To be honest, I don't see this as ripoff, as lego refuses to make war stuff, Cobi filled in the gap and made sure to make it quality so it could max out profit, a smart financial decision
@@legobrickabrac wasnt that the sad direction all brands tried to go in, and tbh there not really focused on minifigs as much as they are towards their quality, PAD PRINTED bricks, something lego would never do for a cheap price.
@@modelbaumok9210 Actully 10 years ago China quolity was good but company's wanted the cheapest deal so compromised on plasic quolity. Chinies company's can make anything but they base what they make on what the customer will pay.
Cobi factory is in Poland. They use made in UE because many hate Polish and maaany dont know that Poland is in middle europe and is part of European Union.
Cobi has quite a history and I would have never expected them to break out internationally as a kid. In the 90s and early 2000s, it was a brand mostly exclusive to Poland and they made sets that were more of a straight up Lego clone (though pretty good quality-wise, compared to all the noname Chinese knockoffs). Even their minifigs had identical shape to Lego ones unlike the strange modern ones. I had tons of these bricks mixed in with real Lego that my parents couldn't always afford. They introduced Small Army in the early 2000s to fill a niche that Lego refuses to touch, and around the mid-00s they shifted their approach to have a different look from Lego with all the realistic shapes and smoothness as you see today, and went international. I'd say it's a success.
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews joking aside never owned Cobi but aware their quality is on par with anything, the website is amazing, I want them all, the biggest problem is needing to buy another house to display them all, great review BTW
@@b17marko you can also check out "cada' and "panlos" cada has remote controlled tiger/t90 and panlos got tanks like the maus.. currently doing the maus.. bricks tighter than legos so it wont fall apart
Fun fact about them they’re trying to pad print every set of them. I personally really like their sets! I’m sorry if my english isn’t very good. Im from the Netherlands.
This is the first video I’ve watched of yours ever, it was recommended and you were not wrong in saying “very British reviews” as I felt like I was being spoken to about fine art or an aged wine. Very nice video friend
i have collected these since about 2013 and comparing my first set was a sherman and comparing the old models to the new ones they release today you can see the difference, most cobi sets can be displayed as they are flat on top with very few to no studs being visible. I do also own that £190 set and it amazing. also the proper name would be figures (figurki) or little men (ludziki) and they look like that becuse of a issue that they had with lego. I reccomend cobi sets they are very good for displays
Fun fact, I'm Polish so I've played with cobi for many many years so I can say cobi used to make more lego - like minifigures but in recent years as they grew more recognizable and less as a fake lego they switched to those more modeled figures and the plastic quality really went up (not saying it was too bad to begin with). All in all just some fun fact and me saying I'm proud to be polish because of this brand. Just a shame you haven't mention Cobi's official website for people in Europe to order from but I understand the sponsorship 😜 love the video tho!
I'd not heard of them before, looking at the site there are some nice realistic looking models. The only problem for me is that I haven't got the space for any. Great review👍🏻.
Maybe you've heard.... In the UK and other English-speaking countries, the brand used to be marketed as 'Character Building' in the past (initials were C.B., as in CoBi), but obviously not any more. Among others, they used to have a licence for Scooby-Doo sets BEFORE the Lego Group snatched it from them some 5 or 6 years ago.
I somewhat understand your pain. I have to move every 2-3 years and while my move is paid for it does come with a weight limit. I have so many books that every time I end up at a donation box dumping 2-300 dollars of books just to get their weight down to only one and a half times my furniture...
Never heard of them before this, but that looks pretty good, even to a hardcore Lego half Danish purist like myself whose uncle worked for Lego as an artist and as a musician at the Billund Legoland.
I'm happy to see that you are so satisfied with a Cobi model :) I'm from Poland and while I mostly collect Lego sets (Technic), I received a Cobi Tank (T-34) as a gift about 3 years ago - now I have 5000+ pieces Cobi collection and a small WWII diorama :). I'm still collecting Lego but at the same time treat Cobi on the same level, both in terms of quality and pure joy. What is great about Cobi is that they are nicely priced - you do get a LOT for what you pay. The models are awesome to look at, and the quality is great - ie. all the tanks I have can easily roll on their threads even on flat slippery sufaces - there is little friction in the assembly Also, I have never experienced a missing piece in a Cobi set (I have about 25 of them, I can not say the same about Lego - had misprints and missing pieces in 150$+ sets), but I heard that the Cobi customer support is very good. I also like their minifigures (minidudes), they offer more poseability than Lego ones, as you can rotate the torso. They feel more appropiate to pose with weapons than Lego minifigs... If you want a Cobi set but hesitate - don't be afraid. Buy a Sherman Easy Eight model (2533) and see for yourself, it's a great model to start with.
I collected LEGO for the last 10 years, and I love LEGO still. I have a whole city block of the LEGO creative modular buildings, and I want more. But I recently discovered COBI sets, and they are just as quality and have better world war 2 models than even MOC ones built out of LEGO bricks (I used to be a LEGO purest). Got myself this spitfire and a bf 109 so far, now I want to move to tanks. SO ADDICTING!.
star wars? Ok, fantasy military, but it's even in the name! Then, the whole ninjago series is all about one big fight. Shows the level of bigotry lego is drowning in...
