Starting Your Warhammer 40k Collection: A Smart Collector's Guide

Starting a Warhammer 40k collection can feel overwhelming. With over twenty factions, hundreds of different units, and a hobby that spans painting, gaming, and collecting, knowing where to begin is half the battle. But here's the good news: the decisions you make at the start can set you up not just for an enjoyable hobby experience, but also for building a collection that maintains or appreciates in value.

This guide is for the discerning collector who wants to start Warhammer 40k the right way. Whether you're primarily interested in playing, painting, collecting, or all three, the principles remain the same: start with quality, think strategically about your purchases, and build a foundation that gives you flexibility as you grow in the hobby.

Unlike impulse buying random models that catch your eye, a thoughtful approach to starting your collection means you'll spend less money overall, avoid common beginner mistakes, and end up with a cohesive collection that you're proud of—and that holds its value if you ever decide to sell or trade.

Choosing Your First Faction: The Most Important Decision

Why Your First Faction Choice Matters

Your faction choice is the foundation of everything else in your Warhammer 40k journey. It determines what models you'll be painting for months or years, what gameplay style you'll experience, and significantly impacts the long-term value and liquidity of your collection.

Here's what most beginners don't realize: not all factions are created equal from a collecting standpoint. Some factions have extensive model ranges with frequent updates and strong community support. Others have limited options, infrequent releases, and smaller player bases. Starting with the wrong faction can mean limited upgrade paths, difficulty finding opponents, and weaker resale values if you decide to switch armies later.

The good news is that you don't have to choose blindly. With some research into each faction's characteristics, model range, and market position, you can make an informed decision that serves both your hobby interests and your investment in the collection.

The Three Key Questions Every New Collector Should Ask

Before you commit to a faction, ask yourself these three questions. Your answers will guide you toward the right choice.

First: What aesthetic speaks to you? This is non-negotiable. You're going to spend hours painting these models and looking at them across the table. If you don't genuinely love how they look, you won't stay motivated. Do you prefer the gleaming heroism of Space Marines? The alien elegance of Eldar? The grimdark horror of Tyranids? Trust your gut on aesthetics—this is the heart of the hobby.

Second: What gameplay style interests you? Different factions play very differently. Space Marines excel at versatile, durable armies that can adapt to multiple strategies. Tyranids swarm opponents with endless numbers. Imperial Guard relies on massed firepower and vehicles. Tau emphasizes long-range shooting. Understanding basic gameplay styles helps ensure you'll actually enjoy playing your chosen faction, which keeps you engaged with collecting and building.

Third: What's the faction's market position and support? This is where most beginners fail to do their homework. Some factions receive constant new releases, updates, and community attention. Others languish for years between updates. Factions with strong support maintain better value and give you more collecting options as you grow.

Tier One Factions: The Safe Choices for New Collectors

If you want to minimize risk and maximize flexibility, these factions represent the safest starting points. They have extensive model ranges, strong community support, frequent updates, and the best resale values if you ever decide to change directions.

Space Marines and their chapters are the obvious place to start for most collectors, and for good reason. They're the poster boys of Warhammer 40k, receive the most new releases, have the largest model range, and maintain the strongest secondary market values. Combat Patrols are readily available, and you have clear upgrade paths with hundreds of unit options.

The downside? They're the most common army, so you won't stand out at your local game store. But from a pure collecting and value perspective, you cannot go wrong starting with Space Marines. Specific chapters like Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves, and Ultramarines have additional unique units that enhance both collecting appeal and resale value.

Necrons represent the premier xenos starting choice. They have a broad model range, distinctive aesthetic, relatively straightforward painting schemes for beginners, and strong competitive viability that maintains demand. Their Combat Patrol is one of the better value propositions, and the faction receives consistent support from Games Workshop.

Tyranids offer another strong xenos option with constant new releases, a massive model range, and unique aesthetic appeal. The faction plays distinctively (horde/monster hybrid), which gives clear gameplay identity. Market demand remains strong due to their competitive viability and visual distinctiveness.

