(obviously there's still tons left to do, the furs around the waist, the power claws, etc etc etc, but I wanted to test to see how well I could get a drybrush highlight onto the faceplate)

Drybrushing is -witchcraft-.

Looking very good. A black glaze, or even washing with black ink (shade) will make it look a bit less chalky, if you want to do that. I retire a lot of small brushes into dry brushes when they wear out. Great for small stuff like leather and skin. Saves a lot of faffing around with shading.