Thanks for the report Pacman. You have just made MCN's headline :)

RB

I also have several of the Cobi/Best-Lock sets.  I have two tanks, two bunkers, a tracked missile vehicle, a couple of jeeps, a couple of helicopters, and the field hospital (which comes with an ambulance truck). 

My friend's mom in Poland got the last one for me.  Overall, I think the quality is just as good as LEGO, except for a couple of their specialty bricks.  I don't like the helicopters too much, but I think everything else is just as good as LEGO. 

While the minifig accessories are completely compatible with LEGO's, the minifig parts are not.  I've tried using the Cobi torsos on LEGO legs, for example, and they don't fit exactly right.  The heads are pretty close, though -- the Cobi heads are a little snug on the LEGO torso, but they work fine. 

The bricks are completely interchangeable, and come in some pretty unique colors.  Overall, I think that as long as you stay away from the air vehicles, the Cobi sets are an excellent value.  If you're into military sets, this is the way to go (and Brickarms, of course!).  As soon as they start stocking some sets that I don't already have at my local TRU, I'm sure I'll pick them up.


Try some paragrahping next time :) -DD

Good point!  I guess I just got a little loquacious....

I didn't know they made one of them.... but boy would I like one!

Here's a question for ya Cwencker: How do the minifigs compare to LEGO minifigs? By the pictures, it appears that, aside from a slightly differently shaped head, the figures are almost identical in build. Are they fully compatible, and if you put a LEGO fig and a Cobi fig side-by-side, is there a noticable difference, or could you literally pass Cobi parts off as official LEGO parts?

(To be honest, I'm a little concerned that people would be able to sell this stuff on Bricklink and claim that it's actual LEGO.)


Your pictures are turning out good. You'll notice that the minifig accessories Cobi produces are not yet in our Minifig Accessories database. So if you have some good pictures taken in the same way as the pictures in the database, I'd be happy to add them in (with credit to you as the poster of them). We're always looking to expand the database. No pressure - just if you happen to be able to take such pictures, we'll add them in to the database.

To badger:  I sent you a PM on this, but for the benefit of everyone else, the fedora-style hat (which really looks like a fedora, in my opinion) came in one of the four-figure blister packs.  I got it from my friend's mom, who lives in Poland, where Cobi sets are made.  I keep checking their site to see if the online store is up and running, but it's not yet.  When it is, I'll make a post (if someone else doesn't beat me to it).

To Damien:  The minifigs are almost identical to Lego minifigs.  Recluse is right about the similarity in size -- Cobi and Lego figs are identical (at least to the eye) in their exterior dimensions.  I've had very little trouble exchanging heads, hats and accessories.  I'm not sure if they can be passed of as Lego product, though, because most of the colors are a bit different -- especially the skin tones (except brown).  The Cobi heads are a little tight on Lego bodies, but they generally work out.  The Cobi hands are pretty loose in Lego arms, but sometimes they stay put.  Conversely, Lego heads fit on Cobi bodies, but are a little loose, and Lego hands fit in Cobi arms pretty well, though tightly.  Lego legs are a bit too big to fit well into Cobi torsoes -- you can't get the bottom edge of the torso completely flush against the top edge of the legs.  Cobi legs fit well into Lego torsoes, though.  I haven't tried exchanging arms yet, so I'll have to defer to Legofreak on that.  As for the blocks, they're completely compatible, and Cobi makes some interesting colors.

Thanks for the kind words about my pics.  I'm still working on learning the nuances of lighting, framing and staging.  I'd love to submit some pics for the Accessories Database, once I put together a blank minifig.  I got a pretty nifty Stikfas set (though Redbean already got several of them in there), and some cool Oxford/A-K weapons too.  When I can get some appropriate pics, I'll pass them along.  Thanks again.

