Sorting out my gangsters

Looking back in my blog, I realize that I haven't touched my gangsters and cops in 10 years! With The Chicago Way I hope to change that, and come up with a boisterous game for 6 or so friends who can happily back stab, shoot and trash talk each other for an evening.

So this past weekend I started digging into boxes and sorting bits to keep and bits to reject. There's a lot to get rid of, but I'm pleased to find a lot that will do quite nicely with only a minimal effort.

I also renovated the bases on the figures. The grey caulking didn't really do it for me. On some figures it worked great and others it went on rather lumpy. Not feeling up to carving paving stones I opted for sand.

Original grey caulk bases

Junk yard gang showing new basing. I also did a Google image search and discovered from old photographs that some gas pumps really were that tall!

I did a test layout and determined that I need more buildings, sidewalks, and roads that aren't lumpy. But I do have lots of fire hydrants and trash cans.

Here is a 4x4 mat with intersecting streets (note the big empty quarter):

The green structure on the roof of the right most building is going to be removed.

Retrieving the HO scale corner cafe from the reject box is a start, but not by much:

I think I'll base up the Ertl toy pony barn, add some junk leaning against the walls (for light cover) and have the roof removable. 

The pony barn also got a back door added with a Dremel tool and some scrap MDF 

Need more boxes

The gals spot trouble coming!

Goons try to hijack a hootch shipment

G-Men raid Canoli Construction

I'm tempted to make dedicated boards with set streets, sidewalks and alleys, and flat spots for the buildings. Then I could maybe add a ditch, or a section of river with a bridge. I could certainly have some grass and weeds in addition to the gravel at any rate.