INSPIRED by the Marvel comic book character and genius inventor, Tony Stark, who created mechanised suits of armour to defend Earth, an Escombe resident is hoping to leave his mark on the world.
Keanu Rust has created a made-to-measure, real-life Iron Man suit complete with functioning weapons.
The design incorporates a shoulder cannon invoking the imagery of another Marvel character, War Machine.
The 21-year-old has also named his company Rust Industries, a homage to the Stark Industries comic book counterpart.
Over the course of three years, Keanu helped design, build, mould, weld, cast and create the suit of armour using carbon fibre and aluminum.
“I wanted to create something wearable and lightweight to walk around in. My first attempt at the suit was one of the Iron Man suits in the traditional gold and red before turning my attention to this suit of armour I’ve called the MK1, the first fully functional and fully weaponised suit. I’ve always had a passion for sketching and drawing when I was younger, and that soon developed into me building things – first in 2D and then in 3D.
“I started making props using plastic and PVC leather. I’ve even built two other Marvel character props, including a Black Panther helmet and Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. We’ve tested out the suit in a factory setting. It has a fully functional gauntlet gun, a shoulder gun and a canon barrel-type weapon that fires blank 9mm rounds. The ark reactor, or the middle of the suit, also lights up. It is fully wired-up, and there are compartments within the suit that could house additional weapon magazines,” he said.
Keanu, who is also a personal trainer, said he hopes to one day work with the US military.
“My future goals would be to showcase my talents and possibly work with the US military. I would like to be the real-life Tony Stark and help the military with weaponised suits of armour. I have also been in touch with some interested parties,” he said.
Keanu said the reaction to the suit of armour has been overwhelmingly positive.
“People are in awe really. They initially think it’s a small toy that I’ve designed, but when they see it in real life, they are amazed and shocked. Iron Man is definitely my favourite character in the Marvel universe so it’s been a privilege to build this prototype suit. I’m already thinking of ways to improve and tweak the design,” he said.
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