The youngster’s eyes lit up when he walked through the doors at the University of Texas at San Antonio Convocation Center, looked up and saw the red-and-gold superhero of his dreams — Iron Man. And beside him was his teammate, Iron Patriot, in all his metallic glory, dancing to music blaring across the arena.

Dazzled by the sight, the boy hugged the dancing machine, brought to life by UTSA student Matthew Price. Beneath sweltering armor and helmet, the maker of the suits, Albert Lee, committed the scene to memory, marking his first appearance to lift the spirits of children with cancer.

“I wanted to share this with others,” Lee, 22, said. “Seeing people smile makes the effort of making the suits worth it.”

It’s been three years since Lee, a junior international business major at UTSA, first slipped on his custom-made armor. He dons the armor for charitable visits and university fundraisers, but there are times when he lumbers out in public just for fun.

A fan of Marvel Studios movies, he was inspired to build the suit after the release of Iron Man 2. He watched online videos to learn how to make three suits: War Machine, Mark VII and Iron Patriot. Each armor is made of lightweight foam and plastic with fiberglass helmets that feature eye slits that glow.

He made his first public appearance at Ikkicon, an anime convention in Austin, where attendees swarmed him for autographs and selfies.

He honed his skills as a child, building airplane models and endurance to labor for long hours.

It took him one month to make the red-and-gold suit and an entire year for the War Machine and Iron Patriot suits. Unlike Iron Man’s alter ego, billionaire Tony Stark, Lee doesn’t have hi-tech equipment to build his suits. He pays for materials by picking up odd jobs, and when he starts, it’s intense hours of cutting, sawing and filing.

It takes 30 minutes of strapping on pieces and pads to transform into the armored avenger. At UTSA’s 1604 campus, he’s become a draw when walking among fellow students and has appeared at an engineering class to interest students in mechatronics class.

FTK student organizer Shane Fugitt said Lee’s hospital visits as Iron Man are the last thing kids are expecting.

“They are sitting in their rooms, connected to a machine, wishing they were anywhere else, when suddenly Iron Man, of all people, walks in,” said Fugitt, 21. “I cannot even imagine how stupefying that must be.”

Frank Gallegos, the For The Kids chair of donor relations, said the kids’ reaction are “priceless.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank him,” Gallegos, 20, said. “Because seeing those kids smile is the reason why I do what I do here with FTK.”

Last year, Lee interned at Disney World and brought his portfolio, his Mark VII helmet. During his stay, he consulted upper management and costumers about how to improve his suits. He said he hopes to pursue a future with the company.

Lee plans to build a fourth suit by the end of the year. He envisions a more lightweight, breathable suit, buzzing with motors and electronics, for children to marvel at in wonder.”