Tier Two Factions: Solid Choices with Some Caveats

These factions have good support and reasonable model ranges, but come with specific considerations that new collectors should understand before committing.

Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) has a massive model range and distinctive guard aesthetic that many collectors love. However, you need A LOT of models to field a proper guard army—we're talking 100+ infantry models plus vehicles. This means higher initial investment and much more painting time. Great if you love painting lots of infantry; challenging if you want to get gaming quickly.

Chaos Space Marines offer the dark mirror to loyalist Marines with excellent model range and collecting appeal. The aesthetic is fantastic for painters who enjoy conversion work and adding personality. However, the faction is actually split across multiple sub-factions (Death Guard, Thousand Sons, World Eaters, etc.), which can complicate collecting strategy. Solid choice, but requires more research into which chaos path calls to you.

Tau Empire provides distinctive alien tech aesthetic and unique shooting-focused gameplay. Their Combat Patrol is excellent value, and they maintain good market demand. The caveat: Tau gameplay is love-it-or-hate-it—almost pure shooting with minimal melee capability. Make sure this playstyle appeals to you before investing heavily.

Orks deliver on personality and conversion opportunities like no other faction. If you want an army with character and don't mind extensive kit-bashing and customization, Orks are incredibly rewarding. Their market value is decent but not top-tier. This is a "hobby first, investment second" faction—which is perfectly valid if that aligns with your priorities.

Tier Three Factions: For Experienced Collectors or Those With Specific Vision

These factions have smaller model ranges, less frequent updates, or niche appeal that makes them challenging starting points for new collectors, though they can be extremely rewarding for those drawn to them.

Adeptus Custodes fields elite golden warriors in very small numbers. Their Combat Patrol is good value, and the low model count means less painting. However, the limited model range means you'll quickly exhaust collecting options. This is better as a second army or for collectors specifically drawn to the aesthetic.

Imperial Knights and Chaos Knights offer completely different collecting experience—huge robot titans in very small numbers. A "full army" might be 3-5 models. This is appealing for those who want to paint centerpiece models rather than hordes of infantry, but it's extremely niche and limits gameplay variety.

Genestealer Cults, Adeptus Mechanicus, Thousand Sons, Death Guard, and similar mid-range factions all have devoted followings and unique appeals. They're not bad choices, but they require more research and commitment because their narrower model ranges and less frequent updates mean less flexibility if you want to expand or shift focus.

The safest approach for brand-new collectors is to start with Tier One factions, develop your understanding of the hobby, and then potentially add a Tier Two or Three faction as your second army once you understand your preferences better.

Starting with Combat Patrols: Your Foundation

Why Combat Patrols Are the Right Starting Point

Games Workshop designed Combat Patrols specifically as army starting points, and for new collectors, they represent the single best first purchase you can make. At approximately 170 dollars, a Combat Patrol gives you a playable 500-point army, multiple unit types to experiment with painting, and significant savings compared to buying units individually.

But beyond the obvious utility, Combat Patrols offer new collectors several advantages that aren't immediately apparent. They provide a complete, balanced force designed by the game developers to function cohesively. They include a mix of unit types (typically an HQ, troops, and some specialty units) that teaches you about army composition. And critically for value-conscious collectors, they're readily available and maintain strong resale value as sealed boxes.

Here's the strategy that works for most new collectors: Purchase a Combat Patrol for your chosen faction as your entry point. Build and paint it completely before buying anything else. This single box gives you everything you need to start playing small games, learning to paint, and understanding whether you truly enjoy the faction's playstyle and aesthetic.

This disciplined approach prevents the common beginner mistake of accumulating hundreds or thousands of dollars in unpainted models before you even know if you like the hobby or the faction. You'd be shocked how many collectors have thousands of dollars of unopened boxes—their "pile of shame"—because they got excited and over-purchased before validating their interest.

Understanding Combat Patrol Value Propositions

Not all Combat Patrols offer equal value, and understanding the differences helps you maximize your initial investment. The value proposition varies based on three factors: discount versus individual kits, usefulness in building toward larger armies, and secondary market demand.