A few pics I just took, the first one is my LSF soldier, Alpha, wearing the webgear while "hanging out" with one of the Cobian soldiers. The second pic is a bit blurry but I think it still shows the best part of the rocket carrier- it's hydraulics- when I fist saw the picture on the box, I was afraid that it was was going to be a single piece that stays in one postion- each hydraulic arm is made of three pieces to allow it to extend or lower. Eventually I plan to turn this vehicle into a six-wheeled personnel/cargo carrier (almost a "Duece and a Half") and a tracked Rocket launcher- when I get the time.

Chillin'

Rocket Launcher (Extended)

-Alan

Thanks Chris, so far that beret is the only Sculpey piece I've created so far- don't forget to show your beret when it's done. That pic might not be the best for inspiration, but if you like my design, I can post better pics elsewhere.

Mustard Gas, the best idea I can think of if check out the stores in your neigborhood, try to find the cheapest price, buy one and check it out- if you like it get an army. I've been noticing that even with chain-stores like Toys R Us prices vary- in my neighborhood, one TRU sold those sets for $5 and change while another TRU sold the same set for $9.99- at the first store I can't even find the cheaper sets anymore- so you might like to work quickly.

My opinion though: they don't hold as well as LEGO, and in the USA they're not as varied, but they're something different and if you're building a defense force, they're worth it- but remember they're not LEGO so don't be expecting high quality- you may or may not be disappointed. Personally I bought two of the same [$19.99 OD Green] tubs (which contained the howitzer, jeep and helicopter*), one of the [$5+ OD Green] boxes (which contained the tracked rocket launcher) and one of the [$5+ Brown] boxes (which contained the tank).I like the Rocket Launcher (even though I plan to turn it into two other vehicles) and the howitzer (although I plan to turn it into a two wheeled howitzer instead of four), the  jeep has an interesting design, but I plan to retool it as well ( it doesn't stay together too well and it holds only one minifig), the helicopter looks nice but it also is not too sturdy. I unfortunatly do not like the tank- it's design, it's looks and the fact that the one I bought gives me turret problems with it's gun. All-in-all, my opinion is that the best best vehicles of the sets they have [that I have bought] would be the Rocket Launcher, with the howitzer coming a close second. I don't know if that helped you Mustard Gas [and anyone else looking for a yay or nay], but the end result is that you probably need to try "trial and error" but start slowly (unless you want to buy all the sets at once- but you might be disappointed with some of them). G'Luck.

-Alan

Hi Badger, I've been hearing alot of the "Fedora" hat unfortunatly I don't remember ever seeing what it looks like even when I was at the Cobi site (that doesn't mean I didn't see it- when I hear "Fedora", I think Indiana Jones, not a Sergeant's "Smokey-the-Bear" hat) either way, the sets I got did not have either a "Fedora" or "Smokey-theBear" hat. But yes, at least with the tubs what you see in the piture is not necessarily what they put in there- at least figure-wise.

In the picture on the tub [with the jeep/howitzer/helicopter] it shows an officer sitting in the jeep wearing an "Officer's Cap"- that's included (think of the LEGO Police caps). That officer's shirt has a tie and a badge saying "Sheriff"- his shirt is a regular button-down shirt with two pockets/no tie. The soldiers with the [removable] suspenders have shirts similar to the LEGO cops one series back or so [with the diagonal zipper running down the front]- luckily, the tub's soldiers had a camouflaged shirt with a printed-on suspender system (the two removable suspenders are included in the tub as well). The two soldier's helmets are included also. In the tub's picture the Pilot in the helicopter looks like he's wearing a standard LEGO helmet with a black visor but you can't really see his body- the helmet is different, the best way I could describe it is similar to one of the LEGO "Rock Raiders" helmets. Otherwise, I think all the pieces sown are the same. The pic below is the soldiers from my first tub without the removable suspenders.

The smaller boxes (300 pieces) pretty much had everything as the picture on the box showed (if I remember correctly) with no substitutions. Of course these are from the two boxes I bought, if there's any 300 pc. boxes with an officer within, you might have a new Sheriff in town.

I hope that helps.

Mustard Gas you didn't like the minifigs?  I think they're great!  Remove those silly heads they provide you with and put on a good old fashioned Lego yellow head and see how that helps them out.

And I agree, the tank is way cool.