Currently in Ukraine, a full range of firearm designs originating from military aid is being used. Before the war, alongside stocks from the Soviet era, Ukraine was also developing its own firearm designs tailored to its specific needs (high availability of AK parts and magazines, familiarity with operating the platform). The result of these conditions was the Malyuk carbine project (also known as Vulkan M, Ukrainian special forces with Malyuk carbines), a completely new design of an ergonomic bullpup rifle using AK magazines. The design itself originated from the earlier Vepr rifle, which was more of a conversion than a new design.
While no manufacturer has yet produced an airsoft replica of the Malyuk/Vulkan M, conversions are continually being made by players themselves. An excellent example is a project made by user Sir Juan on the 3DCults platform, where one can find a 3D-printed conversion kit design for a gas-powered AK-74M replica from Vega Force Company (AV74M replica from Vega Force Company with an official release date, Gas-powered AKS-74U and MP 443 Grach from Vega Force Company).
The conversion requires no permanent modifications to the replica itself, allowing it to be restored to factory condition. This, however, resulted in sacrificing some features known from the Malyuk/Vulkan rifle. Among other things, the magazine release button behind the trigger was omitted (meaning it is not possible to drop the magazine with one hand, as in the AR-15), as well as the original charging handle and the additional functional forward charging handle. The design does retain the additional cross-bolt safety above the trigger, the classic AK selector lever (present in older versions of the rifle), and the magazine catch lever hidden behind the magazine.
The conversion kit project is available on the Cults3D platform for 25 EUR. Additionally, the proceeds from the project will be donated to humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
All technical details regarding printing requirements and necessary parts can be found on the project page: VFC AK-74M -> Malyuk / Vulcan-M / Dnipro conversion
Photos: Sir Juan Carlos
