One of the best things about a retro computing meetup is the glorious uncertainty of what will turn up on the day.
Yes, there will be Amstrad CPCs. Obviously. But there’ll also be modern add-ons, original joysticks, development projects, repairs, games, books, boards, cables, probably at least one mystery box, and a fair amount of “I’m sure I had the right lead for this somewhere…”
Ahead of the 2026 UK Amstrad Group meetup, some of our members have been sharing what they’re planning to bring, both in videos and in our WhatsApp community. It’s already shaping up to be a brilliant mix of playing, tinkering, developing, fixing and chatting.
TechNick’s Amstrad kit
TechNick is planning to bring a lovely selection of hardware, including his trusty CPC 6128 and possibly a GX4000 too. He’s also got a PicoGUS up and running, along with a tape drive, Gotek, Multiface II and M4 board.
That’s a great mix of original Amstrad kit, modern expansions and sensible backup options. Because anyone taking disk drives and tape drives to a retro event knows that “just in case” is not over-preparing. It’s survival instinct.
On the games and software side, TechNick mentions Buggy Boy, Advanced Art Studio, Advanced Flight Trainer and Elite, so there could be racing, drawing, flying and space trading all happening on one setup.
Very normal. Very Amstrad.
Adam’s meetup bag
Adam’s video starts with something rather special: his CPC 6128 signed by Roland Perry, who was in charge of the development of the original system and is now UKAG’s honorary president.
Roland will be at the meetup too, so Adam mentions that if you ask nicely, he might sign your system on the day, for a donation to charity. We cannot promise there won’t be a queue!
Adam is also bringing his CPC 464, which is ideal for cassette games, along with the joystick he used through the 80s. He also mentions buying a Manta Ray joystick after Rod Lawton, editor of Amstrad Action, said they were great. These are the little details that make retro computing so personal. It’s never just a machine, is it?
Also in Adam’s kit are an M4 board, some recent eBay wins including Klax, Lotus and Castle Master, unopened games that really ought to be tried at last, a light pen, and a BASIC book as he continues learning some programming.
Development, repairs and a bit of collaborative coding
Our WhatsApp community has also been full of plans for the day.
Dave, “the old fart behind Typhonsoft”, in his own words, has booked a table and will be bringing his Linux box and monitors. He’s planning to spend the day talking about and working on Amstrad development projects.
He has two CPC projects on the go at the moment and hopes the meetup might give him a useful push to make more progress on them. As Dave put it, it’s a chance for “a spot of the old collaborative development”.
That’s exactly the kind of thing we’d love to see at the meetup. Not just finished projects, but work in progress, shared ideas, problem-solving, curiosity and people getting stuck into making things.
Chris Green is also preparing for the day, with a bit of shopping ahead of the meet. He’s picked up a DDI-5 for his 464, and one of his planned jobs at the event is to dismantle a CPC 464 keyboard and replace a broken key plunger.
Have you seen the CPC Mini? Yes, it’s a real thing!
Well Simon Green will be bringing his along for you to have a play with.
So if you like seeing the insides of machines, learning how repairs are done, or just standing nearby saying “ooh, careful with that bit”, there should be something for you too.
And yes, board games
It won’t all be screens, soldering and system disks. LightbulbJo is planning to bring some of the board games mentioned in This Week in Retro, (and our first ever YouTube video!).
So there’ll be a chance to get a retro fix in a slightly different form too. Computer games, board games, tabletop games and retro hardware have always influenced each other, and it’ll be great to have a few things on hand that people can sit down and play together.
Bring yours, play ours, or just come and chat
All of this shows why the UK Amstrad Group meetup is shaping up to be such a fun and varied day.
Some people will bring full setups. Some will bring games, joysticks, expansions, books, repairs, projects, or mystery items from the loft. Some will come to play. Some will come to learn. Some will come to chat. Some will probably do all of those things before lunch.
You don’t need to bring anything to be part of it. But if you do have a CPC, GX4000, games, magazines, add-ons, projects, demos, repairs, or something Amstrad-related you’d love to show people, we’d love to see it.
Join us at the UK Amstrad Group Meetup 2026
The UK Amstrad Group meetup takes place on Sunday 21st June 2026.
There’ll be classic machines, modern expansions, games to play, repairs to watch, development projects to talk about, board games to try, people to meet, and plenty of retro Amstrad chat throughout the day.
Book a standard ticket, grab a table ticket if you want to bring your own setup, and come and be part of it.
Whether you’re bringing a signed CPC 6128, a trusty 464, a Linux development box, a keyboard repair job, a Pac-Man board game, or just yourself, you’ll be very welcome.