Mexar 
Mexar 
IWA OutdoorClassics, the trade fair for hunting, shooting sports, outdoor and security equipment, closed in Nuremberg on 1 March 2026 after four days. The organiser reported 1,050 exhibitors from 49 countries and more than 25,000 trade visitors and media from 121 countries.
The figures
According to the closing report, 83 per cent of exhibitors came from outside Germany, and about 70 per cent of visitors were international. Stefanie Leege, the show's Exhibition Director, said: "IWA is an internationally oriented show, and this has been evident across all areas."
The organiser said more than 70 per cent of the floor space for 2027 had already been booked. IWA 2027 will run from 4 to 7 March 2027 in Nuremberg. A planned move of the show to April has been suspended.
IWA is a trade only event, so it is not open to the public. For the airsoft industry it is one of the main places where makers show new products to distributors and shops from around the world.
What VFC showed
VFC brought a long list of replicas, reported by Airsoft Milsim News on 6 March 2026. Among them were the Knight's Armament KC-1, also known as the L403A1, and the KS-3, along with a BCM Mk2 MCMR. VFC showed a VR16 URG-I SBR, which it is aiming to release in April 2026, and a prototype of the T91 FSP.
VFC also showed its new Maxim Defense range: the PDX-SD and MDX 510 electric guns fitted with the GATE ASTER ETU, a PDX SBR gas blowback rifle and an MD9 gas blowback submachine gun. VFC said the Maxim range launched in Asia in February 2026, with Europe to follow.
Other replicas on the stand included the SA3-APS, the MP-443 Grach pistol, the SA226 Tactical, an AK-74U kit and an AK-105 gas blowback rifle. VFC also showed an AKM gas blowback rifle, which it expects around April 2027.
Umarex used the show for two new licensed replicas: the Heckler and Koch G95K electric rifle and a Ruger Mini-14 gas blowback rifle. We have covered both in separate reports.
What it means for players
Trade show reveals are usually the first sight of a product, and release dates often move. Many of the replicas shown at IWA will take months to reach shops, and prices are normally set later. We will report each release as the makers confirm it.
