--THIS has its value. I know that there are collectors with a lot of knowledge of the hobby, but I know what I am referring to with the term sensei. It has a lot to do with learning not to take "the path of least resistance". I've seen reflections of yours in a store group that could go directly against the store's supposed interests, but they are honest with collectors. That is honorable and appreciated. What follows next has nothing to do with 1/6 but with cinema, my other passion, and I always remember how Tarkovsky, one of the greatest geniuses of the seventh art, was considered by his own rulers as more or less "just an opinionated filmmaker who irks a certain segment". Sometimes the path is hard and breaks some illusions, but it is worth following it to learn.
Though my hobby is collecting 1:6 figures, my genre/theme for 1:6 figures are based on comic books, films, certain celebrities, appealing/beautiful women, niches, video games, the military, etc.
Moreover, I collected comic books, a variety toys, video games, etc. typical of "collectors"/"hobbyists" in general.
I don't have one specified/true discipline when it comes to 1:6 except an affinity for 1:6 female figures.
I like Sly Stallone characters from films (i.e., Cobra, Rambo, etc.), but it's not an absolute like say Ash Williams from Evil Dead where the character truly means something to those who appreciate/respect the character as a pop culture icon in the same way some may view Stallone's Cobra, Rambo, etc.