horrendous compared to a pro's work... but ah well...

I modelled a powered suit inspired by the works of master anime artist Masamune Shirow it's a Guges/landmate style powered armour (Guges and Landmate are property Mr Shirow... my work is inspired by his and a tribute to his works)... i've rigged joints and can even open the hatches... i also created a few add-ons for it to be able to add cockpit details etc...