The best Combat Patrols offer 40-50% savings versus buying included units separately, contain units you'll actually want multiples of in larger armies, and include versatile units that remain useful as your collection grows. Space Marine Combat Patrols typically check all these boxes—solid savings, useful units, and units you'll want more of.

Some Combat Patrols, particularly for elite armies like Custodes, offer huge percentage savings but limited expansion paths. You save money initially but quickly exhaust what you can do with those units. Other Combat Patrols include oddball unit selections that look good for beginners but that experienced players rarely field in optimized lists.

The smart approach: Research your chosen faction's Combat Patrol specifically. Read reviews from experienced players. Ask on Reddit or faction-specific forums: "Is the [Faction] Combat Patrol a good starting point?" You'll get honest answers about whether it sets you up well or includes units you'll want to replace quickly.

The Two Combat Patrol Strategy

Here's an advanced strategy for collectors who are certain about their faction choice and ready to commit: Buy two Combat Patrols instead of one.

This might sound like over-purchasing, but it's actually more efficient than the typical buying pattern. Two Combat Patrols give you a solid 1000-point army that can compete in standard games. You get duplicate core units (often you want multiple troop choices), and you're buying everything at the discounted Combat Patrol pricing rather than paying full retail for individual units later.

The key consideration: Only do this if you're absolutely certain about your faction choice and you've validated that this particular Combat Patrol contains units you want duplicates of. For some factions, two Combat Patrols makes perfect sense. For others, the second box would give you duplicate characters or units you only want one of, making it inefficient.

Space Marines, Necrons, and Tyranids generally support the two-box strategy well. Elite armies like Custodes or Knights do not. Research your specific faction before committing.

What to Buy After Your Combat Patrol

Once you've built, painted, and played games with your Combat Patrol, you're ready to expand intelligently. The mistake many new collectors make is buying random units that look cool rather than building toward a coherent army strategy.

The smart expansion path follows this sequence: First, fill out your core troops. Most armies want 2-3 troop units for objective control and army construction flexibility. Second, add essential support units like transports that enable your troops to function. Third, add versatility units that cover weaknesses—if your Combat Patrol is melee-heavy, add shooting. If it's all infantry, consider a vehicle.

Only after you have a balanced 1000-1500 point army should you start adding "fun" units that appeal aesthetically but might not be competitively optimal. This disciplined approach ensures you always have a playable, balanced army rather than a collection of cool but non-functional random units.

Ask experienced players of your faction: "I have the Combat Patrol, what should I buy next?" They'll guide you toward the units that complement your starting force and avoid the trap purchases that look appealing but don't function well in actual armies.

Building a Valuable Collection From Day One

The Sealed vs. Opened Decision

Here's a truth that separates collectors who maintain value from those who watch their investment depreciate: Sealed products hold dramatically more value than opened ones. The moment you crack open a box, you lose 10-20% of resale value. Once you assemble models, you lose another 10-15%. Paint them poorly, and you've lost 40-60% of retail value.

This creates a decision point for new collectors: Are you building this collection primarily for personal enjoyment (assembling, painting, gaming), or are you building it partially as an asset that maintains value?

For most new collectors, the answer is some combination. You want to actually participate in the hobby—that's why you're here—but you also don't want to throw money away if your circumstances change or you decide Warhammer isn't for you.

The strategy that balances both goals: Maintain a clean separation between models you open and build versus models you keep sealed. Your Combat Patrol and core army? Open and build it—that's your playable collection. But if you find good deals on additional Combat Patrols, limited releases, or products you think might appreciate? Keep those sealed and stored separately.

This gives you the best of both worlds. You have a playable, paintable collection you enjoy while also building a reserve of sealed product that maintains maximum value. If you stay in the hobby long-term, you can eventually open those sealed reserves. If you leave the hobby, you have liquid assets that sell quickly at minimal loss.

Documentation and Provenance

From day one, keep your receipts. This sounds obvious, but most collectors don't do it, and it costs them when selling.

