Suggestions for metal old school AK, for paint project

[Sifu Steve]

I've recently completed a weathered paint job on some DEagles that I'm happy with. I'd like to branch out and make a really rusty-looking battered AK for my next project.

Having been out of the sport for 15 years, I'm not really sure what would make a good base. Ideally, I'd like a decent amount of metal components and will even stretch to real wood furniture.

Pic attached is an idea if the look I want.

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[Druid799]

Get yourself a Cyma and your golden , not expensive , almost totally bombproof , very reliable and for a LOT of players the go to brand for AK’s .?

 

[Sifu Steve]

Cheers bud. You've changed my view of Cyma in that one comment. When I left the hobby, Marui had the majority market share by far and a 'Japanese engineering' reputation for quality. When I recently read that Cyma were Chinese Marui knock-offs, I immediately wrote them off.

But despite my prejudice, I keep running into positive reviews of their kit.

In the hours since posting this I've actually managed to find someone selling a JG BAEG AK74, all metal with wood, with batteries and 5 mags, for a price that doesn't terrify me in case I bodge the strip down. I've not encountered a BAEG before so it's a learning experience...

 

[Cannonfodder]

Cyma If you don't mind spending a bit more you could go for a E&L. The steel is the same as the real ones so if you don't clean it'll get rusty and have that battered look for minimal effort. I'll post pictures of mine when I get home 

 

[Druid799]

This pair are both Cyma’s that I’ve ‘attacked’ with wet’n’dry , wire wool and paint pens , and also stuck chunks of real wood on as well .

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[Adolf Hamster]

As above- cyma are pretty much the baseline of solid all-rounder, e&l are more expensive but have prettier externals which will rust.

Either are good choices, depending on your budget and wether you like a heavy gun or a light gun.

The jg's arent bad shooters with a bit of tinkering, although the term "blowback" is a bit of a stretch, whilst the system is somewhat fragile it's also relatively easily deactivated and it'll run as a regular aeg. Ran one for years as my backup/loaner gun and it was genuinely a fun little shooter that i'd often run just for the hell of it.

 

[Cannonfodder]

Not the best pictures but you can see how it's rustedView attachment 84929View attachment 84931

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[Sifu Steve]

Cheers for the input guys. The JG 74 is due to arrive tomorrow. I didn't pay a lot for it and got plenty of mags to make it skirmishable.

The plan is to strip the gun down and then strip the paint off entirely, down to the bare metal. I'll then build it back up using my old wargames miniatures skills. I've even researched how to distress wood properly, so I'm hoping the furniture is at least workable.

I've bagged a dirt cheap damaged Nikko Stirling scope which I'm hoping I can fashion into something like the Eye of Reach in Sea of Thieves. It's a purely cosmetic item but despite the planned paint job, the airsofter in me couldn't leave the gun as stock... ?

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Not the best pictures but you can see how it's rustedView attachment 84929View attachment 84931

View attachment 84930

That's very authentic. ? I'll use these for reference on the paint job. Cheers!