Collect by subject, not by impulse
Collect military figures by subject — a period, a service, a campaign, a vehicle type — because a collection with a subject tells a story, displays coherently, and grows purposefully, while a collection bought on impulse tells no story, displays incoherently, and grows randomly, with figures that do not relate to each other, however good each is alone. Choose a subject that interests you, that you can research, and that you can sustain, because a collection is a long project, and because a subject chosen on impulse may bore you, while a subject chosen on interest will sustain you, through years of collecting, when new figures appear and old ones become scarce.
A subject also guides purchasing: a collector with a subject knows what to buy next, what to pass over, and what to seek, while a collector without a subject buys whatever appears, and owns a shelf of unrelated figures, each good alone, but incoherent together. Define your subject early, write it down, and buy to it, because a collection defined early is a collection that will cohere, while a collection defined late, or never, is a collection that will need culling, selling, or reorganising, at cost, effort, and regret.
Collect by scale, and stay with it
Collect military figures at one scale, and stay with it, because a collection in one scale displays coherently, with figures that relate to each other in size, while a collection in mixed scales displays incoherently, with figures that dwarf or are dwarfed by their neighbours, however good each is alone. Choose a scale that suits your display space, your budget, and your subject, because a large scale needs more space and more money per figure, while a small scale needs less of both, but shows less detail, and because a scale chosen for space and budget is a scale that can be sustained, while a scale chosen without them is a scale that will strain both.
A scale also guides compatibility: figures, vehicles, and accessories at the same scale can be displayed together, in dioramas, scenes, and groups, while figures at different scales cannot, because a 1/18 figure beside a 1/43 vehicle looks absurd, however good each is alone. Stay with your scale, and buy only to it, because a collection that stays in scale is a collection that can be displayed as a whole, while a collection that mixes scales must be displayed in parts, separated by scale, losing the coherence that makes a collection more than its figures.
Accuracy: what to look for
Accuracy matters in military collecting, because a figure that misrepresents its subject — wrong uniform, wrong equipment, wrong markings — disappoints a collector who knows the subject, however good its craftsmanship is, and because a collection built on inaccurate figures is a collection that misinforms, however impressive it looks. Check a figure's accuracy against references — photographs, histories, museum pieces — before buying, because a figure checked against references is a figure whose accuracy is known, while a figure bought unchecked may be inaccurate, and inaccuracy discovered after purchase is a figure that must be sold, replaced, or tolerated, at cost, effort, or disappointment.
Accuracy also includes scale accuracy: a figure whose proportions are wrong for its scale — too tall, too short, too bulky — will look wrong beside accurate figures, however good its detail is, because proportion is part of accuracy, and because a collection's coherence depends on its figures sharing not just a scale, but accurate proportions within it. Check proportions as well as details, because a figure with good details but wrong proportions is a figure that will stand out, for the wrong reason, in a collection that values accuracy.
Display: protect, present, preserve
Display military figures to protect, present, and preserve them, because figures displayed without protection gather dust, fade in sunlight, and break from handling, while figures displayed with protection — in cabinets, behind glass, away from sunlight — stay clean, keep their colours, and survive handling, for years, or decades. Use a cabinet with glass doors, keep it out of direct sunlight, dust it gently, and handle figures by their bases, not by their delicate parts, because a figure handled by its rifle, its antenna, or its thin parts will break, however sturdy it appears, and because a broken figure, even repaired, loses value and coherence.
Display also presents: arrange figures by subject, by scale, and by scene, so the display tells the story your collection tells, rather than merely storing figures, because a display arranged by subject is a display that informs, while a display arranged randomly is a display that confuses, however good its figures are. Label scenes where helpful, group figures that belong together, and leave space between them, because a crowded display hides detail, while a spaced display shows it, and because a display that shows detail is a display that rewards looking, which is the point of collecting.
Buying: custom orders and the trade
Buy military figures through custom orders where a subject, scale, or quantity is specific, because a custom order produces the figure you want, at the scale you collect, in the quantity you need, while a ready-made figure may not match your subject, your scale, or your quantity, however good it is, and because a custom order, confirmed in writing, with its commercial terms, is an order that will serve, while a ready-made figure bought on impulse may not fit your collection, however attractive it appears. Name the subject, the material, the scale, the quantity, and the market, in the inquiry, and confirm the terms, in writing, before payment, because a custom order confirmed before payment is an order that will serve.
Buy through the trade where a subject is common, because common subjects are available ready-made, at lower cost and shorter wait than a custom order, and because a collector who orders custom what is available ready-made wastes money and time, however good the custom figure is. Check availability first, through dealers, shows, and fellow collectors, before ordering custom, because a figure available ready-made is a figure that can be bought today, while a custom figure takes prototype, mold, sample, and production, and because a collector who waits for custom what is available now loses collecting time for no benefit.
What not to collect on
Do not collect on authorisation claims, because a figure's value as a model does not depend on any authorisation, and because a seller who claims authorisation for a historical subject, without evidence, is a seller whose other claims should also be doubted, however attractive the figure appears. A military figure is a model, not an official product, and its value lies in its accuracy, its craftsmanship, and its fit in your collection, not in any claimed affiliation, and a collector who buys on affiliation buys a claim, not a figure, and will be disappointed when the claim proves empty, however good the figure is.
Do not collect on rarity alone, because a rare figure that does not fit your subject, your scale, or your display is a figure that does not belong in your collection, however rare it is, and because a collection built on rarity alone is a collection of unrelated rarities, each valuable alone, but incoherent together, while a collection built on subject, scale, and accuracy is a collection whose figures cohere, and whose value lies in the whole, not just in its rare parts. Collect to your subject, your scale, and your accuracy, not to rarity, because coherence outlasts rarity, and because a coherent collection is a collection that will be valued, by you and by others, for years.
Preservation: the long view
Preserve military figures for the long term, because a collection is a long project, and because figures preserved well will outlast their collector, while figures preserved poorly will deteriorate, losing detail, colour, and value, within years. Keep figures out of sunlight, because sunlight fades colours and degrades materials; keep them in stable temperature and humidity, because extremes crack, warp, and corrode; keep them dust-free, because dust abrades and stains; and keep them handled minimally, because handling breaks, however careful it appears, and because a figure handled rarely survives longer than a figure handled often.
Document your collection as well: photograph each figure, record its subject, scale, maker, and purchase, because documentation preserves the collection's story, aids insurance, and helps future collectors, or heirs, understand what the collection is, and why it matters, and because a collection without documentation is a collection whose story dies with its collector, however good its figures are. Documentation takes time, but it preserves value, and a collection documented well is a collection that will be understood, valued, and preserved, long after its collector.
What to confirm, before ordering custom figures
Before payment, confirm the design, the material, the scale, the quantity, the minimum order with its unit, the timeline with its start and end, the mold terms with their meaning, the packaging options, the price terms, and the certificates that apply to your market, by name, with documents attached, in writing, for your design, not for military figures in general. Name the subject, the material, the scale, the quantity, and the market, so the supplier can confirm for your design, and so the confirmation you receive is the confirmation you can rely on, and so the payment you make is a payment for a figure that will fit your collection.
A buyer who confirms the subject, the scale, the accuracy, the display, and the commercial terms, in writing, before payment, has done the work that prevents the common failures: the off-subject figure, the wrong scale, the inaccurate detail, the poor display, and the unconfirmed order. A buyer who skips that work has saved an hour and risked an order, and the hour saved is rarely worth the order risked.