Receipts from authorized Games Workshop retailers prove authenticity. As 3D printing and recasting become more sophisticated, buyers increasingly demand proof that sealed boxes are genuine. Your receipt provides that proof and can add 10-20% to resale values compared to boxes without documentation.

Create a simple spreadsheet tracking every purchase: date, product, price paid, retailer, and whether it's sealed or opened. This takes five minutes per purchase and gives you complete clarity on your collection's value and investment performance.

Take photos of sealed products when purchased, showing intact shrink wrap. If you eventually sell, these photos combined with purchase receipts provide buyers confidence they're getting authentic product in perfect condition.

The Storage Question

Where and how you store your collection impacts long-term value significantly. Climate control is essential—heat and humidity warp plastic miniatures. Direct sunlight fades packaging and can damage plastic through heat buildup.

Sealed products should be stored flat or carefully stacked with nothing heavy on top. Crushed boxes or damaged packaging reduces value by 10-20% even if internal contents are perfect. Collectors care about presentation, and damaged packaging signals poor storage conditions that might affect the models themselves.

For built and painted models, proper storage protects your time investment. Foam cases designed for miniatures prevent damage during transport. Display cases protect painted models from dust and damage while showing off your work. The initial storage investment pays for itself by preventing damage that would require repair time or replacement.

Understanding the Rule of Thirds

Here's a framework that helps new collectors make smart purchasing decisions from the start: the Rule of Thirds.

Divide your Warhammer budget into thirds. One-third goes to models and product. One-third goes to paints, tools, and hobby supplies. One-third is reserve for future purchases or storage solutions.

New collectors typically violate this rule dramatically, spending 80-90% on models and neglecting the tools and supplies needed to actually build and paint them properly. Then they're shocked when they need to spend another 100-150 dollars on paints, brushes, clippers, files, and assembly supplies.

Following the Rule of Thirds ensures you always have the tools you need to properly execute your hobby goals while avoiding the trap of accumulating models you can't actually work on because you lack supplies.

Investment Considerations for New Collectors

Viewing Your Collection as an Asset Portfolio

Even if investment returns aren't your primary goal, understanding how to maintain collection value benefits every collector. Your Warhammer collection represents hundreds or thousands of dollars of investment. Treating it thoughtfully protects that investment.

Think of your collection in portfolio terms: Core holdings are sealed Combat Patrols and limited releases that maintain value. Working assets are your built and painted models that provide utility but depreciate. Speculative positions are products you buy specifically because you believe they'll appreciate.

This framework helps you make rational decisions. If a limited release Battleforce is available but you're not sure you'll build those models, buying it sealed as a core holding makes sense—worst case, you sell it for profit; best case, you eventually open it and enjoy it. But buying individual character models you're not excited about just because they're "good value" fills your collection with depreciating working assets that don't serve your actual hobby goals.

When to Buy vs. When to Wait

New collectors often feel urgency to buy everything immediately. FOMO (fear of missing out) drives poor purchasing decisions. But Warhammer 40k has been around since 1987, and it's not going anywhere. Most products remain available for years.

The times when you SHOULD buy immediately: Combat Patrols when starting (no reason to delay), limited releases like Christmas Battleforces (they sell out fast), and made-to-order products (limited windows).

The times when you SHOULD wait: Individual unit boxes for your second/third purchases (sales happen regularly), products rumored for new versions (why buy old sculpts right before replacements?), and anything you're not excited about (only buy what genuinely appeals to you).

The best deals come to patient collectors. Retailers run sales around Black Friday, Christmas, and periodically throughout the year. Buying everything at full retail immediately means you're leaving 10-20% savings on the table that patient collectors capture.

Understanding the Sunk Cost Fallacy

Here's the hardest truth for new collectors: Sometimes you make wrong choices. You buy a faction that doesn't work for you. You accumulate models you don't actually want to paint. You realize you prefer collecting sealed boxes to actually building armies.

The sunk cost fallacy says you should continue investing in and working on products you've already bought, even if you no longer want them, because you've already invested money. This is wrong. That money is gone whether you keep unwanted models or sell them.

