Batman is out to lunch: Meet the creator behind these cosplay masterpieces

Not all heroes wear capes, the adage goes. But not all heroes come out of the mutagen ooze with the same teenage fine motor skills they had when they went in. Not all heroes have opposable thumbs.

It's a tender scene. It's the kind of moment that you can imagine superheroes might share after the credits roll. Having defeated the alien army, the Avengers duck off for shawarma. Batman and Leonardo go for a Chicken Holy Basil Bomb from The Grateful Thai at Charlestown, with a golden fried egg that could have fallen out of the sun.

Sure, mate, I just had to put Superman down, but spoons can be a nightmare when you've got two fewer fingers than you used to have before you became a ninja.

No job is too small for the real heroes.

"I don't often get to see my suits in person, walking around like this," Simon Wait says, like a proud dad, as he helps Leonardo with the flatware. "When you put them on and look in the mirror, it's different from seeing them in front of you. It's so cool. You don't get to see it come alive until you can see it in three dimensions."

Mr Wait has been building elaborate cosplay suits for more than a decade. He started with Iron Man, creating a full armour set from whatever material he could find for his 40^th birthday. These days, his creations are made mostly from EVA foam - a mainstay for the art because of its versatility and wear - but his first creations were made from anything that would do the job. Home gym mats scavenged from hard collection nights, shampoo bottles, anything that - with a little creativity and care - could look like the genuine article.

"You can do 3D printing, and you can make something that's 100 per cent accurate, but I'm old school," he says, "I like to get hands-on and repurpose things."

A fortnight ago, he was awarded the most creative build at the fan and pop culture event Supernova for his epic Ninja Turtles-Ghostbusters crossover.

Just outside the restaurant, another of Mr Wait's creations, the Ninja Turtle Raphael, was swamped by kids lining up for a photo. Inside the suit, Tia Lobley knew all the moves. When a youngster stepped up for a high-five, the rough and tough Ninja Turtle shook it off as if they had just had a run-in with the Shredder.

Simon Burns wrestled with his Turtle's dexterity at the table as Mr Wait helped him make sure he was looking the right way for the camera.

"I'm a pretty reserved person, to be honest; I'm a kind of quiet person. But if I've got the suit on, I could dance in front of 10,000 people," Mr Wait says. "You can put on the suit and do whatever."

"You're 10ft tall and bulletproof," I offer.

"Yeah," Mr Wait replies. He says he had thought about bringing his Bumblebee suit for the outing but decided against it because it would have been too big.

"It's insane," he says. "It's a great suit. But it's 10ft tall."

You've probably seen one of Mr Wait's creations before. His Bumblebee visited Fort Scracthley a few weeks ago, and Batman has been a regular at local charity events. Sometimes, the former owner of the Wallsend pop culture shop gets into character to bring a little joy. That's what it's all about, he says, the double-take from a passerby, the way the costume attracts people and makes them smile.

After a shock sellout last year, Mr Wait is bringing his best to Lake Macqaurie's second Pop-Bam culture festival at Rathmines on July 27. The weekend event took off last year and will bring together the best of local fan culture, from cosplay to video games and Swordcraft battles to LEGO exhibits.

The inclusive, all-ages festival organised by Lake Macquarie Council promises something for everyone: movies, TV, comics, music, and more. Booking details, dates and ticket prices are available on the council's website.