1:72 American Gangsters 1920's era

American gangsters of the 1920s, 1:72 scale, Red Box

A civilian figure set set in the American twenties. Unlike the Red Box military sets it has a different function: it does not belong in a combat scene but in a city diorama, in front of a house, beside an automobile, on the sidewalk. The 1:72 scale links it with models of period vehicles of the same scale.

What the set captures

Figures in the civilian clothing of the interwar era: suits, long coats, hats. For building a scene the essential point is that civilian figures do not work in a formation; each one has to have its own reason for standing there, and they are set out in small groups or singly, with spacing and in different orientations.

Painting: a civilian palette instead of a single shade

Here painting differs the most from the military sets. With a uniformed unit the color of the dress unifies, here on the contrary you need difference: if all the suits came out in the same tone, the scene would optically fall back into a formation. Choose a different combination for each figure: dark gray, brown, a subdued blue, a coat in a different tone from the jacket. Keep the palette subdued while you do it; saturated colors at this scale look like a toy. Handle the accessories with sheen rather than color: shoes and a hat band will take a semi-gloss hint, while the cloth of a suit should stay matte. A final wash will unify all the figures into one scene without returning them to one shade.

Who the set is for

• Builders of interwar city dioramas in 1:72
• Modelers of period automobiles who need a civilian crew and passers-by
• Collectors of figure sets outside military subjects
• Modelers who want to practice working with a civilian color palette

The set is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Paints, glue, vehicles and terrain are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.