Smart collectors recognize mistakes early and cut losses. If you buy a Combat Patrol and after building half of it realize you hate the faction, STOP. Sell what you can, take the loss, and redirect to a faction you actually enjoy. Continuing to invest in something you don't like just compounds the mistake.

The best predictor of collection satisfaction five years from now is whether you're buying and building what genuinely excites you, not what other people say you should collect or what theoretically offers best value.

Best Practices for Discerning Collectors

Quality Over Quantity From Day One

The most successful collectors share a common trait: they prioritize quality over quantity from the beginning. This manifests in several ways.

First, buy fewer products but higher quality ones. One well-chosen Combat Patrol that you completely paint to a standard you're proud of delivers more satisfaction than five unopened boxes gathering dust in your closet. Starting small and finishing projects creates momentum and confidence. Starting big and getting overwhelmed creates discouragement and abandoned projects.

Second, invest in proper tools and supplies immediately. Cheap hobby tools frustrate you and damage models. Buying quality clippers, files, brushes, and paints from the start makes the building and painting process enjoyable rather than frustrating. This is where violating the Rule of Thirds hurts you—skimping on tools to buy more models degrades your experience across your entire collection.

Third, take time to build and paint properly. Rushing through assembly to get models on the table quickly results in visible glue marks, poor seam cleanup, and models you're not proud of. These models sit in your army reminding you of poor workmanship. Going slowly initially, watching tutorials, and doing it right the first time means every model you finish increases your pride in the collection.

The One In, One Out Rule

Here's a rule that prevents collection bloat: Don't buy new products until you've finished building and painting what you already have. This is the One In, One Out rule—one box completed before bringing another box home.

Most collectors violate this immediately, accumulating their "pile of shame" of unpainted models. This creates several problems. First, you're tying up capital in depreciating assets (opened boxes) rather than maintaining value in sealed product. Second, the pile of shame creates guilt and reduces hobby enjoyment—you feel bad about unfinished projects. Third, it often means you bought things impulsively that you don't actually want to work on.

Following One In, One Out strictly transforms your collecting experience. You're always working on something you chose recently and are excited about. You never have more than one project in progress. You can accurately gauge how long units take you to complete, helping you make realistic purchasing decisions.

The counterargument is that sales and limited releases require buying when available, not when you're ready. That's valid—but distinguish between "sealed investment product I'm storing" versus "working product I'm opening to build." If you're buying because it's a good deal but you're not ready to build it yet, keep it sealed and stored. Only open things you're ready to work on immediately.

Build Your Research Skills

Discerning collectors research before buying. This seems obvious but it's remarkable how many collectors buy impulsively and regret it later.

Before buying any product beyond your initial Combat Patrol, spend 30 minutes researching: Read reviews. Watch unboxing and review videos on YouTube. Ask on faction-specific Reddit forums. Check if the product is rumored for replacement or discontinuation. Compare pricing across retailers.

This research prevents common mistakes: buying units that are bad in gameplay (if you plan to play), buying products right before they're replaced with new versions, paying full retail when sales are days away, or buying models that turn out to be terrible to assemble or paint.

The 30-minute research investment per purchase can save you hundreds of dollars in avoided mistakes over your first year of collecting.

Join the Community Strategically

The Warhammer community is vast and generally welcoming, but not all community engagement is equally valuable for new collectors. Strategic community involvement accelerates your learning while avoiding the negativity and poor advice that plague some online spaces.

Join faction-specific subreddits and Discord servers—these communities provide invaluable specific advice about your chosen army. Ask questions, share your work, and learn from experienced collectors. These focused communities generally have higher signal-to-noise ratios than general Warhammer forums.

Find a local game store and attend events—this is how you meet players, find opponents, and understand your local meta. The relationships you build at your local store enhance hobby enjoyment and provide practical advice about what units work in your specific gaming environment.

Avoid the toxic negativity that appears in some online spaces. People complaining about prices, rules, or Games Workshop business practices rarely provide useful information for new collectors. Engage with communities focused on hobby progress, painting techniques, and tactical discussion instead.

