In the 1920s and 1930s, the United States confronted a crime rate never seen before. It was a time of violence and disorder that would produce a colorful gallery of rogues ranging from the kingpins of Chicago’s organized crime to restless, lonely characters that lived by the gun on the road, many of whom met a tragic and often bloody end.
 
Black Hawk’s representation of this frantic, wild era is primarily based on just a few of the most important criminals from “Gangland America,” if only because their lives have been recreated by Hollywood in some unforgettable films. So we have Al Capone (1899-1947), who reigned over Chicago for seven years and will always be thought of as the epitome of a ruthless, organized crime leader. Then there were Bonnie Parker (1910-1934) and Clyde Barrow (1904-1934), who began their crime spree in Dallas and travelled the central United States, captivating the attention of the American public between 1931 and 1934, before being riddled with bullets in a police ambush on a rural Louisiana road.

But this miniature mosaic of Gangland America would certainly be incomplete without some characters from the other side: the law. Besides some anonymous policemen and citizens, the series includes a striking rendition of Eliot Ness (1903-1957). The agent famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago and the leader of “The Untouchables” has been recreated in full action, in a piece titled “Do Not Disturb”. The series also includes Melvin Purvis (1903-1960), the noted FBI agent that hunted Dillinger (and other famous outlaws like Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd), who appears in this series as “G-Man” Finally, to complete the whole picture, there are several cars (Bonnie and Clyde’s included) and a typical period gas station.