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Thompson Sub-machine Gun (Wooden Toy)

My kids love to dress up and play WWII themed battles.

I made a wooden toy version of a Thompson for them to play with. Then I had to make another one so they had one each.

It's just a bit of wood, with a couple of bits of metal. But I got the design sorted out so that the magazine (also wood) can be removed and replaced then not fall out while they ran around with it.

So with one moving part and a bit of imagination it's easy to do.

Again let me know if you're interested in making your own and I'll post an instructable.

18 comments

Sep 22, 2011. 12:49 AMBubbler says:

Great stuff, but for those wanting to make one in Australia, you have to paint the tip of the barrell in orange paint, so that the police know it is not a real gun. Huge penalties apply, even if a child has a hold of it. I want to do something like this for parading our old Hot Rod. Where's that orange paint . . . ?

May 23, 2012. 5:33 AMHonestinwilkesbarre says:

Ever wonder why criminals don't paint the barrels of their real guns orange? I have. I'd do it, if I were a criminal. It's actually the first thing I'd do.
Perhaps it's because you have to be stupid a criminal in the first place.

Jan 20, 2012. 11:08 AMbdaspud says:

Great job!

So how are the plans coming along?

Nov 30, 2011. 6:26 AMcschiebelhout says:

can i have the instructions as well please, so i can make a couple of those

Sep 27, 2011. 1:36 AMgcorrie says:

That is so cool, I would love the instructions for this as i'm going to fancy dress party as a gangster.

Jul 16, 2011. 9:28 AMjlaks says:

I definitely need to know how to make that

Jun 30, 2011. 5:23 PMdarknessfalls says:

i want...

Aug 21, 2010. 5:52 PMunderskrift says:

Neat! The pattern by itself would be a great help (me no good draftmanship).

Aug 23, 2010. 4:13 PMJoe_90 (author) says:

Hi there, thanks for the comment. I just scaled it up from a 1/6 scale thompson that my son has for his WW2 toys. I will draft up the pattern from the final version ( I made 2) and post it over the weekend. Thanks.

Nov 7, 2010. 8:02 AMrpick89 says:

Love the gun you made. My son is bugging me to make one of these too. Did you ever get the chance to draft up the pattern on this?

Nov 12, 2010. 11:30 PMJoe_90 (author) says:

Hi there, sorry no, not yet.

Hi there, sorry but the prototype's sitting on my workbench alongside the half painted napoleonic soldiers and Waterloo set my kids have me working on now.

I'll pull my finger out and have a go at it.

Thanks for the comments.

Sep 26, 2010. 6:21 AMtyler5507 says:

that is very neat i would love to learn how to make one

Sep 28, 2010. 5:37 AMJoe_90 (author) says:

I'm still working out how to translate the measurements and shapes into a workable design plan that someone else will understand?

I've tried simple CAD and it's a bit beyond me.

So will revert to old school tracing paper and then scan for A4 sized templates.

Once I've done that I'll post it. Thanks for your comment.

Aug 23, 2010. 4:37 PMJoe_90 (author) says:

Please note that in order to play with these toys (in a public place) without causing alarm it would be advisable to ensure that a blaze orange cap is attached to the muzzle, clearly indicating that it is a toy. Be safe and enjoy playtime without drawing unwanted attention. Cheers. Joe_90

Aug 11, 2010. 8:05 PMjollibee010 says:

Wow. thats so cool. I would like to make one (er . . few) for my kids too. Please post a instructables for it. Hope to see it soon. do you have other wood gun designs ? Thank you for sharing your project. :)

Aug 23, 2010. 4:16 PMJoe_90 (author) says:

Thanks for the comment. So far I have made 2 Thompsons, 1 Browning Automatic Rifle, 2 M1 Garands and 1 MP-40. All made out of wood, some glue and screws and a saddle clip or 2. I will start with the Thompson instructable and go from there - time permitting. Thanks.

Aug 11, 2010. 11:43 PMjollibee010 says:

PS, is it possible to make a drum instead of straight magazine ?

Aug 23, 2010. 4:33 PMJoe_90 (author) says:

Good question. The design I made for the Thompson incorporates 4 features to retain the magazine i.e. 1) a magnetic door latch inserted into the body of the toy gun 2) a metal strip incorporated into the top of the magazine 3) a tongue on the magazine and a groove in the trigger guard of the Thompson (similar to the real thing - or as best I can get with handtools) 4) a small metal L bracket opposing the trigger guard for a tight fit - note the metal bracket can be bent slightly in to give a better grip. These features all work well with a straight wooden clip magazine. I thought about how to make a drum magazine and retain the existing features? I tried to use a biscuit tin of around the right size, screwed on a plastic drawer guide to fit the groove and it worked for a short time. But with the rigours of play my son complained that it kept falling out. Sigh. So I think that the drum magazine would have to have a new mechanism to hold it in place. My ideas so far are: a) make the magazine out of wood and have a bolt that slides into a hole in the magazine from the body of the toy gun. b) make a dovetail type arrangement on the top of the magazine so that it slides into the body sideways and some sort of plastic latch that swivels over the magazine when flush. I'll have another go and post the results when time permits.