Sunday 20 January 2013

Foundry Italian Mafia Mobsters

I still have a lot more Foundry 28mm scale Street Violence figures to show you. Here then are my Italian Mafia gangsters from set SV034 The Mob. I make the distinction of these being Italian, or more accurately, Americans of Italian birth, as I also have a gang of Russian Mafiosi. In my ATZ campaign, this gang, run by "Viper Joe" Marciano, have been a part of the crime scene of Mayhem City for many decades and are very firmly established.
At the far left of my two photos is Pauli Cigarini. He is "Viper Joe's" money man and financial adviser. The two have worked closely for many years and have a good working relationship. He is not armed. Indeed he shuns violence and would be useless in a fight. He is holding a large, fat cigar in his left hand, which is a trademark of his, as he is rarely seen without a cigar. Some call him Cigarini the Cigar Man, but never to his face. He loves eating and he isn't just fat, he's obese. He is a heart attack waiting to happen.
Next to him is Lola De Rossi, the latest mistress of "Viper Joe" Marciano. What Lola gained in good looks and sex appeal she lost in intelligence and wisdom. She is in it purely for the money and whilst she professes her undying love for "Viper Joe," it is all a facade. She knows exactly what "Viper Joe" is and what he does but that doesn't bother her. She is too busy enjoying the trappings of high living to care about minor details like where the money comes from. She is armed, and carries a pistol in her shoulder bag, but she is no markswoman.
In the centre of the group is the Mob leader himself, "Viper Joe" Marciano, so named because he is as slippery as a snake and just as deadly. He is not a man to be crossed as the word "forgiveness" does not exist in his vocabulary. He has been known to personally torture and kill those who have pissed him off, although usually he leaves that to his chief enforcer, Luigi Ruffino. "Viper Joe" runs a successful crime empire but in recent years has faced growing competition from Mayhem City's larger ethnic gangs, especially the Russian Mafia. "Viper Joe" is not armed but he is good in a fight, despite him piling on the weight. Like Pauli, he also enjoys expensive cigars and he holds one in his left hand.
Fourth in line is Luigi Ruffino, and as mentioned he is the chief enforcer for "Viper Joe." He is as hard as nails and as tough as they come. He has a 5.56mm Colt Commando Assault Rifle slung over his right shoulder. Note the long scar that runs down his face on the left side from his hairline to the corner of his mouth. He served with the US Marine Corps prior to working for the Mob. His reputation is such that he is one of the most feared men in all of Mayhem City.
Finally, is Mario Baldecchi, known to many as "Little Mario" due to his lack of height. Mario is a vicious thug with a disturbing penchant for violence. Think Joe Pesci from the film Good Fellas and you're on the right track. He is armed with a 9mm Beretta M92 Pistol. "Viper Joe" likes "Little Mario" and will use him when someone needs teaching a harsh lesson. The problem with Mario is that he lacks subtlety and he acts first and thinks later.
I like this set a lot. The figures are tremendously characterful. Coming up with backgrounds for them was so easy. Their first names came from the Foundry folks and I added their surnames. I like the fact that they are not all armed to the teeth. Three of them could double as unarmed civilians if you wanted. This set of five figures costs £10.00 on the Foundry webstore.

28 comments:

  1. A nicely done set, I was hoping when I saw the strap that Luigi had a sub machine gun as I'm looking for a suited model in a similar pose.

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    1. You could still use Luigi for what you want, Simon. The thing is that his right arm obscures most of the detail of his assault rifle. You could say that the firearm is a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5SD3, which has the integral suppressor, giving it a longer barrel length.

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    2. Its actually inspire me to do a conversion. I've just seen the a KKBB figure on another blog converted with a shotgun. I just need to workout what SMG I want to use on it and then find one. Thanks for pointing that out though Bryan.

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    3. No problem, mate. I'm glad to hear that you have a solution in mind.

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  2. Another great looking set Bryan, and would make for an interesting story arc should they feature in the campaign.
    I just hope Vampifan or Big Sil doesn't tell Mario that they think he's a " funny guy"!

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    1. I am hoping they will appear in my campaign at some time, Dave. It will be hard for certain members of Team Vampifan to resist taking the piss out of some of them. Yes, I can just see Big Sil telling Mario he's a "funny guy" or even a "short arse!"

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  3. Yet more great looking figures. I really like the first (fat Pauli) guy. Don't get me wrong the rest are very very nice as well. But he's just so characterful and in game terms I would give him a +1 or +2 on the "Feast" duration roll should he surcumb to the Zeds!

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    1. There is certainly plenty of Pauli to go around, Clint. He should succumb to the zombies very easily and very quickly and give them plenty to feast upon. Remember one of the first rules of "Zombieland" is "Cardio!"

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    2. As I said in my review, he is a heart attack waiting to happen.

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  4. These are great! They'll definitely make great ganger-antagonists for Team Vampifan should you go that route.

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    1. Mayhem City is a hotbed of criminal activity, Jon. It is inevitable that Team Vampifan will have a run in with some of them.

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  5. Great, characterful work, Bryan. You really caught the vibe of the Mafia as portrayed on TV and in films with these! And your character descriptions and backgrounds are off the chart.

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    1. Many thanks, Chris, but a lot of credit must go to the quality of the sculpts.

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  6. Really nice work Bryan, as usual... Well done... or Ben fatto! ;)
    ciao

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    1. Even though I don't speak Italian, I get the message, Gnotta. Many thanks, buddy.

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  7. Another great Foundry set, I doubt mine will come out as well as these.

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    1. Thanks, Joe. I really feel for you having problems with your eyesight. That must be so frustrating.

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    2. Thanks Bryan for the kind words, if/when my eyesight gets better Ihave this awful feeling that I'mgoing to hate the figures I've painted over the last year.

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    3. That could be quite a dilemma. Do you leave them alone or spend time correcting them? Hmm, choices, choices.

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  8. Well done on painting these Bryan! As always, your background dossiers on them are fanstastic too!

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    1. Thanks, Dave. The background info almost wrote itself. I find that happens with certain figures, where I just know who they are with no effort at all.

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  9. Fantastic brush work mate, and the names you came up with are so cool. Their is even a real gangster in Dublin called Martin "The Viper" Foley, this guy has been shot five times and hes still going strong.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Foley

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    1. Just want to give you a heads up if you have not noticed, Carl released his terrain tiles set last night

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    2. The info about Martin "The Viper" Foley was fascinating. Thanks for that, SK.

      I have bought and downloaded Carl's ground tiles this morning, but I do appreciate the heads up. I see that we both have a gravestone named after us. How cool is that?

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    3. it is nice to see your name on a grave while still living

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