Thompson Submachine Gun — Story of Crafting the Miniature

In this article, we explore the creation of a miniature Thompson Submachine Gun, the process of crafting this iconic firearm on a smaller scale. Facing numerous challenges, including limited resources and the complexities of war, our team remained dedicated to bringing this ambitious project to life. Through persistence and innovation, we navigated each obstacle, culminating in a unique model that pays homage to the legendary Tommy Gun.
Join us as we recount the journey of this endeavor, from conception to completion, and share the story behind this remarkable creation.

We began the development of the Thompson submachine gun during the COVID times. While I was away from the workshop, the team created a 3D version of the most streamlined model available – the 1928 version with a horizontal forend and box magazine.

It looked elegant, but I needed more. I insisted on an additional drum magazine. By the way, this compatibility with different types of magazines is also present in real Thompsons. But we later had a lot of trouble with this drum magazine. It was too heavy and wouldn’t stay in place, even with strong magnets. Yes, we have to learn from our mistakes, so now we additionally check the weight of potentially problematic heavy components using engineering software. We’ve roughly calculated the weight of the new version of the magazine. But even that one turned out to be too heavy. The software also provides only rough estimates; in miniatures, even minor discrepancies can become critical.

That’s why we have to manually fine-tune everything and sometimes even redo it multiple times to experimentally bring the design to a working version. However, an initial check in the modeling software does save us the time of at least one rework. In the end, we had to redo this drum magazine three times.

The realization in metal wasn’t progressing. We had many priority tasks, and this model kept getting postponed.

Later, while discussing my life strategies with a psychologist, I realized that the energy for implementation wasn’t there because the earlier stages of my willpower process had been underdeveloped. I was simply stuck in the thinking phase.

At that time, I still couldn’t see a unique concept for this model. I was also concerned that our Tommy Gun model would be left without the recognizable distinctive vertical foregrip. I reviewed miniatures of the Thompson from various periods, trying to understand what should make our miniature stand out among the existing ones.

And I found the answer. We will be the first to create a miniature with the maximum number of modifications. As always, we will remain true to ourselves, maintaining a balance between the realism of the model and the ease of handling and changing elements of the miniature gun. Once this decision was made, work on the model accelerated.

However, this was happening during the full-scale invasion.

Such is the irony of fate that we completed the Thompson miniature, which gained its popularity in World War II during another major continental war, the war between russia and Ukraine.

Indeed, the war also affected our work. We worked on the model amidst the sounds of explosions and the wail of air raid sirens.

We had to say goodbye to working in a spacious industrial zone for now, as industrial sites are targeted more frequently. We began working dispersed in several small “garage” workshops. We work alone or in small groups. However, development is always a collective effort for us. So, three people worked on the Thompson in the small workshop, just like in the old days.

We adapted to power outages. The worst is when a CNC machine runs, and an emergency shutdown occurs. The workpiece gets ruined, and we repeatedly redo the same part. But as you know, we’re used to doing this. I even lost track of how often we had to redo parts for the Thompson due to emergency machine stops.

We continued working with hand tools and conventional machines without CNC, even with no power supply. The generator provides us with this capability.

During the war, we once again began reinforcing our interchangeability. We wanted one person’s absence not to let down the entire team. We still maintain specialization within the team but are now trying to duplicate all functions. For example, I started learning the nuances of cutting wooden parts for models on a CNC machine.

But most importantly, despite everything, we maintain our faith and optimism. We strive to support each other and help others. Even in the darkest times, we find the strength to smile, do our best, or even achieve the impossible. Yes, we no longer release new products every month. But to launch this Thompson Set during the war, we had to become much better than we were before.

We put so much energy into this miniature that it has become a personal symbol of unyielding spirit and the superpower to see things through to the finish line.

I also can’t help but share how I filmed the video review for our new model. I knew right away that it would take more time than usual because I needed to showcase all the possible modifications of the model and how easy it was to use the Tommy gun. But I didn’t anticipate the adventures during the shoot. I had several experiments in the park, but the best footage came from filming directly at Freedom Square in our indomitable Kharkiv. All those atmospheric shots were taken there.

But as soon as I set up the equipment and picked up the miniature, people would appear, inevitably asking me what it was. During the war, there are usually hardly any people in the square.

Some nearby objects have already been hit or targeted by Russian missiles. The air raid sirens are deafening. Plus, the summer heat is quite uncomfortable under the open sun, especially with a vast park nearby with fountains and ancient oaks providing pleasant shade.

All this should have played against me. But no. While lying on the grass with the miniature gun, I constantly attracted the attention of passersby. I had to get up from the lawn and explain the miniature weapon. And then… the municipal workers turned on the irrigation system, and I found myself jumping around on the wet grass for the tripod. Filming was once again postponed to another day.

I almost gave up on filming the video at the square. I even mentioned it in the weekly newsletter. But the subscribers were uncompromising. Everyone responded that they believed in me, and of course, I couldn’t let them down.

Once again, I gathered my courage and went to the square. There were even more people, but I decided not to back down and to finish the job today, no matter what. The yellowing leaves had already started to fall on the lawn…

Even nature was urging me to complete the shoot before autumn. I cleaned the leaves from the lawn to avoid them being in the frame, set up my equipment, and started positioning the tripod.

Again, a crowd of onlookers gathered, asking questions, offering help, and just milling around behind me, peeking over my shoulder. I gathered all my willpower, looked sternly at all the distractions, and began filming.

My inner focus kicked in, and I stopped being distracted. The final step was to capture the actual shot. This was the most stressful moment. People react very sharply to sudden sounds during the war. I didn’t want to scare anyone. So, I waited until the square was deserted. But I was so nervous that I didn’t hit the tin can on the first try.

Thompson Submachine Miniature Gun (scale 1:5)

Can you imagine! However, after the first shot, my internal tension eased. I realized that the sound of the shot was lost in the city’s din, so I wouldn’t scare anyone.

During the filming, I was so focused that I didn’t notice until then that my body had gone numb from sitting in an uncomfortable position for so long. I got up, stretched, and took off my heels. So, barefoot and on my knees in the middle of one of the largest squares in Europe, I finally shot the review of the Thompson Set for you.

You can watch it right here on the product page. Be sure to leave a comment in the review section to let us know if you think it was worth it.

Thompson Submachine Gun (scale 1:5)

Handmade nice detailed full metal miniature submachine.

Thompson submachine gun has active moving parts. The cartridges are loaded from the top. The loading window closes. The trigger is pulled. The magazines are held in place by magnets. The forend and pistol grip are screwed on.

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About the Author

My name is Olha Polah, and I have been working in miniature weapons production since 2015. I started the mini firearms brand and have been running the brand’s Instagram page since 2016. The brand’s miniatures are popular worldwide, with fans in 25+ countries. I became the sole owner of the brand in 2018 and created a comprehensive line of miniatures. More than 60 models of miniature weapons from various historical periods have been created. In November 2023, I was interviewed by Robert Dunn for the GunTech magazine, where I talked about the hardships I had to endure in my business. I also run a newsletter for the brand’s customers, which has evolved into a full-fledged magazine with in-depth articles published on the wpolah.com.

My mission is to make people’s lives more joyful by sharing interesting facts about miniature weapons and inspiring everyone to express themselves.