COBI's minifigures went through a lot of changes throughout the years. First figures I got had a completely unique design with universal joints in the shoulders and moulded hair detail on the heads. Later, the design was changed to basically a straight-up LEGO minifigure clone with the difference being in the heads having three-dimentonal sculpted details, like noses. Sometime in the early 2010s a brand new design was introduced, which mostly remains to this day. Here's a fun fact: COBI was also responsible for making Doctor Who sets, which were branded under the Character Building name. Unfortunately those sets were never released in Poland, most probably due to the lack of the show's popularity here.
Fun facts Cobi stopped copying Lego minifigs after 2012 when Lego won 3D protection for its minifig desighn covering EU and USA. Bestlock was the company who tried fighting Lego for the right to copy there minifig desighn and FAILED. Cobi bought out Bestlock and liquidated there assets.
Cobi is more of a model building than Lego. The smaller sets often use larger form-pieces, the more expensive sets have a lot of prints and the parts hold together stronger (sometimes plastic-deformation stronger ^^). So if you like sets sets for "build once then display" there is nothing wrong with Cobi. If you are looking for more neutral/universal parts that can be constantly put together and disassembled while playing around, Cobi is not the best choice.
Agreed, why I set up my COBI sets to look at, but I play and move around my LEGO modular buildings and people a bit more. LEGO comes more easily apart.
The quality of Lego alternatives are quite good these days. I am not sure how old you are, but I am 40 and I remember the absolute junk we would get back in the 90s. Back then the Lego alternatives were so poor in quality that you literally would not want to be seen dead with them (and by bad I mean REALLY bad). Today there are lots of good alternatives to Lego, including Loz and Cobi.
Recently got into COBI myself and have to say I am very impressed. Not only with the sets which as you say fill a niche and are high quality, but with bricktanks, the uk supplier. There social media team and customer support team are always very friendly and the free next day shipping is nice too. Wholeheartedly recommend purchasing from them.
A have a few cobi sets from a few years ago, they had some prints but not at this level, it was mostly stickers. It’s nice to see that they have started to do more printing
Have you ever built one of those Airfix Quickbuild kits? I've just seen one, a Messerschmitt 109. Could do a review. Might be a good partner for your spit!
In the past cobi had worse quality comparable to knock off brands. They improved over time. As for the "minifigs", well they used to sell minifigures that look like Lego ones but they were sued by Lego and had to change them to what you have now in that set. Small Army line was their most sucessful theme that allowed Cobi to grow.
Yes! So glad somebody else noticed. That’s some real history there, shame Dr Jake didn’t pick up on it. COBI is a Polish company after all, so nice to get that detail in.
Actually you are the first person to know about it them selves my whole school didnt know what squadron 303 was even the history teachers and btw thx for noticing too
@@Mk_2335 Probably because I live close to RAF Northolt where the PAF in the UK were based. There is a Spitfire 'Gate Guardian' at the entrance in the livery of Aleksander Gabszewicz, flying ace. Here in West London we have the Battle of Britain bunker (you can actually go down into it!) with a museum and the Polish War Memorial and remembrance garden not far away. All well worth visiting if you are ever on this side of London.
I just found your channel. Thank you. Based on this review, I found my favorite plane, the Dc-3/ C-47, is made by Cobi. Time to spend some money! These look fantastic!
I mean. Lego just bought the rights to use the brick technique from another company. And it isn't even illegal anymore to use the same technique. So i don't understand this counterfeit mindset at all
I have two COBI sets and they are very nice. And a cool thing I accidently discovered was that the propeller actually starts to spin when the plane is moving relatively fast.
Hi there, we (my son and me) also discovered Cobi a few years ago. They're great for collectors but they're also toys, they can handle a rough play day on the floor or in the garden. My son really likes the Cobi Figures now. But he likes to switch heads, because you can fit a Lego head on a Cobi Body. Most Headparts also fit. Have a nice day and keep building👍
My thin foil hat conspiracy theory is that Cobi actually is secretly owned by LEGO. I have a ton of Cobi stuff and its really great and very close in quality to LEGO. Since LEGO is said to not be willing to do war stuff, they do it tru Cobi.
I collect both Cobi and Lego and yes the finish of Cobi sets does appear to shine more than Lego but I find it suits the plane and ship set builds very well. And Cobi used to use stickers but they listened to their customers feedback and introduced pad printing instead, a true sign of a company focused on satisfying the customer wants whereas the Lego founders words of only the best is good enough have been relegated to history and have just become meaningless words as they continue to ignore any feedback that they don't like
I first saw COBI sets when I visited the British Tank Museum in Bovington. It does look like a quality product. But the figures look terrible in my mind. I'm very diehard Lego though and would not consider purchasing any other brick manufacturer product. As for Lego not making military sets. They did recently inadvertently they briefly made a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Technic set. Thinking it was a search and rescue vehicle. Sadly the set was cancelled because it looks like a really awesome set. Those people who own one have got themselves a Lego set worth its weight in gold quite literally.
