Well by the time you get back we may have a better idea what the scene throughout Austin is looking like.

And like I had recommended, check out the wyrd forums to get an idea of a good starter crew based on what you like. http://wyrd-games.net/community/foru...on-discussion/
Gwen is pretty great at knowing what different crews/models do, I am a little out of date on the newer stuff, need to catch up.

Generally $100 gets you enough models for regular games (a crew box plus one or two additional characters/minion boxes) and a mini rulebook, then you can add on later for variety and to optimize for strategies. Plus most of the people I know are totally fine with proxies. And I have like 5 decks, so always can lend that.