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Sheppey youngsters wowed by former Sittingbourne pupil and University of Kent in Medway student Daniel Cooper's hand-crafted Iron Man costume

Excited pupils were wowed when an avenger assembled at their school.

Daniel Cooper showed off a replica of the suit worn by comic book and film character Iron Man, which he made from scratch, to pupils at St George’s Primary.

The talented student was invited by teacher Lin Adlington to show children what they can do if they put their minds to something.

Electronics student Daniel Cooper with the Iron Man helmet he made
Electronics student Daniel Cooper with the Iron Man helmet he made

They were clearly impressed as Mr Cooper had pictures taken with the youngsters and ended up having to sign a football and 30 drawings.

The impressive suit comes complete with light-up chest plate and eyes – controlled by an on board computer – and a visor which can move up and down at the touch of a button inside the glove’s finger tip.

During the visit, ACDC’s theme tune from the film Iron Man 2 also played from an in-built sound system.

The suit was originally created for a fancy dress party at the Butlin’s Big Weekend last June.

It took its maker a year to finish as he also works full time at BAE Systems in Rochester and is studying for an electrical engineering degree at the University of Kent in Medway.

The 23-year-old said he worked day and night to get the suit ready. The suit was made out of foam, covered with a plastic coat and paint to give it the iconic shiny metal appearance.

The basic design came from a piece of software called Pepakura which is normally used to make three dimensional paper models.

Student Daniel Cooper in his hand-crafted Iron Man costume
Student Daniel Cooper in his hand-crafted Iron Man costume

Mr Cooper said: “It’s quite comfortable to wear, it’s light and flexible. I wore it for the first time for about six hours and I was able to eat and drink in it.”

It was only recently that Mr Cooper discovered the world of Marvel comics after seeing the film Iron Man 2.

The Burntwick Drive, Lower Halstow, resident said: “It inspired me to go on to do my own things. The character of Tony Stark [Iron Man’s alter-ego] really struck me. This crazy inventor figure who builds these amazing things. In a way that would be my ideal lifestyle.”

The former Westlands pupil now hopes to move on to something completely different, but plans to show off his suit at Comic Con in London and also at another school in Hoo.

He has not chosen a career path yet but said he quite likes the idea of working in movie special effects.

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