Simon Wait is used to attracting attention.
The 51-year-old father of three from Birmingham Gardens has been making and wearing elaborate movie hero costumes for more than 10 years.
But he might just have outdone himself with his latest creation, a 10-foot-tall replica of the Bumblebee character from the Transformers movie franchise.
"I made that in about six weeks. It was crazy. It's the biggest thing I've ever made," he said.
"It takes up one of our rooms. It's insane. I had to put it on a mannequin because it takes up the room when it's not assembled.
"It's incredible. I still walk in the door and think, 'Did I make that thing?'"
Mr Wait built the 27-kilogram costume out of EVA foam and PVC pipes for the Sydney premiere of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a year ago.
It takes two other people to help him put on the suit. Once inside, his head is at Bumblebee's chest level, but a bicycle helmet attached to a piece of aluminium helps him move the costume's head side to side.
On Wednesday, he wore the outfit for a photo shoot at Fort Scratchley to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Transformers concept, which began as a line of Japanese toys in 1984.
"I'm always keen to chuck on the suit when I can. It's always fun. People were blown away at Fort Scratchley," he said.
"I used to put my Ninja Turtle suit on and go for a walk down the main street of Wallsend.
"Unless you've ever worn a costume, people don't understand what it's like.
"This is the superpower of having costumes and doing stuff with them.
"You can make a complete stranger smile. It's the power to make someone's day."
Mr Wait started his costume-making career when he built a "movie-accurate" Iron Man suit for his 40th birthday. He later opened a pop-culture store in Wallsend which fell victim to COVID-19.
He also has replica outfits for Batman, Predator and Blue from Jurassic World, most of which take pride of place around the family home.
"It's just a hobby. I love movies," he said.
"I've got a Hulkbuster that's eight foot and a 10-foot Bumblebee that's on the other wall. They take up nearly the whole room.
"We have twins and an 18-year-old girl. Funnily enough, they think it's cool, but they've grown up with it since they were little and it's just normal.
"They appreciate what I do, but they're just blase about it. When they're older they'll look back and think, 'Look at all the cool stuff Dad made.'"
Mr Wait is now making a "Ghostbuster Raphael" to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie series this year.
He will enter the costume into the Supanova Cosplay Competition on the Gold Coast on June 29 and 30.