I also like how the Cobi sets have historical camouflages and stickers its very cool (not all Cobi sets come with stickers btw. Many of them have printed bricks but alot of sets do have stickers)
Cobi are also constantly updating their sets. There's been like 10 Tiger 1 tank models since I've started following them. Cobi has some sets with stickers, but they're slowly updating them to pad-printing. I bought their 1:300 scale Titanic and it's amazing and I really want the USS Enterprise CV-06, F-18 Hornet, and they're coming out with a F-14.
cobi, kazi etc. are great. Knockoffs exist that are direct copies of lego just rebranded. But cobi makes sets that is a different genre. They're known for military vehicles.
To be honest Cobi is pretty good. It’s not like fake Lego brands and it’s definitely worth it. I’d compare it more to Mega Bloks which is like Lego’s cousin.
Just finished the COBI Bismarck model. 10/10 absolutely fantastic to build. Definitely one of my all time favourites. Can't believe how great it looks. ❤️
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews just thought I should pop back in and say that I bought some. I bought the spitfire and the Panzer III Ausf E and they are both amazing quality!
I agree about the COBI parts quality. I have some of their tanks and landscape sets and they were all great builds. As you say, the figures are a bit odd, but then Minifigures are pretty damn weird too. I've noticed that they tend to have more smooth surfaces and fewer studs visible on the builds.
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews well I agree 100% Doc, Cobi is a very good product. The bricks seem to be on par with Lego, but superior in the fact there be no stickers all printed very good Cobi. I had 1 part missing which is a let down (I know Lego can miss parts too). I do think to only similarity between Lego and Cobi starts and ends with the fact they are both brick models. The techniques Lego uses and the whole experience from product, design, echo system to the customer service experience is the best out there and no other company comes close to Lego in these areas Don't get me wrong I know Cobi isn't competing with Lego they are miles apart in the target audience. Wrapping my opinion up I'd say if you want anything military buy Cobi, it is the best boxed lego type product that I've found and it's not fake 😉 I built set 3040
Some of their sets do have stickers. The Sherman tank and Stuka models have stickers but you aren't required to put them on. There may be more but those are the two that I have
The only down side of the Concord is it has sticker decal that go across many bricks. The are also clear stickers. It's really annoying. But I have put together 3 COBI models and I am impressive. I order loads more. I think I have about 20 or so now waiting to be built.
I have a few of the tanks. I recommend the bovington tiger which is a really nice set and also the leopard . I also have the popular Corsair f4u aircraft
I got me son a set and i to thought the quality was quite good for the price,,but I never knew they had such a huge selection of sets available until watching this. Cobi defo jumped in to gap left by Lego. So fair play to them.
Nice review. Peeping at clone brands is one of my guilty pleasures. Especially when the quality has come this far. This set reminds me of the 'Airfix Quickbuild D-Day Spitfire' but only more of a construction set :)
I love Cobi because I am a Lego and war fanatic, and since Lego doesn't produce that, and I don't have infinite Legos to make whatever I want, Cobi is there to save the day!
The only Cobi set that really gave me a run for my money was the Cobi HMS Belfast which still remains unfinished. I bought it last year near the end of February and it's sad because I got it from the Imperial War Museum themselves in the HMS Belfast gift shop. I was mainly plagued by parts not clicking together properly and missing pieces and I just gave up on it.
@@cWvp80GEDg I know. But in the video Jake mentions he will not come to your house if you buy Cobi. Logically that must mean he will come after me if I buy fake Lego. Since I want to meet Jake buying fake Lego is now my purpose. It is really not find explaining a joke. Did you get it now?
Damn you Dr. Jake for mentioning Cobi! I have now built 13 Cobi sets and its hard for me to return to Lego. The last set I built was the Bismarck which is fantastic. All printing pieces (no sticker sheets) and incredible realistic details for less money than Lego 18+ sets.
I LOVE cobi bricks Especially the top gun and wwii sets! They are just so high quality for an off brand lego company but I just love their sets so muuuuch!!!
Great review. The only problem I had with Cobi was that back in the day (like 5 years ago or so) they used to release new versions of sets very quickly, like every half of a year there was a new version of a set. And the new version was always better than the previous one. So after buying three tiger tanks, two FW190s, two T34s, two Mitsubishi zeros, two Konigstigers, I kind od stopped buying and started waiting for some kind of an "ultimate edition". But I think they settled down a bit with the new versions nowadays. Also, they have a Sabaton (the band) tank which is hilarious :)
Bricktanks and Cobi are great; I can recommend purchasing Cobi sets from Bricktanks as I am a recent convert! Agree with all sentiments from this very good review.
Top video mate! Hope you're keeping well🙂 Really great set, I might even order one! Quality product from Cobi, I think you could go without the little figure though.
It makes sense that the brick clutch strength would be stronger since these are designed to be built and displayed while Lego is "supposed" to be played with (built, taken apart, and used in a different build).
Cobi is freakin awesome! I have 10 Cobi sets and I have loved all of them. No other company compares to their ship designs and their instructions are better than lego. honestly, Cobi's pieces fit together borderline too well. They are really difficult to take apart. And the fact that they screen print nearly all the parts that Lego would have a BS sticker is fantastic in my book.
Just took a look on the website and was disappointed to see the Hurricane and the FW190 aren't listed any more :o/ The "Planes" section is down to 2 pages - 35 items in total. Perhaps they'll be restocked/offered at some point.
