When you think of prohibition-era gangsters, the mind conjures images of fast cars, sexy flappers, cool hats, and Tommy guns. BrickWarriors can’t help you on the first two items, but they’ve got the hats and Thomsons covered.
The only clothing item this time around is the Fedora, which is quite different from the official piece. The BrickWarriors offering has a thicker, narrower brim, which doesn’t look quite as dramatic as the official piece. In fact, it reminds me more of a hat a businessman or newspaper reporter of the era would wear. I like both models quite a bit, and think a mix of the two compliment each other. But if I had to choose just one, I think I’ve got to give the edge to the official part (far right in the below photo). Thankfully, I don’t have to choose.
This time around we’ve got three weapons: a nice snub-nosed revolver, a semi-automatic rifle, and the awesome Thomson Sub-machine gun.
I really like the snub-nosed revolver, since it can work in creations from Antebellum West on into the foreseeable future. It’s very distinct from the classic cowboy six shooter, more in-line with police-issue revolvers you used to see before Glocks became the norm. This simple, effective handgun can be found all over the US. That ubiquity makes it a must have for MOCers.
The semi-automatic Gangster Rifle looks a bit like a BAR, but it’s actually a Winchester Model 1907, a World War I era firearm. It’s a pretty nice rifle, and should work well for both military and civilian use. You could even use it as a stand-in for the BAR if you really wanted.
Undoubtedly the crown jewel of this collection is the Chicago Typewriter (AKA the Tommy Gun). This this is just beautifully sculpted. It’s instantly recognizable, looks great in a minifig’s hand, and puts to official part to shame. Partner it up with the violin case from the Collectible Gangster and you’ve got a fantastic figure.
Check back next week for our review of the modern items, including a nice new AK. And don’t forget to check out BrickWarriors’ website and BrickLink Store.
wow these look awesome…especially love those hats.
To be clear, only one hat is BrickWarriors. I included the LEGO fedora for contrast.
It really is a nice hat though.
Lovin the scrimshaw cop!
I’ve been trying to keep Scrimshaw busy lately. It’s a shame I couldn’t find a place for him in the Fantasy review.
I wish I had ordered some more Tommy Guns!
Yeah, the Tommy Guns are just fantastic. It hits the level of detail just perfectly.
Add in a baseball bat, and this would have been complete.
A baseball bat is a solid idea. BrickArms makes a nice one, and there’s the official part from the Collectible Minifig.
I would of put the flame in the tip of the bottle to make it look more like a molotove.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit. I tried a few different clips, and this way looked the best. Still not happy with it, so if anyone sees a better way to go I’d love to hear it.
Thanks for another great review! I love the figures you put together to show off the items.
Can’t wait for the next part of the review next week!
My pleasure!
That’s some pretty cool stuff.
I used to want to make my own LEGO-compatible accessories and sell them on the internet, but with BrickArms, Brickforge, and now BrickWarriors, it seems like they’ve got the market pretty much covered. Oh well, getting injection-molded pieces made for you can get pretty expensive anyway, I suppose.
I too prefer the look of the official LEGO fedora to the BrickWarriors one. “Gangster Dave” looks pretty classy, by the way!
And I’m jealous of your series 5 gangster… All I’ve gotten so far are the graduate and Sherlock Holmes.
I’m kind of curious about the amount of sales you’d need to make to become profitable, because as you said, paying for the molding would probably be quite pricey.
I think I heard somewhere that aluminum molds can cost several thousand dollars… I’m sure BrickArms has sold more than enough pieces to become profitable by now, but I’m sure it took quite a while to get there. I’ll have to look deeper into the costs at some point.
by the way, Dave, there is a typo in the review, SNUB- NOBED?
He’s got a cold.
Hah. I’ll get that fixed now. Damn cold.
Haha, I can’t believe that even I didn’t catch that. (the typo, I mean, not the cold!) I usually pick up on most spelling errors…
Perhaps my mystical spelling abilities are failing me…
Maybe there’s a part of me that subconsciously wants to believe that there really is such a thing as a “snub-nobed pistol.” 😉