Photo By Master Sgt. Michael Mason | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. William Costello, 390th Cyber Operations Squadron cyber...... read more read more
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Crowding a bookshelf and overwhelming the nearby coffee table stands a small army of figures. They include a spaceship painted to look like a galaxy, a walking robotic tank with rocket launchers and a chain saw for an arm, and a demonic looking knight-riding a dragon. Some stand only an inch-and-a-half tall, while others nearly span a foot wide; each serving a different role and answering to a different set of rules, but controlled by the vast imagination of one person.
Staff Sgt. William Costello, 390th Cyber Operations Squadron cyber warfare operator, has collected over 500 figurines throughout the last fifteen years of playing table-top games like Games Workshop’s Warhammer series, among others. Ever since being introduced to table-top games in 2005 by a friend from school, he’s collected figures on and off. Costello said there’s a reason he has more than 500 figures.
“Each game has its own collection, and in order to play within that game requires several different figures,” Castello explains. “In order to have multiple options for play style and adapting strategy you end up with quite a few. That need for various units for varying strategies, and the length of time I’ve been collecting have resulted in the size of the collection.”
With such a great variety it might be difficult to pick a favorite, but not for Costello.
“The last one I worked on is always the one I like the most,” he said. “I’m learning something new every time whether painting a different technique, style, or brush stroke. I keep pushing myself to make this one better than the one I just finished… until I finish the next one anyways.”
That pride in the finished product is Costello’s favorite part of collecting the figurines.
“They might all be the same model base, but no two are alike. Even the duplicates and triplicates,” said Costello. “The process of getting pieces ready to play takes way longer than playing the actual games, but it works out because I enjoy the prep almost more than I do playing at this point. As the game rules change and expand over the years, I’ll always have the figurines to display even if that character isn’t allowed in the current version of the game.”
Costello elaborated why he enjoys playing the game. “It’s a great way to get out and meet new people at a new base, but for me the process of painting and that time challenging myself to do something new or different than the last project is way more enjoyable. If I started over today, I wouldn’t focus on collecting to play the game, just to paint.”
His advice to others interested in getting started mirrors that sentiment.
“Don’t be intimidated by the results other people get. There’s a lot of really amazing artists out there, but the only person who you should compare yourself to, is yourself. That last model or figure you painted versus the one you’re working on now. Learn at your own pace, and enjoy the progress you make along the way!”
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2021 21:07 |
| Story ID: | 407587 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Minatures in Life, Giants in Fantasy, by MSgt Michael Mason, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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