I’ve gotten Lego for years and I’ve only seen cheap knockoffs but cobi looks like a brand that I would switch too it looks high quality. I think Lego and cobi come beck and neck and I like that.
Hate to tell you this, but COBI is not strictly military oriented. They do have civilian vehicles too. I’m personally looking on getting few of them myself. Cars they have do take you back in time. They’re 50’s through 80’s mainly.
Before I even clicked on this vid I had bought a mixed bundle of building toys from eBay and it had 2 of these COBI sets in it, a P-40E Warhawk and a Vought F4U Corsair. Both were about 99% complete, just need a few parts that I can’t really replace w/my extra LEGO. I visited the website and fill out the application in “Missing Bricks”. Fingers crossed it’s as easy as ordering parts from the LEGO shop.
Bloody brilliant looking set this! I was very skeptical upon watching this video. Just had a little peruse of their website hoping and praying they didn't do any Volkswagen WW2 vehicles... Damn it, where's my credit card...
Actually I own a few COBI sets including this one, and this is the first one which caught my eye with its shinyness. I am not sure if its extra-shiny, or if I didn't notice that on other models (maybe the color has something to do with how I percieve it?) . Anyways, other models may not seem that shiny as this one. Still if you want realistic cars (they have a whole collection of old cars and some modern ones as well) or military equipment, there is no better brand IMHO. PS. good that you did not pick Concorde. It is a nice model, but because it is in different scale (less details) and it is an older set it would make worse first impression :)
i think that cobi is the Lego that most people want to have when putting something for display only mainly because more than half of my Lego vehicles and minifigures that i have i use them both inside and outside
To be honest, I don't see this as ripoff, as lego refuses to make war stuff, Cobi filled in the gap and made sure to make it quality so it could max out profit, a smart financial decision
I think lego said they will never make war stuff
Yeah, even got stopped making the V-22 in civilian form, which I find stupid, because they made the entire coast guard fleet
Ok
Ok
Lego is retarded. They rather make garbage like ninjago
Cobi was one of my favorite "block building" discoveries of last decade. So much great stuff
The last decade ago they used to rip off Lego minifigs.
@@legobrickabrac and produces some set in China. Because China quality was 10 years ago very poor, Polish decide to build own big factory.
Yeh I love their tanks especially their m4a3e8 and TOG 2
@@legobrickabrac wasnt that the sad direction all brands tried to go in, and tbh there not really focused on minifigs as much as they are towards their quality, PAD PRINTED bricks, something lego would never do for a cheap price.
@@modelbaumok9210 Actully 10 years ago China quolity was good but company's wanted the cheapest deal so compromised on plasic quolity. Chinies company's can make anything but they base what they make on what the customer will pay.
Having printed bricks is quite nice, the amount of stickers Lego uses is very dissapointing.
Lego produce over 100x the amount of sets that Cobi make so can't put prints in every set.
@@legobrickabrac they can it would just cost them more
@@rampantrambling Which would then make sets cost more to buy.
@@legobrickabrac I'm ok with that for prints
@@rampantrambling I'm not. I don't mind stickers.
Love that Cobi is all made in Europe, where as LEGO sold out to make more cash by moving a majority of their production to China and Mexico...
Cobi factory is in Poland. They use made in UE because many hate Polish and maaany dont know that Poland is in middle europe and is part of European Union.
@@modelbaumok9210 yeah it is big brain time
@Modelbaum OK Uhm, did you drink paint thinner or something?
@@demitievdemenski804 lmao
@@demitievdemenski804 Russian logic? If You drink thinner why You think that others drink thinner too?
Cobi has quite a history and I would have never expected them to break out internationally as a kid. In the 90s and early 2000s, it was a brand mostly exclusive to Poland and they made sets that were more of a straight up Lego clone (though pretty good quality-wise, compared to all the noname Chinese knockoffs). Even their minifigs had identical shape to Lego ones unlike the strange modern ones. I had tons of these bricks mixed in with real Lego that my parents couldn't always afford. They introduced Small Army in the early 2000s to fill a niche that Lego refuses to touch, and around the mid-00s they shifted their approach to have a different look from Lego with all the realistic shapes and smoothness as you see today, and went international. I'd say it's a success.
I wish i had not seen this video, i like "Lego" and WW2 aircraft, this could cost me a small fortune
I'm very sorry!
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews joking aside never owned Cobi but aware their quality is on par with anything, the website is amazing, I want them all, the biggest problem is needing to buy another house to display them all, great review BTW
Cheaper then Brickmania
@@b17marko you can also check out "cada' and "panlos" cada has remote controlled tiger/t90 and panlos got tanks like the maus.. currently doing the maus.. bricks tighter than legos so it wont fall apart
nothing has changed: he still likes smelling instruction books
LOL! "Fame" hasn't changed me!
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The sense of smell is very important - like seeing or hearing. And the whole nose thing was evolutionary very expensive so you should use it!
AROMATHERAPY :-D
I smell the inside of the boxes 😳
Fun fact about them they’re trying to pad print every set of them. I personally really like their sets!
I’m sorry if my english isn’t very good. Im from the Netherlands.
Your English is fine, and infinitely better than our Dutch !
