Meet the real life Iron man: Engineer spends seven months building fully working cyborg helmet

By Lauren Fruen AN ENGINEER has spent seven months building a fully functioning cyborg helmet to turn himself into the real life Iron Man. Cosplay fan Diego Valdes created his own mechanisms that can be controlled and powered by buttons inside the hat. The 33-year-old even used 3D printing for parts of the full functioning helmet which was inspired by Gray Fox, from the video game, Metal Gear Solid. Diego – who lives with his wife Kristen, 31, in Seattle – used a 3D model of his head and assembled the piece by himself. And just like his hero Tony Stark of Iron Man he is a mechanical engineer by day. He is now finishing the rest of the suit – starting with the bodysuit. Diego said: “I started cos-play back in 2008. I was fascinated by it and how people recreated the costumes. “I found it really fun. It was a novel concept for me back then. “I started building my own in 2012. I started off with fabric costumes. I taught myself to sew and bought a sewing machine. “I then moved into making mechanical outfits after two or three fabric outfits. It allows me to apply my knowledge in a creative way. “I made the first version of this helmet back in 2012. “For me Iron Man is my favourite of the superheroes. As a fellow engineer that makes him an easy choice. “Since making this helmet everytime I go to conventions I get recognised. “This particular helmet took seven months to complete – the longest I have ever spent on a piece. “The artist had gone into such great detail and I knew it was feasible to make. “The purely fabric costumes normally take around two months.” Robert Downey Jr is back as Iron Man this week as the new Avengers film hits screes.