The First 90 Days: A Roadmap for New Collectors

Month One: Foundation and Learning

Your first month should focus entirely on your Combat Patrol. Purchase it from a reputable retailer. While it's still sealed, watch unboxing videos and building guides on YouTube for your specific box. Order the paints and tools you'll need—a starter paint set specific to your faction, hobby clippers, plastic glue, and basic brushes.

Build models slowly, following instructions carefully. Watch tutorial videos for assembly tips. Prime models properly (this makes painting dramatically easier). Start painting with simple schemes—don't attempt complex techniques immediately.

Your goal for month one: Completely build and paint your Combat Patrol to a standard you're proud of. Not perfection—that comes with time—but completion and basic tabletop quality. This single achievement proves you can finish projects and helps you understand if you actually enjoy the hobby.

Month Two: First Games and Assessment

With your painted Combat Patrol, start playing. Book games at your local store. Ask for teaching games from experienced players. Actually put your models on the table and roll dice.

This month is about validation. Do you enjoy playing with this faction? Does their playstyle work for you? Are you still excited about collecting more of these models? Do you enjoy the painting process for this aesthetic?

If the answer is yes to all of these, you're ready to expand. If the answer is no to any of them, STOP before investing further. A painted Combat Patrol has decent resale value—you can recoup 60-80% of your investment. But if you've bought 1,000 dollars of additional unopened boxes for a faction you don't actually enjoy, you've compounded a fixable mistake into a significant loss.

This assessment phase is critical and most new collectors skip it, driven by excitement to buy more. Don't skip it.

Month Three: Strategic Expansion

Assuming you've validated your faction choice and you're still enthusiastic, month three is when you strategically expand. Based on your gaming experience, what did your army lack? More troops? Better anti-tank capability? Faster units?

Research the units that fill those gaps. Buy one or two boxes—not six. Build and paint them. See how they perform. This iterative approach builds your collection thoughtfully rather than accumulating random units that looked cool in the store.

By the end of month three, you should have a 750-1000 point painted army that you've played multiple games with, a clear understanding of whether this hobby works for you, and a strategic plan for continued expansion if you're continuing.

This disciplined three-month roadmap prevents the most common new collector failure mode: buying thousands of dollars of products in week one, getting overwhelmed, never painting any of it, and eventually selling the lot at 50% loss to another hopeful collector who repeats the cycle.

Common Mistakes New Collectors Make and How to Avoid Them

Starting with Too Many Factions

The number one mistake new collectors make is deciding they want Space Marines AND Necrons AND Tau all at once. This fragments your time, attention, and budget across multiple projects and virtually guarantees none of them get completed to a satisfying level.

Start with ONE faction. Master that faction's painting scheme. Build a complete army. Only then consider starting a second faction. This focused approach means you always have a complete, playable army rather than three 25% finished armies that aren't satisfying to play or look at.

The average collector takes 3-6 months to paint a Combat Patrol properly. That means focusing on one faction for at least your first six months is appropriate. Most successful collectors spend 1-2 years on their first army before starting a second.

Buying Based on Competitive Meta

New collectors often buy units because they're currently competitive in tournament play. This is backwards. The competitive meta shifts constantly—monthly dataslate updates can make today's powerful unit tomorrow's mediocrity.

But your painted models are permanent. Buying and painting units just because they're meta relevant means you'll have models you don't like aesthetically that might not even be good by the time you finish painting them.

Buy and paint models YOU like looking at and painting. If they're competitively viable, that's a bonus. If they're not, you still have models you enjoy looking at and spent your time enjoyably painting. This approach ensures long-term collection satisfaction regardless of rules changes.

Neglecting the Painting Side

Some new collectors get so excited about gaming that they buy, build, and prime dozens of models without actually painting them. This creates armies of grey plastic that aren't satisfying to play with or against.

The painting is half the hobby. Actually, for many collectors, it's more than half—they spend far more time painting than playing. Neglecting it means missing out on the creative, meditative aspect of the hobby that keeps people engaged for decades.