Haha thanks dutch is a hard language though
This is the first video I’ve watched of yours ever, it was recommended and you were not wrong in saying “very British reviews” as I felt like I was being spoken to about fine art or an aged wine. Very nice video friend
i have collected these since about 2013 and comparing my first set was a sherman and comparing the old models to the new ones they release today you can see the difference, most cobi sets can be displayed as they are flat on top with very few to no studs being visible. I do also own that £190 set and it amazing. also the proper name would be figures (figurki) or little men (ludziki) and they look like that becuse of a issue that they had with lego. I reccomend cobi sets they are very good for displays
I had the first M1 Abrams from them and i can only agree!
Can you fit Lego mini figures inside the vehicles?
Fun fact, I'm Polish so I've played with cobi for many many years so I can say cobi used to make more lego - like minifigures but in recent years as they grew more recognizable and less as a fake lego they switched to those more modeled figures and the plastic quality really went up (not saying it was too bad to begin with). All in all just some fun fact and me saying I'm proud to be polish because of this brand. Just a shame you haven't mention Cobi's official website for people in Europe to order from but I understand the sponsorship 😜 love the video tho!
I'd not heard of them before, looking at the site there are some nice realistic looking models. The only problem for me is that I haven't got the space for any. Great review👍🏻.
Come on Rob! If you can move, you have space for more sets!
Ditch out some lego then... ha ha ha
Maybe you've heard.... In the UK and other English-speaking countries, the brand used to be marketed as 'Character Building' in the past (initials were C.B., as in CoBi), but obviously not any more.
Among others, they used to have a licence for Scooby-Doo sets BEFORE the Lego Group snatched it from them some 5 or 6 years ago.
I somewhat understand your pain. I have to move every 2-3 years and while my move is paid for it does come with a weight limit. I have so many books that every time I end up at a donation box dumping 2-300 dollars of books just to get their weight down to only one and a half times my furniture...
They’re pretty good. I purchased the German aircraft carrier and the Japanese super battleship. They are great display pieces.
i have 17 of these cobi tanks, they are great, if lego doesn't want my money i sure cobi enjoys it.
What’s your favorite one?
Never heard of them before this, but that looks pretty good, even to a hardcore Lego half Danish purist like myself whose uncle worked for Lego as an artist and as a musician at the Billund Legoland.
Man I REALLY LOVE cobi and it's really good and I've built a b-17 flying fortress
I'm happy to see that you are so satisfied with a Cobi model :)
I'm from Poland and while I mostly collect Lego sets (Technic), I received a Cobi Tank (T-34) as a gift about 3 years ago - now I have 5000+ pieces Cobi collection and a small WWII diorama :). I'm still collecting Lego but at the same time treat Cobi on the same level, both in terms of quality and pure joy.
What is great about Cobi is that they are nicely priced - you do get a LOT for what you pay. The models are awesome to look at, and the quality is great - ie. all the tanks I have can easily roll on their threads even on flat slippery sufaces - there is little friction in the assembly Also, I have never experienced a missing piece in a Cobi set (I have about 25 of them, I can not say the same about Lego - had misprints and missing pieces in 150$+ sets), but I heard that the Cobi customer support is very good. I also like their minifigures (minidudes), they offer more poseability than Lego ones, as you can rotate the torso. They feel more appropiate to pose with weapons than Lego minifigs...
If you want a Cobi set but hesitate - don't be afraid. Buy a Sherman Easy Eight model (2533) and see for yourself, it's a great model to start with.
No, no, no, never start with Cobi sets, they are addicting. Cobi is what you dreamed Lego would ever be.
I collected LEGO for the last 10 years, and I love LEGO still. I have a whole city block of the LEGO creative modular buildings, and I want more. But I recently discovered COBI sets, and they are just as quality and have better world war 2 models than even MOC ones built out of LEGO bricks (I used to be a LEGO purest). Got myself this spitfire and a bf 109 so far, now I want to move to tanks. SO ADDICTING!.
Lego Indiana Jones was I think the closest Lego got to making military vehicle stuff.
star wars? Ok, fantasy military, but it's even in the name! Then, the whole ninjago series is all about one big fight. Shows the level of bigotry lego is drowning in...
Lego once made a WW I Red Baron Fighterplane
@@e30kitty and that too :)
@@e30kitty Not only de Fokker DR I. (10024) but also the Sopwith Camel (even twice: 3451 and 10226).
Do one of their battleships, you will love it!
You should introduce us to your twin in the background sometime.
COBI's minifigures went through a lot of changes throughout the years. First figures I got had a completely unique design with universal joints in the shoulders and moulded hair detail on the heads. Later, the design was changed to basically a straight-up LEGO minifigure clone with the difference being in the heads having three-dimentonal sculpted details, like noses. Sometime in the early 2010s a brand new design was introduced, which mostly remains to this day.
Here's a fun fact: COBI was also responsible for making Doctor Who sets, which were branded under the Character Building name. Unfortunately those sets were never released in Poland, most probably due to the lack of the show's popularity here.
Fun facts Cobi stopped copying Lego minifigs after 2012 when Lego won 3D protection for its minifig desighn covering EU and USA. Bestlock was the company who tried fighting Lego for the right to copy there minifig desighn and FAILED. Cobi bought out Bestlock and liquidated there assets.
