Sign In Sign-Up

Elsewhere on this web site, you may have seen my White Scout Car that used a working 5-Star recoiless rifle as a cannon. This version uses the Hasbro 37mm anti-tank gun. This anti-tank gun came with a wheeled carriage and was meant to be towed behind a jeep. The Hasbro 37mm anti-tank gun was not quite as well done as we'd hoped, so it became customizing fodder. At left is the 37mm and armor shield set into the bed of the White Armored Car from 21st Century. The cannon will elevate and traverse on a homemade mount.

Here is a close-up view of the mount. As you can see, I used the same mechanical idea that was so successful in the first (5-Star cannon) version. In this case, however, the 37mm cannon didn't have an easy way to attach it to the mount, so I simply fabricated a metal upside-down "U" shaped mount and drilled holes appropriately, then bolted it to the underside of the gun carriage. The mount pivots (as you can see in the pic) as well as moves to depress and elevate the cannon. The wooden block that comprises the pivoting portion of the mount is connected by a spike (maybe 2-3 inches long) that goes deeply into the mount block and sticks up from the top of the large lower mounting block. I cut the head off the nail to make a post that matches a hole in the smaller, upper block. This permits the whole arrangement to pivot.

Here's a pic of the mount that fits into the 21C White Scout car. You can see the little notch at the left. That matches a bulge in the WSC behind the passenger's seat. Beneath the mount, I had to chisel away some of the wood, to accommodate a raised section of flooring in the bed of the WSC.

The pivot point is a spike with the head cut off. This spike fits into a hole in the upper (small) block that also holds the elevation mechanism. This is about the quickest, easiest way I could think of to make the gun elevate and traverse.

The cannon was loose and unstable in its mount from Hasbro. It was poorly designed. To keep it from wiggling around in there for no apparent reason, and because the armor now pivots and elevates along with the cannon, I decided to stabilize it with a bolt through the armor plange into the cannon barrel. You can see the screw I added at left. There are 2 more screws coming up from the bottom (used for attaching the pivot mount). It is quite stable now.

Here's another pic of the mount in the back of the 21C White Scout Car. You can see how snugly this mount fits behind the seats and ahead of the fender boxes. Nothing is bolted or permanently affixed to the car itself, so it can all be pulled out in a couple of seconds. While in place, it stays securely. The wood I used for this one was a little thinner than the wood used in the earlier 5-star cannon version, so I added a vertical brace you can see in the lower left of the pic, just behind the passenger seat.

The 37mm White Scout Car is now a permanent part of our Backyard Patrol. We liked the 5-Star version, but after we finished this one, we like it even better! The 5-Star cannon became a field piece (seen elsewhere on my site). Adding a driver and crew of 3, and this mobile anti-tank gun will be ready to counter any Backyard Threats (like the neighbor's dog that wanted to be in the pictures).

Yes, it still needs a coat of paint. I'll get around to it if I can ever pry it out of my kids' hands long enough to slap some paint on it!

LMK what you think of this project, or any other stuff you stumble across on my website!
- ATC

Click the logo to go home

or click the bar to email me, the ATCommander@adventureteam.com