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Hey all,

I haven't been on here in ages, but the recent pre-Heresy GW and FW push on the 40k front has piqued my attention a little bit and now I've gotten to wondering. In all my time with miniature games, I have always enjoyed the modeling and painting more than playing... to the point that I realized a few years ago that I actually do not like the playing part of minis games pretty much at all, which led to my quitting the hobby entirely. I still have a soft spot for the models, universes, and fiction, though. I didn't mean to get sucked back in, but looking at the new Forgeworld models and checking out the 'reborn' White Dwarf got me to dig out my bin of stripped and ready for rebuilding minis, and even to buy one or two new figures.

Picking up new models when I have so many in pieces got me to thinking... do other people buy gaming models just to build and display? I build robot and tank models as well, but those are designed for display first rather than for gaming. It seems like gaming minis are designed for playing first and collecting second. Do other people have collections of models they just thought were neat looking or would be fun to build, either in addition to or instead of collecting a dedicated army?

Yes.

I buy 40k and Fantasy models just to paint and display.

My Warmachine and Hordes collections are for gaming.

I always need to have the possibility of playing them... or at least, the vast majority of the time. Whether or not they actually see play is another question

I have plenty of Fantasy models that just sit there.

I buy lots of LotR models for display only.

I will say that about 95% of what I buy is going to see table time, but I am a minis enthusiast and find some sculpts too nice to pass up. I have a few dozen anima tactics models and have only played one or two games with only a handfull of them. I also have a few Menoth models, but I may end up with a small playable army of that faction. Before Malifaux even existed I bought a few Wyrd minis and have about a dozen reaper models lying around. I even have a couple of old 40k models left over from my GW days.

I buy all sorts of stuff that I have no intention of ever using. My current 'To Be Painted' pile includes various GW minis (some for armies, some not) as well as a slew of minis from Anima Tactics, Rackham, Guild of Harmony, Maidenhead, Reaper, Warmachine, Malefaux, Hasslefree, Enigma... probably a bunch more than I've forgotten about.

 malfred wrote:
Yes.

I buy 40k and Fantasy models just to paint and display.

My Warmachine and Hordes collections are for gaming.

This

So far I've bought 3 GW starter sets (AoBR, DV, IoB) and play with none of the armies... so I guess you could say that they are for display only.

Now a better question is to whom do I display them to?

Most of my collection is for display and painting... and playing if it comes up. But loving the models is the more important part for me.

I've got a necron monolith, Tau skyray and DE Ravager all in a display cabinet because I liked the models (the monolith is lit up - the portal and crystal both flash, and there is a glow coming from underneath it.). I don't play any of these armies and will never play them - the models were bought purely because I thought they looked cool.

 RiTides wrote:
I always need to have the possibility of playing them... or at least, the vast majority of the time. Whether or not they actually see play is another question

Pretty much this.

Honestly, every model I own is something I bought with the intent of putting on the battlefield, one day, but sadly most of it will probably stay forever away from the actual tabletop.

I didn't used to, but this year I started compiling my collection of models that I want to paint for fun.

Sadly that list is about $1100 long for GW alone. I haven't even started looking at PP or Reaper models that I'd want to paint, as I'm sure there are a lot.

I've made decent progress into my WFB "collectors" models list, 40k will always be second priority to that for me.

Luckily I already have 95% of the OOP single models that are on my list.

Ive been painting for a few years now and never intend on playing the game, I just dont have the time on top of painting.
I dont even know the rules anyway.

My problem is, when i finish a mini it just goes away into a case and stays there, so i might as well throw it away as i never look at them again. Oh well i still keep collecting, i enjoy the painting side of the hobby.

I sometimes buy models simply for the pleasure of painting them.

A friend of mine thoroughly enjoys converting models. He doesn't paint them, and he doesn't play much.
It is simply the building and modeling that that motivates him.

I'm a gamer first and a painter second. I still try to paint everything I field.

This doesn't change the fact that I think there are models out there that are amazing sculpts that I would never bother putting on the table. I'm one of those rare people who love the SoB sculpts, but I don't run them.

I do both. Some of my figures will probably never see actual use, while many others are hardened veterans.

When I started I collected before I played,

I transitioned into buying only usefull stuff

but now I'm back to mainly collecting, with a small side order of gaming

Pretty much what Snurl said.
For example, I am going to convert a few things one of these days (Like a LR Ares and that awesome double wide Rhino) merely for the aesthetic of them.

I've bought various stuff from non-GW miniature makers, usually with the idea of using it/converting it.

Often they end up in the drawer because it doesn't fit with my army's aesthetic (I tried using Reaper crusaders as alternative Crusaders for my Sisters, but they sizes/proportions were a bit off).

I am in the middle of a sea of terminators, trying to collect an entire company. From the Rogue Trader era to the current models, I have more rhan I will ever need!

When I had my dark eldar (new line) I bought units to paint. Like the scourge, hellions, wracks, grotesque, Lilith, loved the models line for those. Tried fielding them a few times but enjoyed painting those more than fielding. the scourge bird wings were my favorite. Sisters of battle I love that whole line and use everything I have, it's the only army I have 100% painted. Chaos marines are about 10% painted since I just started them.

I buy a lot of stuff just because I like the models. I'm often able to justify the figures to myself with "I can also use them for ......" or when my wife asks what I'll use them for, but due to tight space I really don't play much at all right now. We'll see how things change when I move in a couple of months...

I will probably buy some Chaos Terminators, a Helbrute, and
some Obliterators in the near future because I like the models
so much.

I put yes I do. Because I've built(warhound Titan) and bought(jump pack assault marines) a few units I knew I'd only rarely play. But I really liked them. But for the most part a large majority of my collection is for playing.

I'll probably buy some Dust Warfare models when I have the spare money for it. I love the idea of Sherman tank battlemechs.

 malfred wrote:
I will probably buy some Chaos Terminators, a Helbrute, and
some Obliterators in the near future because I like the models
so much.

You must be the only person i have seen that likes those constipated obliterators !

I do agree with your point though, i quite often buy good looking models for the sake of it !