@@legobrickabrac Oh, interesting!
@@artoozybuilds 😀
Cobi is absolutely fantastic. My cobi königstiger is my favourite model from them, and a decent price for a budget.
Cobi is more of a model building than Lego. The smaller sets often use larger form-pieces, the more expensive sets have a lot of prints and the parts hold together stronger (sometimes plastic-deformation stronger ^^). So if you like sets sets for "build once then display" there is nothing wrong with Cobi. If you are looking for more neutral/universal parts that can be constantly put together and disassembled while playing around, Cobi is not the best choice.
Agreed, why I set up my COBI sets to look at, but I play and move around my LEGO modular buildings and people a bit more. LEGO comes more easily apart.
The quality of Lego alternatives are quite good these days. I am not sure how old you are, but I am 40 and I remember the absolute junk we would get back in the 90s. Back then the Lego alternatives were so poor in quality that you literally would not want to be seen dead with them (and by bad I mean REALLY bad).
Today there are lots of good alternatives to Lego, including Loz and Cobi.
Recently got into COBI myself and have to say I am very impressed. Not only with the sets which as you say fill a niche and are high quality, but with bricktanks, the uk supplier. There social media team and customer support team are always very friendly and the free next day shipping is nice too. Wholeheartedly recommend purchasing from them.
A have a few cobi sets from a few years ago, they had some prints but not at this level, it was mostly stickers. It’s nice to see that they have started to do more printing
Have you ever built one of those Airfix Quickbuild kits? I've just seen one, a Messerschmitt 109. Could do a review. Might be a good partner for your spit!
You can pre-order their Tomcat!!! Also, their prices are a lot more affordable than Lego's.
In the past cobi had worse quality comparable to knock off brands. They improved over time. As for the "minifigs", well they used to sell minifigures that look like Lego ones but they were sued by Lego and had to change them to what you have now in that set. Small Army line was their most sucessful theme that allowed Cobi to grow.
What i like is the fact that they printed on the squadron 303 emblem on each side i am polish my self and its something rylly cool
Yes! So glad somebody else noticed. That’s some real history there, shame Dr Jake didn’t pick up on it. COBI is a Polish company after all, so nice to get that detail in.
Actually you are the first person to know about it them selves my whole school didnt know what squadron 303 was even the history teachers and btw thx for noticing too
@@Mk_2335 Probably because I live close to RAF Northolt where the PAF in the UK were based. There is a Spitfire 'Gate Guardian' at the entrance in the livery of Aleksander Gabszewicz, flying ace. Here in West London we have the Battle of Britain bunker (you can actually go down into it!) with a museum and the Polish War Memorial and remembrance garden not far away. All well worth visiting if you are ever on this side of London.
Thx appreciate it
One of the main reasons I watch your content, and you ooze it everytime... INTEGRITY! Great review!
I just found your channel. Thank you. Based on this review, I found my favorite plane, the Dc-3/ C-47, is made by Cobi. Time to spend some money! These look fantastic!
I mean. Lego just bought the rights to use the brick technique from another company. And it isn't even illegal anymore to use the same technique. So i don't understand this counterfeit mindset at all
Going to order the Space Shuttle to go with my lego Saturn 5 and ISS models. Keep up the great content 👍🏻
I have two COBI sets and they are very nice. And a cool thing I accidently discovered was that the propeller actually starts to spin when the plane is moving relatively fast.
Hi there, we (my son and me) also discovered Cobi a few years ago. They're great for collectors but they're also toys, they can handle a rough play day on the floor or in the garden.
My son really likes the Cobi Figures now. But he likes to switch heads, because you can fit a Lego head on a Cobi Body.
Most Headparts also fit.
Have a nice day and keep building👍
Dr Jake's very British reviews with the most 80's intro I've ever seen 🤩👍
I try!
My thin foil hat conspiracy theory is that Cobi actually is secretly owned by LEGO. I have a ton of Cobi stuff and its really great and very close in quality to LEGO.
Since LEGO is said to not be willing to do war stuff, they do it tru Cobi.
cobi doesnt specialize in bricks, they make all kinds of toys
I collect both Cobi and Lego and yes the finish of Cobi sets does appear to shine more than Lego but I find it suits the plane and ship set builds very well. And Cobi used to use stickers but they listened to their customers feedback and introduced pad printing instead, a true sign of a company focused on satisfying the customer wants whereas the Lego founders words of only the best is good enough have been relegated to history and have just become meaningless words as they continue to ignore any feedback that they don't like
I first saw COBI sets when I visited the British Tank Museum in Bovington. It does look like a quality product. But the figures look terrible in my mind. I'm very diehard Lego though and would not consider purchasing any other brick manufacturer product. As for Lego not making military sets. They did recently inadvertently they briefly made a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Technic set. Thinking it was a search and rescue vehicle. Sadly the set was cancelled because it looks like a really awesome set. Those people who own one have got themselves a Lego set worth its weight in gold quite literally.
