Philadelphia University student makes protective Batsuit

Jenelle Janci | Temple University

If you compliment Jackson Gordon on his self-made Batsuit, he might ask for something a little different than a handshake.

“You want to give it a punch?”

The Philadelphia University student, who prefers to go by Gordon, says he invited other attendees of the Maryland anime convention Katsucon to test out the functionality of his combat suit modeled in Batman’s likeness. It won’t take a bullet, but it Gordon says it can withstand punches, machetes and baseball bats – all of which have been tested by the college student.

Gordon, who is studying industrial design, says he’s always been interested in hands-on, do-it-yourself projects like handmade lightsabers or modified Nerf guns. After transferring from Delaware County Community College to Philadelphia University last semester he found himself itching to start a new project.

“When I came to this college, I was sort of sitting in my room all day,” Gordon says. “I’d get my homework done in like, an hour, and then I’d have nothing to do for the rest of the day. So, I figured, I’ll do what I always do — I’ll start a project.”

Gordon had already made a Batsuit before, but that was costume solely based on aesthetics. He says he wanted this project to be a combat suit that could withstand battle without inhibiting movement. Gordon — who has a black belt in Kung Fu — isn’t shy about throwing a kick or falling into a split to demonstrate the flexibility of both the suit and himself.

Gordon started making the first prototypes in September, but then realized he was interested in developing the suit into a more ambitious project. In mid-November, he took to Kickstarter to raise money for supplies like Kevlar and silicone molds. In 30 days, Gordon raised $1,255 for his Batsuit. He finished the suit just in time to attend Katsucon from Feb. 13-15, where he put the suit in action by engaging in cosplay while wearing it.

While he completed the project in just about two months, the process wasn’t without roadblocks. Gordon says constructing the helmet was the hardest — and most costly — part. Gordon had to create a model of the helmet with fragile, flexible plastic to make a silicone mold, in which he poured a more durable plastic to form the final product.

The finished helmet is about three pounds, and the whole suit weighs about 25 pounds.

“It sounds like a lot, and when you have it in a bag over your shoulder it weighs a ton, but when you are actually wearing it, you barely feel it,” Gordon says.

Gordon says one of his main priorities was making sure the suit was comfortable and easy to move in.

“If this were to inhibit my movement, it would be completely useless,” Gordon says.

Gordon says he hopes to work in a research and development lab one day — ideally one where he can always be working on something new. While he’s happy with the way the Batsuit came out, he said he’d love to take another stab at making one.

“One of the things about the design process that my teacher tells us over and over again that I’ve learned in my own process but now is more so even true, is that designing is never finished – you either run out of time or you run out of money,” Gordon says.

It doesn’t seem like it will be long before Gordon will be busy again, though.

“So I finished this project last week,” Gordon says, “and all this week when I’m done my homework I’m sitting in my dorm like, ‘What do I do with my life?’”

For more information on Gordon’s work, visit Facebook.com/ArmatusDesigns.



Jenelle Janci is a student at Temple University and a spring 2015 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.