Related to my other question... why do you buy what you buy?

[Conquistador]

What do people use to guide their miniatures buying activities?  By that I  mean beyond, "I want figures for the "third potato diggers war" (historical,) "I want <insert race or species here>" for Fantasy,  or "I want telepathic, fast move, light armor, medium weapon, light saber wielding" forces for Science Fiction.

Unlike the last question let me start first with my guidelines/checklist approach.

1) At my stage of life it has to be of a size to be storage friendly.  For large mass battles that means 3 mm  or 6 mm; for small battles or large 'skirmish' game I can accept 15 mm; and for smaller skirmishes using limited numbers of figures I will use 25+ mm figures if they are unique and only available in that size.  An example of the last is the Soldados de Cuera and Presidials I currently use for 1680 - 1810 New Spain games.

2) With my total lack of painting skills I look first to figures I can field without a lot of details needed (it is easier to paint smaller figures (if you paint them appropriate to the size) because less details really are necessary.  IIRC Peter Berry once said he doesn't as a rule paint belts for his 6 mm figures in the middle of a mass formation.)  I want to paint the details that matter at table top viewing distances (not museum diorama level.)  So if there are excessive details that will be seen "at distance" I am less likely to buy the figures.

3) While I am not a size fanatic, since there is variation in height and build in people, (one college roommate was around 6' 5" plus and 140'ish pounds while I was 5' 5" (rounding up that last 1/4",) and around 8 pounds heavier, I do want some realistic size relationships.  For example, if 5 mm = 1 foot and I arbitrarily set human "average height" at around 6' (30 mm) to the top of the head for this example, then I want Dwarf figures somewhere around 20 - 23, maybe 25 mm tall to the top of the head with elves (which I see smaller, faster, and deadlier than humans,) around 25 mm to 28 mm to the top of the head.  Dwarfs as tall or taller than humans jars my game mood.  See number 4 below.

4) For Fantasy I want Humans, Elves, Dwarf, and whatever other races are in the game to have different fashion styles of apparel, different styles of weaponry, and other details that help identify the figures such as gnomes with some version of the peaked garden gnome hat for an extreme example easily. For Science Fiction I want figures appropriate for the setting (in a toxic or exotic environment figures should have helmets, masks, rebreathers, "something" to keep them alive.) For historical games the figures (even civilian "window dressing" figures) should wear era appropriate clothing.  No Togas (except for Frat parties) in a 1930s city bank robbery setting...  an extreme example but I shouldn't be able to pick 2014 era Lois Lane out in a 1950s game and I shouldn't have 1930 newsboys in an 1880 western bank robbery game.  And while I am fashion challenged, I have experienced that style of visual disruption in the past.

5)  Weapons that are practical (unless ceremonial) to the figure.  Yes, dwarf figures are "stronger than humans" but two Axes that dwarf the Dwarf in size (pun intended) individually just looks... let me be nice... bizarre at best.  And practical mixes for the genre/era please.  If historically there was one BAR per squad please don't put 3 in (or none) a  squad sized pack.

6) See above, if you must use blisters/packs (and I understand you might have to do that to remain profitable,) please use some historical sense (research or ask an expert) and make the packs maximally useful in the mix (or sell specialist weapons in packs or single figures at a higher price for your costs.)  There wasn't a flamethrower in each squad in WW2 for example so don't provide me weapons packs where there is one Flamethrower to each Light Machine gun okay?  Yes that was an extreme example and probably never happened but some of the Heavy/support/specialist weapons packs out there are wasteful in the mix of figures.  There are no flag holders for Spanish troops in the SAW so don't provide them OG, please, converting them is a cast iron bitch because of the pose.

7) Are the prices affordable for what I want?  Very individual and personal call but if same approximate quality figures cost twice as much or the postage is significantly more than what your national postal service charges or (for those who suffer this, which I don't,) I am going to get clobbered with "Import Fees" or the like expect me to either A) order less figures or B) use the other source.  Unless you are a single source for a unique set of figures that no one else has expect me to think a long time about ordering.   I am going to wonder why your figures cost so much.  If you think there is a viable reason for that cost then tell me on the website or brochure why - "My figures are cast in 'Perfectium' metal that bends easily to be positioned where you want the arm/leg/head then holds that position strongly without breaking when dropped from 4 feet above a concrete floor" would be a great reason; My work is worth it," might carry less weight (see same approximate quality comment above.)

Minor but fatal point, don't price your figures so that "more powerful figures"in as game costs multiple times more than a same army, same amount of metal, grunt.  You know the companies of which I speak to paraphrase a movie character.  Edit - oh my that is the same characters as one of the smileys above.

