Constant handling is a problem for a model that is not protected in some way. Little details such as aircraft landing gear, AFV machine guns, and ship masts will soon snap off if people pick up the models. Mounting your model on some type of base so the base, rather than the model itself, can be handled and moved about is a solution. Hardware, craft and hobby shops sell wooden plaques with fancy bevelled edges that come suitable sizes for most models. Plaques can be finished with a simple paint job or with the same kind of sanding and varnishing you'd give a piece of furniture. A thick piece of clear plastic also can serve as a base if the edges are bevelled and sanded to give it a finished look. Larger models can be mounted on plywood or plastic bases cut to fit a models dimensions. An inexpensive picture frame with the glass taken out can also serve as a nice display base. The model can sit on its own weight or be held in place with pins or fine wires. Placing a group of models or figures onto a base that has texture can also create a diorama setting. Whatever base you choose, it will enhance the appearance of your model and enable you to handle the model without touching any of its delicate details.
Once you have finished your model, how is it going to be displayed? If you have seen models in a museum, they would probably be in a glass case. You could buy a glass case, or a cabinet or bookshelf with a glass front, but it is not necessary. A box can serve as a display case if you have at least one side as a see-through panel- use a picture frame and glass for a quick display case. A clear plastic box can also serve as a good place to store models but these kind of cases tend to obscure details. Once you have decided how you will display your models, you will need to decide where you wish to display them. A few models could even sit outside a case on a windowsill or mantelpiece, as long as the models will not be in the sun or on a heated surface as heat will warp plastic and sunlight will cause paint to fade. Ideally, models should be displayed where the most people will see and appreciate them, however, due to the possibility of accidental damage, it may be wise to keep your models in a room or workshop when they are not being viewed by visitors.
Cleaning a model is important as dust is a perpetual problem. A dusting and, later, a thorough cleanup. may be needed. A large soft brush or a photographers puff brush available at photo supply stores make good tools for large areas. Use a small, fine-pointed damp paintbrush to work around the tight and delicate areas that you can't reach with the puff brush. Vacuum clean around, but never directly on the model while you are blowing the dust away so that it doesn't settle back down. If the model has collected sticky dust, you may be able to remove the dust with a cotton swab sprayed with household Endust or Windex on a cotton swab to scrub away the sticky residue that can accumulate on a model, particularly one in a home heated by a forced-air gas-fueled furnace. Monthly dusting should keep your model clean enough to last for years. Residue that has set over a period of time may have to be scrubbed away with a brush or cotton swab dipped in lighter fluid which is a solvent for nearly every type of paint, however, so you will have to be careful to dissolve only dust and not paint. A bath in a saucer of detergent will be enough to wash away most residue and dust. All of your models need such a cleaning periodically. Don't forget to wash the detergent off or it will dry to a tacky, dust-catching finish. Repair any broken parts using quick-setting cyanoacrylates to reattach any parts which may have broken off the model, A coat of paste wax will help to protect the finish on car models or you can add a protective coat of flat clear spray to your military models.
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