International AK47 Wargaming Day 2026

As you are no doubt aware, today is International AK47 Wargaming Day! I was planning to run an al fresco game using the classic rules this afternoon but the weather has gone into meltdown and it's just too hot to be outside in the sun. Instead, I have organised a parade of the Zubuto Army of the People, featuring the 'elite' but otherwise bog standard red beret para-commandos, the armoured units of the regular ZAP mobile brigade, the local tribal militias and some shady mercenary types, as well as a fly past by a helicopter gunship and a fighter bomber. Hip Hip Hooray! 

It's....AK-47 Competition Time!

After a long and tedious day at work, there's nothing better than a little competition to cheer things up a bit. I've started a not very serious competition over on the AK-47 Facebook group which involves a simple objective, namely to present a photo of a single 30mm x 30mm foot group, small arms, heavy weapons, commander or whatever, to show off your best painting, basing and modelling. No prizes, just for fun, but I'm hoping it will give people some inspiration for their own armies and encourage new players to have a go. Deadline 25th May.

IAK47WD 2026

I'd forgotten about this but was kindly reminded by Jimmy James over in the AK-47 FB group the other day, so have pimped up the poster for the occasion. It's a way off yet but that means plenty of time to get organised for a game, which should be feasible as it's a bank holiday here in the sunny UK. I'll have to see what I can get organised at the club, which meets on a Tuesday, or possibly at home with the boy, as he'll be off work too. I haven't played a game in ages, so what better than International AK-47 Wargaming Day to dust off some technicals and take them for a test drive!

AK47 Militia Tanks Update

Now that I'm back home from France I can get cracking on the AK47 militia T34/85 tanks that I assembled before the holidays. The first thing I've done is to give them a good undercoat in Halfords Matt black primer, which I will touch up with some Vallejo black to avoid any unsightly metal showing through once it is fully dry. Next will be an overall dry brush in rusty shades, starting with Foundry Dusky Fresh Shade. 

AK47 Militia Tank Unit Update

After some thought and feedback on the AK-47 group, I've reconfigured the rocket launcher tank back into a bog standard T34/85, adding a big old DSHK machine gun instead of a second crew figure. I'm happier with the end result.

AK47 Militia 'Old' Tanks

 

I can now get to my workbench after the builders have cleared their gubbins from the garage, which means I was able to make a start on the militia unit for the FB group build. So, here we have three old second hand Skytrex T34/85 tanks, two built as normal 'old tanks' and one with a surplus Peter Pig nebelwerfer rocket launcher, although it will be rated as a tank like the other two. I added lots of stowage from The Scene and Debris of War, with figures chopped about to fit from the newer Peter Pig militia range. I'll start painting them at the weekend!

 

Militia Tanks for AK-47

The new group build competition on the AK-47 Facebook group is to assemble and paint a Militia unit of more than 60 points. After some farting about I've decided to use two old Skytrex T34/85 tanks and a handful of the new Peter Pig militia crew figures to do a rusty, clanky and probably dysfunctional armoured unit. The idea will be to go to town on the weathering and detailing, which is what I really enjoy, but keeping things as stripped down as possible. Lots of rust, oil leaks, junk and a splash of colour should do the job nicely, I reckon. This will be my project for next month, when I have a couple of weeks or so before the holiday break. 

AK-47 Militia Competition

Over on the AK-47 Republic Facebook group, one of the other admins has set up a competition for the next couple of months, the objective being to assemble, base and paint a unit of militia troops for the game. I singularity failed to get myself organised for the last challenge, so I'm determined to get an entry in for this one. I'm thinking of painting up a look large foot unit using the old militia figures that I have collected for a People's Popular Front army, as well as some heavy weapons and perhaps a vehicle or two, which will be a core for the army as a whole. The deadline is mid-January so there's plenty of time to get something organised. I have neglected AK-47 this year so it's a good opportunity to get back into it.

