First, just to address a couple things that were mentioned. This game is unlike any other tabletop wargame, and most computer or video games in that you don't make your lists before the event starts, or that you may not have access to every option.
In fighters and games like League of Legends, you either have every character available to you, or your opponent doesn't know which champions you own. In the case of LOL, at most tournament events, players are given special tournament realm accounts to eliminate lag, and these accounts have everything unlocked.
In Warmachine/Hordes, or any GW game, you have to submit your list(s) at registration and you don't have the option of adjusting them. It's tough to compare any of the other games to Malifaux, since they either have pre-built lists, or everyone can pick anything.
The difference is that in Malifaux, you bring whatever you might put in a list and declare your faction, and build your crew at the table. This means that some (maybe most) players will not have access to every model in the faction. This also means that you can build lists to combat the general weaknesses or strengths you believe a faction to have. The issue is not so much about using information to make better decisions, it's about the way you obtain that information. If you know your opponent only plays one master, sure, take the crew you think has the biggest advantage. It doesn't guarantee victory, since skill and familiarity are probably bigger factors.
Asking players to show you their models with the express intent of using that knowledge against them, while it may not be cheating, is definitely pretty poisonous behavior. Then when that person realizes what has happened, they may never want to show their models to anyone before an event. I definitely don't want to have a community where that becomes an issue. I understand that you are saying it's "not technically cheating," but it is certainly the kind of behavior that can ruin a game community. The Privateer Press community is generally a very friendly place because even the high level players, while they take the game very seriously, are friendly and mostly very sportsmanlike.
I would not appreciate anyone leering into my miniature bag personally, mostly because you never know what someone's intent is. It could be anything from curiosity to intent to steal, and how am I to know which? Just remember that any tabletop game is a community of players, and the way you conduct yourself affects not only how people see you, but how they see competitive players in general. Please don't make a newer player's first real tournament experience one where someone falsely admired their models so they could stomp them in the first round. Warhammer has a bad reputation for being a community with a lot of cheaters and poor sports, and I don't want Malifaux to be the same way.
I'm not saying that we need rules in place for this, because subjective rules are notoriously impossible to implement fairly. I'm saying that we, as a community of players, should have enough respect for each other not to lie or be unsportsmanlike.
