Maya Modeling :: How To Change Attributes Of Original Individual Objects

This is probably just me not being up to speed yet, but once I combine a set of polygons, is there an easy way to still change the attributes of the original individual objects?

Prior to combining them, each object appears in the Outliner individually and I can select it there and change its attributes...color, etc. But I need to lock them together to keep their relative positions, and combining them does that perfectly. But afterward, the individual list in the Outliner doesn't seem to work anymore...the 'polysurface1' that was created has all the attributes crammed together, and having to scroll through all the tabs is a pain in the neck. Isn't there some way to combine objects and still readily change the colors or other attributes of the separate parts? Or, as I originally wondered about, is there an easier way to hold them in position without combining them?