AK47 Foundry Paint Palette Plan

It's the half term holidays at last and I've set myself a painting challenge for the next couple of days, just for fun. I have a very old collection of excellent Foundry paints that have seen better days but are still, on the whole, good to go. I've selected a set of triads, with a few even older Citadel substitutes here and there, to paint up the COIN aircraft for AK47. Some of the paint shades are relatively fresh but others are a bit long in the tooth, to say the least, so it will be a challenge to use them to best effect. I'm looking forward to some layering for a change, with a bit of a wash here and there to add some subtle shading. I wonder how it will turn out in the end?

COIN STOL for AK47 Competition

There's an 'Air Support' competition on the AK-47 Facebook group this month, with the aim being to build a model aircraft, helicopter or similar ground attack asset. I built an old VEB Plasticart light aircraft a couple of years ago, with added gun and rocket pods, which will fit the bill and I'm planning to paint it up at the weekend. It will be a really nice change from tiddly 1/600th scale WW1 aircraft!

Big Red Bat Battlemat

I'm back from Brittany and have been unpacking, tidying up, mowing the lawn and generally sorting stuff out today, so no wargaming just yet. One nice thing was unpacking my new 6' x 4' terrain cloth from the Big Red Bat shop, complete with a very subtle 15cm square grid. This is destined for AK47 People's Edition, but I'm also going to use it for Strength and Honour, as my units have very similar base shades. 

I'm even considering using it for the Sandbox Skirmish 15mm solo project, which has been stalked for ages as I just couldn't decide how to go about the terrain. It only needs a 3' or 4' square area, so the cloth would be more than adequate and I can ignore the grid for aesthetic purposes. The figures and vehicles I've test painted also match quite well with the Iberian Plains design, with perhaps a little bit of a dry brush to get the shade just right. It was an expensive purchase but it's looking like good value for money.

AK47 People's Edition.pdf

The PDF version of the new People's Edition of AK-47 is now out and I've got myself a copy to see what it's like. First impressions are that this is definitely not the old 'classic' version with a few more army lists, nor is it the much maligned Reloaded version despite having some definite similarities, but a new set of rules drawing on the best bits of both and a good dollop of other RFCM rules, especially Square Bashing et al. I need to read through the rules properly but I'm thinking that it will be a relatively big job to get everything prepped for an actual game, especially on the terrain front, so I'm going to leave it until next year before getting to grips with the work required. It's even got me thinking about a change of scale to 10mm or even 6mm, both of which are included as options in the rules, just so I can try out the system before I take the plunge from 'Classic' to People's Edition in 15mm.

AK-47 People's Edition Project

The new People's Edition of AK-47 is due out in a couple of weeks and I've been getting to grips with the key aspects of the rules by reading play test game reports and reviews. It seems as though they've taken the best bits of classic AK-47 and mashed them with the popular bits of AK-47:Reloaded, then sprinkled selected mechanisms from more recent RFCM  rules on top. 

The general consensus seems to be that this is the best version yet, so as an AK-47 grognard and founder of the AK-47 Facebook group, I really should get stuck in. In fact, I'm thinking of at least one new army and some bespoke terrain building specifically aimed at the new rules, probably as my project for the second half of the year, instead of starting a CoC2 project from scratch?

AK47 People's Edition Terrain Cloth

I'm planning ahead for the imminent publication of the AK-47 People's Edition, which is due out in August, so have been looking for a new terrain cloth with a 6'' / 15cm grid. The two front runners are both from the Big Red Bat range, the first a Savannah cloth and the second an Iberian Plains cloth, both of which look suitable for sub- Saharan Africa. I better make up my mind soon as I'm sure they will sell like hot cakes when the rules are out!

Happy INAK47WD 2025

International AK-47 Wargaming Day

On Sunday 25th May it is once again International AK47 Wargaming Day.

Play a game at the club, at home or even online. Any of the various editions of the rules can be used including the new People's Edition, if you have a copy.

Simply post your game photos on the AK-47 Facebook group afterwards and bask in the glory of your victory!

Don't worry if you don't have the time or an opponent...simply line up your forces for a victory parade and pretend that you won!

You have the whole extended weekend to get it sorted...so why not get a game organised and get cracking!