The Kalashnikov Museum Virtual Tour: Part 8 continues description of military Museum of Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of AK-47, Hall of Fame (Pt.2)

Pic.8-9 AK assault rifle is adopted by armies and special forces of 100 countries of the world. 1. AKMS (Romania) 2. AKR (Romania) 3. CZ58 (Czechoslovakia) 4. MPKS (Bulgaria - export variant for GDR Army) Licensed copies are manufactured in 19 countries, but some of these did not keep the name AK. For example, this showcase features few of such licensed guns. Third from the top is Czech CZ-58 gun (a.k.a. AK47CZ) which native appellation translates as plain "assault rifle" (just like famous Nazi StGw44 - Sturmgewehr stands for "Assault Rifle" in German) and does not bear any AK in the name - still, it is apparently the AK derivative.   On the other hand, Czech sources say otherwise: "Though externally the CZ-58 appears to be just another AK-47/AKM clone, the CZ-58 is internally a very different weapon from the AK. Though it too is gas-operated, the operating system is very different, and apart from the magazines, almost no CZ-58 parts are interchangeable with AK parts." Anyway, it's beyond scope of this guide.

Pic.8-10 Plasma screen by the right features list of countries Mikhail Kalashnikov has ever visited, and respective visit dates. Kalashnikov was granted exit permit only by early 1990s - prior to that time he'd been abroad only once, back in 1978 he went to Bulgaria for holidays - incognito, nobody knew he's the gun designer. Actually, for a long time the West was under impression what Kalashnikov as a person does not exist, it's just what the assault rifle was named after the design bureau "Kalashnikov". The B&W photo featuring young Mikhail Kalashnikov with his spouse Ekaterina, his three daughters (Nelly, Natasha and Elena), his mother Aleksandra and stepfather Efrem (his father died in Siberian exile). Another one - Mikhail Kalashnikov (on the left) with his son Victor. Down below is the group photo of Kalashnikov family reunion - the rare event by itself. You can see there his son , his daughters, his grandchildren and even great-grandsons - here, this coal-black hair kid is Kalashnikov's great-grandson born by his granddaughter residing in Columbia.

Pic.8-11 Partial reconstruction of Kalashnikov's dacha Up there, against the partial reconstruction of Kalashnikov's dacha, you can see the lawnmower of Kalashnikov's own design - ancient looking but perfectly functioning apparatus. Taped voice of Mikhail Kalashnikov says: "I built the thing myself, and I'd been taking care of grass at my dacha myself, too. This kind of things are plenty nowadays, but back in my days there were no places to buy it - a scythe was the only choice !" Take a look on few in-house inventions of Mikhail Kalashnikov - these were done in his spare time. This gadget which resembles pitchfork - or 5 WWI era bayonets welded to the single handle - is in fact handler for Russian equivalent of barbecue, shashlik - meat is stuffed on each tooth and roasted over hot charcoal. Pic.8-12 Close-up of lawnmower of Kalashnikov's design Pic.8-13 Shampur - the handler for shashlik This plazma screen features a slide show on use of Kalashnikov name per se. Pic.8-14 Kalashnikov Avenue                               Pic.8-15 Izhevsk-Moscow train #AK-47       Pic.8-16 Cartoon "a revolutionary's tool"     Pic.8-17 Misc. food labeled "Kalashnikov" (unauthorized): kefir (trad. Russian cultured milk product), pelmeni, ketchup, canned meat. We are leaving Hall dedicated to Kalashnikov - please follow us to the hall dedicated to Izhevsky Mekhanichesky Zavod and Izhevsky Mashinostroitelny Zavod.