I also like how the Cobi sets have historical camouflages and stickers its very cool (not all Cobi sets come with stickers btw. Many of them have printed bricks but alot of sets do have stickers)
Cobi are also constantly updating their sets. There's been like 10 Tiger 1 tank models since I've started following them. Cobi has some sets with stickers, but they're slowly updating them to pad-printing. I bought their 1:300 scale Titanic and it's amazing and I really want the USS Enterprise CV-06, F-18 Hornet, and they're coming out with a F-14.
cobi, kazi etc. are great. Knockoffs exist that are direct copies of lego just rebranded. But cobi makes sets that is a different genre. They're known for military vehicles.
Thanks for the great video I've actually been looking for good "Lego" plane and tank sets
I own 4 cobi cobi tanks two ships and a jeep and i can say now it is the best lego alternative on the market.
This video could actually get me into building these. Love the tanks.
To be honest Cobi is pretty good. It’s not like fake Lego brands and it’s definitely worth it. I’d compare it more to Mega Bloks which is like Lego’s cousin.
i maybe getting some of this sets to test out and i want planes
Just finished the COBI Bismarck model. 10/10 absolutely fantastic to build. Definitely one of my all time favourites. Can't believe how great it looks. ❤️
I still have a balsa wood and tissue model of a Spitfire which I never built.
It is a nice looking Model though Dr Jake.
I have bought 3 COBI WW2 products, they are: Junkers Ju-87b stuka, Tiger 131 and B-25B Mitchell!
Live how it has the polish air force print underneath the exhausts
This was an incredibly well made video, I'll have a look at some Cobi as this intrigued me
Glad you enjoyed it :) I hope you find some nice Cobi sets
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews just thought I should pop back in and say that I bought some. I bought the spitfire and the Panzer III Ausf E and they are both amazing quality!
I agree about the COBI parts quality. I have some of their tanks and landscape sets and they were all great builds. As you say, the figures are a bit odd, but then Minifigures are pretty damn weird too. I've noticed that they tend to have more smooth surfaces and fewer studs visible on the builds.
I HAVE JUST BOUGHT A COBI SET.
AND I WAS VERY IMPRESSED
Going to try a Cobi set after your review Doc... I'll review your review accuracy after I build the set 😉
Oh no!! The pressure is on!
@@DrJakesVeryBritishReviews well I agree 100% Doc, Cobi is a very good product. The bricks seem to be on par with Lego, but superior in the fact there be no stickers all printed very good Cobi.
I had 1 part missing which is a let down (I know Lego can miss parts too).
I do think to only similarity between Lego and Cobi starts and ends with the fact they are both brick models. The techniques Lego uses and the whole experience from product, design, echo system to the customer service experience is the best out there and no other company comes close to Lego in these areas
Don't get me wrong I know Cobi isn't competing with Lego they are miles apart in the target audience.
Wrapping my opinion up I'd say if you want anything military buy Cobi, it is the best boxed lego type product that I've found and it's not fake 😉
I built set 3040
That actually looks amazing
2:04 Not at all, they made two Sopwith Camels and a Fokker DR1. They also made some military vehicles in the Indiana Jones and Pharaoh’s Quest sets.
Some of their sets do have stickers. The Sherman tank and Stuka models have stickers but you aren't required to put them on. There may be more but those are the two that I have
Thanks a bunch! Was looking at their tanks
Thanks for introducing me to Cobi. I’ve had a look at their other models, they look great!
My main 3
Brick building systems
Lego for Star Wars
Mega blocks for Halo
And Cobi for WW2 vehicles
The only down side of the Concord is it has sticker decal that go across many bricks. The are also clear stickers. It's really annoying. But I have put together 3 COBI models and I am impressive. I order loads more. I think I have about 20 or so now waiting to be built.
I have a few of the tanks. I recommend the bovington tiger which is a really nice set and also the leopard . I also have the popular Corsair f4u aircraft
I got me son a set and i to thought the quality was quite good for the price,,but I never knew they had such a huge selection of sets available until watching this. Cobi defo jumped in to gap left by Lego. So fair play to them.
That was a lovely shot of the finished spitfire with snow falling in the background 💚
I have the Cobi Sopwith. Thoroughly enjoyed building it 👍
I have the Sopwith too, along with the Red Baron
I have spitfire mk IX and Junkers Ju-52
Nice review. Peeping at clone brands is one of my guilty pleasures. Especially when the quality has come this far. This set reminds me of the 'Airfix Quickbuild D-Day Spitfire' but only more of a construction set :)
I love Cobi because I am a Lego and war fanatic, and since Lego doesn't produce that, and I don't have infinite Legos to make whatever I want, Cobi is there to save the day!
The only Cobi set that really gave me a run for my money was the Cobi HMS Belfast which still remains unfinished. I bought it last year near the end of February and it's sad because I got it from the Imperial War Museum themselves in the HMS Belfast gift shop. I was mainly plagued by parts not clicking together properly and missing pieces and I just gave up on it.
This review has made me want to buy a fake Lego set like Lepin just so Dr. Jake can show up at my doorstep.
That's cheating!
I think you just invented "reverse stalking".
The german Company "Bluebrixx" has a lot of "fake lego" Sets. Medival home, cult cars, ships and more.
@@rainerknuth I mean fake as in copied bricks and design as Lepin did/does?