Force yourself to fully paint units before starting new ones. Set a rule: no new purchases until the current project is completely painted. This discipline ensures your army looks good on the table and that you develop painting skills that make the hobby progressively more rewarding.

The Bargain Buying Trap

New collectors see used lots on eBay—"2000 points Space Marines, some assembled, some painted, 200 dollars!"—and think they're getting incredible deals. Sometimes they are. Usually they're buying someone else's abandoned mistakes and poor painting that they'll need to strip and repaint.

Unless you're experienced enough to evaluate exactly what's in a lot and whether the models are useable or not, avoid used lots. The savings often disappear when you factor in repair time, stripping painted models, or replacing badly assembled pieces.

Stick with new retail products from authorized sellers until you're experienced enough to judge whether used products are actually good deals. The apparent savings of used lots often become regrets when you realize you bought projects, not useable models.

Your Collection in One Year: What Success Looks Like

After one year of thoughtful collecting following these principles, here's what your Warhammer 40k collection should look like:

• You have 1500-2000 points of fully painted models in your primary faction. This is a complete army you're proud to put on the table. Every model is built cleanly, painted to a standard you're satisfied with, and based consistently. When you put this army on the table, it looks cohesive and impressive.
• You have clear plans for the next 500-1000 points of expansion with specific units identified that fill strategic needs in your army composition. You're not randomly buying—you're building toward a complete 2000-2500 point collection that covers multiple playstyles and tactical options.
• You've developed consistent painting techniques and significantly improved from where you started. Your most recent models are noticeably better painted than your Combat Patrol. You're comfortable with your painting scheme and can replicate it consistently across new models.
• You've played 15-30 games with your army and understand its strengths, weaknesses, and how it plays against different opponents. You know which units perform well in your hands and which ones don't work for your playstyle.
• You have 1-3 sealed boxes stored as investment pieces or future projects—Combat Patrols or limited releases you picked up at good prices. These maintain value while giving you expansion options whenever you're ready for them.
• You have proper storage solutions—a carrying case for your painted models and appropriate storage for sealed products. Your collection is organized, protected, and maintained in good condition.
• You're engaged with your local Warhammer community—you recognize people at your game store, you have regular opponents, and you're learning from more experienced players. The social aspect of the hobby is enriching your experience.
• You have a realistic budget and purchasing cadence that allows you to sustain the hobby long-term without financial stress. You're not accumulating debt to buy plastic soldiers. Your hobby spending fits comfortably within your discretionary budget.

This is what successful first-year collecting looks like. Notice what's NOT on this list: You don't have 10,000 points of unpainted models. You don't have multiple armies 25% complete. You don't have buyer's remorse about impulsive purchases. You don't have a pile of shame making you feel guilty.

Success in Warhammer collecting isn't about how much you buy—it's about how thoughtfully you build a collection that brings you ongoing satisfaction.

Final Thoughts for the New Collector

Starting a Warhammer 40k collection is the beginning of what can be a lifelong hobby. Approach it with patience, strategy, and focus on quality over quantity. The collectors who get the most satisfaction from this hobby five years from now are the ones who started thoughtfully, validated their choices before over-investing, and built collections they're genuinely proud of.

You don't need to buy everything at once. You don't need multiple armies in your first year. You don't need the newest, flashiest releases the moment they drop. What you need is a clear starting point (Combat Patrol), the discipline to finish what you start before buying more, and the patience to build your skills and collection gradually.

The Warhammer community is full of collectors who've been in the hobby for 10, 20, even 30+ years. None of them built their collections overnight. They started where you are now—with a single box and excitement about possibilities. The difference between those who stuck with the hobby and those who didn't often comes down to starting smart rather than starting big.

Welcome to Warhammer 40k. Start with your Combat Patrol. Paint it completely. Play some games. Then decide where to go next. This patient, thoughtful approach sets you up for years of hobby satisfaction and a collection that maintains its value while bringing you joy.

The galaxy awaits, and your war band is just beginning to take shape. Start building your collection the right way, and you'll look back in a year amazed at what you've created—and excited for where your collection goes next.