9) Strictly a personal style preference.  Anatomically reasonable sculpts, no female adults with breasts the size of truck tires.  And male nudes should not all look like porn stars between the hips and the knees.  Children should look like children not dwarf tarts.  Nudity where appropriate to be sure but not every dungeon female adventurer looks like a bimbo or streetwalker.  Make them all you want but expect me to buy them in limited amounts.  I am not saying I won't buy any of them (I have a alternate lifestyle female couple for a particular RPG adventure for what the players "see" in the verbal report from an NPC and a different pair (female vampire and victim) in what they see when they encounter the "couple" in the game, and I had a slave market scene for another game - finding male nudes/partially dressed figures was harder than female one for some reason   -   ) I just don't need or want them all significantly partially undressed for most games, especially those set before the 1960s.

Okay, there are my major and minor parameters I use when deciding to buy miniatures/figures.

What are yours?

Gracias,

Glenn

[Inso]

I don't wargame so only buy miniatures that I like the look of.

Generally speaking, I build Sci-Fi armies and choose miniatures from different companies that I think will go together to form a cohesive army.

I am particularly fond of 'short' races, like space Dwarfs/Halflings and 'tall' races, like Ogres and often have armies made up of a mix of the two. Finding vehicles is always awkward because at 28mm size, there are not as many options as I would like so I sometimes have to convert/scratchbuild.

My favourites tend to be Grymn (Hasslefree) with vehicles from Old Crow... however, I have all sorts of ranges in my collection that are simply chosen because I think they will fit in somewhere along the line.

[carlos13th]

7) Are the prices affordable for what I want?  Very individual and personal call but if same approximate quality figures cost twice as much or the postage is significantly more than what your national postal service charges or (for those who suffer this, which I don't,) I am going to get clobbered with "Import Fees" or the like expect me to either A) order less figures or B) use the other source.  Unless you are a single source for a unique set of figures that no one else has expect me to think a long time about ordering.   I am going to wonder why your figures cost so much.  If you think there is a viable reason for that cost then tell me on the website or brochure why - "My figures are cast in 'Perfectium' metal that bends easily to be positioned where you want the arm/leg/head then holds that position strongly without breaking when dropped from 4 feet above a concrete floor" would be a great reason; My work is worth it," might carry less weight (see same approximate quality comment above.)

Very much agree with this.

An example of worth paying the extra in my opinion are steel fist Samurai. They cost about double the price of Perry Samurai and are set to go up in price but are some of the best researched Samurai miniatures on the market. The person who runs the website talks often about the work and research that goes into these models and explained his reasons for a price rise. Also the model packs tend to have short explanations about the different types of Armour in said packs.
http://www.steelfistminiatures.com/products/16th_century_samurai_lords

All of the above is well worth paying a little extra for to me.

Also the guy (or one of the guys) from steel fist advised me as to models I was looking for that they did no provide and directed me to a painting guide on their blog. When someone does stuff like that it makes me want to spend money with them.

Compare that to the Kensei Samurai models

I like them a lot and wanted to use their mounted Sohei as a Uesugi Kenshin stand in as part of the Samurai army I am working on currently but I do not feel the extra cost is justified. Said mounted model is more than £10 at a discounted price, for the same price I picked up a 3 pack of mounted Perry Warlords which Included Uesugi Kenshin, Date Masumne and Oda Nobunaga. Even if I never use the other two models I still saved money.

Their plastic troops I feel are even worse value are also £15 for 5. While the quality is not comparable I can get 25 Wargames Factory plastic troops for that price. If I need 10 of these plastic kensei troops it would cost me less to get a pack of 30 from Old glory. Thats not to mention that I could get 12 perry metals for the price of 5 plastic troops.

All of these things means that unless I see a sculpt from Kensei that I really want and I cannot get a decent prices substitute for anywhere else there is little to no chance of me buying them. In all fairness these two seem to fit the bill but they are not on top of my to buy list.
http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/zenit-miniatures/kensei/sohei/ikame-bo/prod_21302.html
http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/zenit-miniatures/kensei/sohei/sohei-clan-hero-alternative-/prod_21490.html

[grant]

http://soldatetain.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/and-the-winner-of-the-scale-battle-is-6mm/

I recently minimalized my miniatures to one thing: Arab-Israeli Wars, 1948-1973, using 6mm miniatures only. It makes life so much simpler. All I need to look at now are items related to this. Now, honestly, there is a ridiculous amount of variety in that period, from WWII left-overs all the way up to the nearly modern 1973 kit. I decided to cut off after Yom Kippur just to make a boundary at both ends.

[King Tiger]

"That looks cool, I want it"
*buys*
"...I wonder what I can use it in?"

