Meet Iron Dad!
Shane is a real-life superhero Shane Bryer, 36, Drewvale, Qld
Eyes snapping open, I leapt out of bed. I was aged eight and my mum Karin never had any trouble waking me up for school.
After scoffing my brekkie, brushing my teeth and quickly pulling on my uniform, I had just enough time to watch cartoons!
I loved Spider-Man, X-Men and the Justice League, but Batman was the best!
His alter ego, Bruce Wayne, wasn’t born with superpowers. He was just a heroic bloke who worked hard to stop the bad guys.
So, it was no surprise when at 20, I decided to become a police officer.
I could be a real-life superhero, catching crims and locking them away!
I’d been in the service for eight years when I married my childhood sweetheart, Jenny.
I still loved superheroes and was captivated by Iron Man, which had recently come out at a movies.
But I’m not a kid anymore... I thought.
Then, Jenny’s friend Elizabeth started dating
Ben, who loved comics.
He wasn’t remotely shy about his passion and wore superhero shirts all the time.
If he can get away with it, maybe I can too! I thought.
As I got reacquainted with my idols, Jenny and I discovered we were expecting our first bub.
Not long before our baby was born, my mate Tim was planning a fancy dress party for his birthday. The theme was superheroes!
Kapow! I knew exactly who I was going as.
These are all pretty lousy!
I thought, searching for Batman costumes online.
Seeing the price tag on an amazing one, I almost had a heart attack – $600!
‘What do you reckon, Jenny?’ I asked.
‘Not a chance!’ she laughed. Then Tim put another spanner in the works.
‘I’m going as Batman!’ he said.
I’ll go as Iron Man then,
I thought.
‘Where’s the armour?’ I muttered, clicking on endless onesies online.
Then I came across a YouTube video with instructions on how to make my own.
I downloaded a special computer program, which turned a 3D design into a 2D template.
Printing out the pattern onto card, I set to work carefully cutting, folding and joining each element with a hot glue gun.
But Iron Man wouldn’t be seen dead in a paper suit!
Now, it was time to harden it up with a thick layer of resin and body filler – which is used to even out dents on cars – then sand it by hand.
When Tim called the party off just before his birthday, I was relieved.
I’m not even nearly finished! I thought.
And when our son Corbin arrived, I had no time to tinker on my project until after his first birthday.
Instead of storybooks,
I’d read our bub comics. Then, once he was in bed,
I’d spend hours in the garage building my suit.
I even brought a telly in so I could watch the footy while I worked!
By the time my masterpiece was ready to
wear, Corbin was two and we’d had our girl, Chloe.
In all, it’d taken me more than two years to complete.
Now, I was ready to dive into the world of cosplay at Supanova – a celebration for comic enthusiasts.
Dubbing myself Iron Dad, it had to be a family affair!
Slipping into a skin-tight spandex bodysuit, it then took Jenny half-an-hour to help me put on my bright-red armour.
Cute as a button in his Captain America costume, Corbin had to have the legs rolled up. Wielding his shield, he was so proud!
Jenny, as Batgirl, pushed Chloe, eight months, in her pram. Decked out as Wonder Woman, she was the sweetest superhero I’d ever seen.
But I hadn’t bargained for how difficult it would be to walk in
Iron Man’s shoes – literally! Stiff with hardly any give, I had to shuffle straight-legged!
Four years on, Jenny and I were thrilled to be expecting another baby boy.
In August, desperate to meet us, he couldn’t wait for us to get to the hospital and I had to deliver him on the side of the road.
If only Iron Dad was real! I thought.
I wished I really could deploy a high-tech flying suit, to take care of everything.
Luckily, our son Connor was born without a hitch.
And even though he’s only two months old, Corbin, now six, loves reading his baby brother comics.
Along with Chloe, now four, we still dress up to go to cosplay events.
I make all their costumes and I spent another year making an epic Batman suit for me! My Iron Dad get-up has come a long way. Special sensors activate my helmet to open and close and play voice clips from the movie.
Having put on a few extra kilos, I’ve also had to take the outfit out a little.
‘The armour’s definitely shrunk!’ I joked to Jenny.
But, for me, there’s nothing better than sharing my hobby with my kids.
Who needs a superpower when you’ve got your family by your side?
It was difficult to walk in Iron Man’s shoes