@@cWvp80GEDg I know. But in the video Jake mentions he will not come to your house if you buy Cobi. Logically that must mean he will come after me if I buy fake Lego. Since I want to meet Jake buying fake Lego is now my purpose.
It is really not find explaining a joke. Did you get it now?
Damn you Dr. Jake for mentioning Cobi! I have now built 13 Cobi sets and its hard for me to return to Lego. The last set I built was the Bismarck which is fantastic. All printing pieces (no sticker sheets) and incredible realistic details for less money than Lego 18+ sets.
Come back a week on Saturday...
I LOVE cobi bricks Especially the top gun and wwii sets! They are just so high quality for an off brand lego company but I just love their sets so muuuuch!!!
Great review. The only problem I had with Cobi was that back in the day (like 5 years ago or so) they used to release new versions of sets very quickly, like every half of a year there was a new version of a set. And the new version was always better than the previous one. So after buying three tiger tanks, two FW190s, two T34s, two Mitsubishi zeros, two Konigstigers, I kind od stopped buying and started waiting for some kind of an "ultimate edition". But I think they settled down a bit with the new versions nowadays. Also, they have a Sabaton (the band) tank which is hilarious :)
Used to have plenty of Cobi in the early 90s, as a kid. They went well with Legos, mixed them often.
Bricktanks and Cobi are great; I can recommend purchasing Cobi sets from Bricktanks as I am a recent convert! Agree with all sentiments from this very good review.
The answer is yes. But!
Only because I have not been disappointed in any builds so far.
Top video mate! Hope you're keeping well🙂 Really great set, I might even order one! Quality product from Cobi, I think you could go without the little figure though.
I got a COBI Sherman set a few Christmas's ago, the B-17 last Christmas and an FW in January. Planning on getting a stuka next.
Don’t make my mistake. LOOK FOR DETAILS!!! I had to literally rip the bottom part of my m60 patton cause I made such a dumb mistake
It makes sense that the brick clutch strength would be stronger since these are designed to be built and displayed while Lego is "supposed" to be played with (built, taken apart, and used in a different build).
Cobi is freakin awesome! I have 10 Cobi sets and I have loved all of them. No other company compares to their ship designs and their instructions are better than lego. honestly, Cobi's pieces fit together borderline too well. They are really difficult to take apart. And the fact that they screen print nearly all the parts that Lego would have a BS sticker is fantastic in my book.
The snow is a great visual.
You should try one of their 1:300 ships. Most fun and joy I had building in the last year's!
The (big) Titanic is awesome!
I reckon I'll have to get my hands on one of those!
Just took a look on the website and was disappointed to see the Hurricane and the FW190 aren't listed any more :o/ The "Planes" section is down to 2 pages - 35 items in total. Perhaps they'll be restocked/offered at some point.
Glad I stumbled across your video tonight.
I brought a cobi tiger tank apart from it being massive it was a very good model and it was a fun build
I’ve gotten Lego for years and I’ve only seen cheap knockoffs but cobi looks like a brand that I would switch too it looks high quality. I think Lego and cobi come beck and neck and I like that.
Hate to tell you this, but COBI is not strictly military oriented.
They do have civilian vehicles too.
I’m personally looking on getting few of them myself.
Cars they have do take you back in time. They’re 50’s through 80’s mainly.
Before I even clicked on this vid I had bought a mixed bundle of building toys from eBay and it had 2 of these COBI sets in it, a P-40E Warhawk and a Vought F4U Corsair. Both were about 99% complete, just need a few parts that I can’t really replace w/my extra LEGO. I visited the website and fill out the application in “Missing Bricks”. Fingers crossed it’s as easy as ordering parts from the LEGO shop.
Bloody brilliant looking set this! I was very skeptical upon watching this video. Just had a little peruse of their website hoping and praying they didn't do any Volkswagen WW2 vehicles... Damn it, where's my credit card...
great vid, keep up the great work!!
Thanks, will do!
Very good resume. Cobi is the lego i have always wanted.
Great review 👍 good alternative to lego. Awesome having the snow falling during your video too in the background 👌♠
Pretty wasn't it! Thanks for stopping by
Good review and great model of that iconic aircraft
Actually I own a few COBI sets including this one, and this is the first one which caught my eye with its shinyness. I am not sure if its extra-shiny, or if I didn't notice that on other models (maybe the color has something to do with how I percieve it?) . Anyways, other models may not seem that shiny as this one. Still if you want realistic cars (they have a whole collection of old cars and some modern ones as well) or military equipment, there is no better brand IMHO.
PS. good that you did not pick Concorde. It is a nice model, but because it is in different scale (less details) and it is an older set it would make worse first impression :)
I love these sets. I have 5 of the planes. B25, P40E, F4U, P40, P51C.
My 1st set is a German tank (ww2) 2nd set is a T-34/85. 3rd set: ft 17
Wow, very impressive. Thanks for turning me on to this, I'll be ordering something today for my Son's birthday
Just ordered my first set, thanks for the discount!
Cobi is really great but theyre models are meant for display otherwise pieces Will break off or wear to the point of not sticking at all.
i think that cobi is the Lego that most people want to have when putting something for display only mainly because more than half of my Lego vehicles and minifigures that i have i use them both inside and outside