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Hi guys I haven't dug out my Death Korps for a very long time and as Such they have accumulated a fair bit of dust, is it safe just to dip them in some water to clean them or will it damage the basing or paintwork?

As I said before on this topic, grab a makeup brush. They're perfect for this as they're super soft.

Take a medium sized brush, dip that in water, brush most of the water off (like drybrushing), and pull it over the surface of the miniature. A small amount of water will generate enough static to pull dust off everything but deep grooves.

To clean the grooves, I use a dried-out Sharpie (not the felt tip, the one with the sharp point) and pull that through. Works well for cleaning the entire surface.

For vehicles, I sometimes get dust in joints and other places where it's hard to get into the deepest part of the groove. For those models, I use a flat foam brush or a sponge and just drag it over the surface.

Sometimes, this results in tiny water marks. It's usually safe to wipe those off with a tissue.

Ruin wrote:
As I said before on this topic, grab a makeup brush. They're perfect for this as they're super soft.

This.

Thanks guys, the Mrs will soon be missing a makeup brush then!

 FURIOSO wrote:
Thanks guys, the Mrs will soon be missing a makeup brush then!

Very worth spending the $1 and just buying a new one. No chance then of getting stuff on your models from a used brush...and to avoid the Missus eventual annoyance

Depends a little on how well dust has settled in.

I've only had need to clean up some old aircraft models previously, but try blowing off the fluffy dust (preferable using low pressure compressed air, maybe like the compressed air used fro computer cleaning), then go over the model using a large soft bristled brush for the main surfaces.
For the grooves and details I would probably go with the sharpie option or use an old detail brush. For tough dust, maybe some moisture on the brush could do the trick of "grabbing hold".

OJJ