That's usually me

However I will make repeat buys from figure ranges I know are good quality even if more expensive by £2-4 because I know I'll get good stuff

[Vanvlak]

Impulse. 

[Mick A]

'Ooooh, shiny!' syndrome. I have suffered from it from a very young age...

[elysium64]

'Ooooh, shiny!' syndrome. I have suffered from it from a very young age...

That

[Too Bo Coo]

Despite massive impulsiveness, the truth is, I think a good long time, a month or two or more, before I take a plunge. 

-I paid through the nose for GW Dark Future in 20mm, but I so love all of the sculpts it was worth it for me.  20mm works great for my HotWheels cars and the zombie games I enjoy.

-Yet I still have a very large sized 25mm zombie collection with survivors...because there is just much more variety here.

-I went for SAGA because I really like the Dark Ages and have had a hankering to do Vikings and Normans for a long time.  I like the scale and the detail of doing the trerrain too.

- The Otherworld minis are stupidly expensive, but to be honest, I dont see other fantasy lines I like nearly as much.  I hate all of the spiked armor, sharp leading edge high fantasy crap.  Half of the modern sculps look like the armor wearer is in as much danger from his armor as it protects him....  stoooopid in my opinion.

- I hear what you say about scale, but I had my Crusader gladiators next to my Paul Hicks ones.  The level of quality on both was superb, but the Hicks models were just way too out of proportion with the Crusader models.  Jammer.

- Now, when it comes to gadgets and supplies... those tend to be impulse buys.

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

I have a few rules that I have developed over the years.

I plan my purchase carefully.  I have an Excel file with a list of WIP and a wish list for new projects.  I will wait until the lead pile reduces before buying more stuff. 

I rarely buy impulsively.  I put things on the wish list and then wait at least a month or two to see if I still want them.  Often, I delete things a month later as I no longer want them.  You would be amazed how much that prevents wasted spending.

I buy almost exclusively 28mm.  I have in the past bought other scales but I now have a good selection of vehicles, terrain and buildings in 28mm.  Many scales means that you have to duplicate vehicles and buildings.

I buy figures which I like – which means most of my purchases are nice sculpts by good manufacturers e.g. Empress, Perry, Artizan, Crusader, Hasslefree and GW LOTR ranges.   I will use lesser quality sculpts to fill in gaps and add variety – e.g. Mongrel for Taliban and Arab militia forces.

I am tending to favour realistic proportions and weapon sizes (Perry, Empress, GW LOTR).

I do not mind paying more for nice figures but up to a point.  
•   Armies - For big medieval armies, with 200 figures, a core of Perry plastics & some metals are about my current level.  For big armies, I still aim for average of £1.00 per infantryman.  
•   Skirmish - I will happily buy 30 Empress per side for modern skirmish forces (£1.50 each).  
•   Characters - I will happily buy a few Hasslefree character figures (£4 each but they deduct VAT for export) but Otherworld figures are at a price (£5.00 each) where I start to think hard.  The GW Hobbit range has gone far too high.

[Keith]

Because I'm weak 

[zemjw]

Most of the points apply, but cost, suitability, uniqueness (i.e. not the 100th GW lookalike race) and whether or not I like the figure enough to want to spend time painting it are things I look for when buying figures.

I'm on a major SF kick at the moment, and despite having collected figures for decades, I found myself with remarkably few figures that were appropriate

As well as buying some character models, I've bought a couple of board games recently, primarily for the figures. Gears of War had 32 figures for £43 and Sedition Wars had 50 figures for £43 (and yes, I know what I'm getting myself into with Sedition Wars). These give me some decent alien figures, as well as some useable humans, at a price per figures I'm more than happy with.

I also try to find non combatants, as I plan to do small skirmishes around starports, outposts etc. and there will be civilians in those areas.

[Calimero]

'Ooooh, shiny!' syndrome. I have suffered from it from a very young age...

That

Because I'm weak 

...and that too!

[LeadAsbestos]

I just recently had the revelation that all the collections I have were influenced by my favorite movies from when I was 12 years old  :

Excalibur- I have a huge Dark Ages Britain collection
Big Trouble in Little China- China Town, AFFOKF just recently
Conan the Barbarian- Copplestone and other in 15mm

The Trojan War stuff must be the product of my sophisticated adult tastes?

Now I just need a good Mariachi band, and I can do The 3 Amigos, and all will be complete.

[Momotaro]

"That looks cool, I want it"
*buys*
"...I wonder what I can use it in?"

That's usually me

However I will make repeat buys from figure ranges I know are good quality even if more expensive by £2-4 because I know I'll get good stuff

That's pretty much me too.

Life's too short to paint crap figures or play boring rules.  Buy and paint what catches your eye, then find a fun game to play with them.