COBI and LEGO: How the Two Building Systems Compare

COBI and LEGO both make interlocking plastic building sets, and many collectors own both. But the two companies build for different shelves. The clearest way to see the difference is a single aircraft that one of them withdrew and the other still sells.

The aircraft LEGO withdrew

In July 2020, LEGO cancelled a Technic model of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey a week before its planned August 1 launch. The model showed a search-and-rescue version, but a campaign by the German Peace Society argued that the aircraft was a military machine, and LEGO agreed. The company cited its long-standing policy of not creating sets that feature real military vehicles.

COBI sells the same aircraft as Set 5836: a 1:48 model of 1,090 pieces, produced under license from Bell, with tilting engine nacelles, turning rotors and an opening rear ramp.

COBI Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey Set 5836 with its rotors in the vertical position
The V-22 Osprey as COBI builds it, Set 5836. LEGO's version of the same aircraft never reached the shelves.

That one aircraft marks the border between the two ranges. LEGO deliberately stays away from real military equipment. COBI has built a large part of its catalog on exactly that ground: tanks, aircraft and warships, from the First World War to vehicles in service today.

Where each system is strong

LEGO's strength is its own themes and its entertainment licenses. The LEGO sets we carry show this clearly: Star Wars, Minecraft, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, The Lord of the Rings, City and Friends.

COBI was founded in Warsaw in 1987 by Robert Podleś. Its licenses come mostly from the makers of the real vehicles, and COBI's catalog lists licenses connected with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Sikorsky, among others. Our KTO Rosomak, Set 2629, for example, is licensed by Rosomak S.A., the company that builds the real armored personnel carrier.

COBI is not only military. It also builds licensed civilian cars, from the Maserati Levante to the Citroën 2CV of 1949, the Fiat Abarth 595 and the Trabant 601.

Scale

LEGO sets are usually designed around the minifigure and rarely state a scale. Most COBI vehicle sets name one, and the scales form families that stand together on a shelf: 1:35 for the ground vehicles of the Historical Collection, 1:48 for many aircraft, 1:300 and 1:700 for warships.

Side view of the COBI KTO Rosomak Set 2629 with dimensions, 22.5 cm long and 13.5 cm high
KTO Rosomak, Set 2629, at 1:35: 22.5 cm (8.8 in) long.

The scale families cross over in ways that are easy to miss. COBI's Youngtimer cars are also built at 1:35, so the 11 cm Citroën 2CV of 1949 stands in correct proportion next to the Rosomak and the World War II vehicles of the Historical Collection.

COBI Citroën 2CV Type A 1949 Set 24510, a 1:35 model in light gray
Citroën 2CV Type A 1949, Set 24510: the same 1:35 scale as the military vehicles.

The same ship can also come in two sizes. The Tirpitz, Set 4839, is 87 cm (34.3 in) long at 1:300 and has 2,810 pieces. At 1:700 the same ship is Set 4853, 35.5 cm (14.0 in) long with 593 pieces.

Side view of the COBI Battleship Tirpitz Set 4853 at 1:700 on its display base
Tirpitz at 1:700, Set 4853. The 1:300 version, Set 4839, is the same ship at two and a half times the size.

For a collector who builds a display, a stated scale is what makes models from different sets fit together.

Do the bricks fit together?

In practice, standard COBI bricks and plates connect with standard LEGO elements, and mixed builds are common. COBI itself does not advertise compatibility with LEGO, and not every special part or angle has an exact counterpart in the other system.

The figures are the clearest difference. COBI figures are COBI's own design, with different proportions and faces, and they are not drop-in replacements for LEGO minifigures.

Printing and stickers

Many current COBI vehicle sets carry their markings and camouflage printed directly onto the blocks, which do not peel or fade the way stickers can. On the Rosomak, the Polish Land Forces markings are printed rather than applied. This is not true of every COBI set, so we state it in each product description where it applies. LEGO uses both printed parts and sticker sheets, depending on the set.

Assembled COBI KTO Rosomak Set 2629 in printed green, brown and black camouflage with a Polish flag
The Rosomak's camouflage and markings are printed on the blocks.

Figures that belong to the subject

COBI figures are usually part of the history or the vehicle the set depicts: tank crews, pilots, sailors and soldiers in period uniform. The Osprey comes with two pilots in flight suits.

COBI pilot figure in a green flight suit holding a headset, from the V-22 Osprey Set 5836
One of the two pilot figures from the Osprey, Set 5836.

Sometimes a single figure carries the story of the whole set. The Executive Edition of the Tirpitz, Set 4838, comes with one figure only: a radio operator with a brick-built Enigma machine, because the code-breaking war decided how the real ship was found and hunted.

COBI radio operator figure with headset and a brick-built Enigma machine, from the Tirpitz Executive Edition Set 4838
The radio operator and Enigma machine from the Tirpitz Executive Edition, Set 4838.

Where COBI sets are made

COBI has produced its sets in its own factory in Mielec, in south-eastern Poland, since 1996. The company states that its materials come from European suppliers, that its sets conform to the European toy safety standard EN 71, and that its quality is certified by European laboratories including TÜV Rheinland.

Frequently asked questions

Are COBI bricks compatible with LEGO?

Standard bricks and plates connect in practice, and many builders mix them. Special parts and figures differ, and COBI does not market its sets as LEGO-compatible.

Why doesn't LEGO make military sets?

LEGO has a long-standing policy of not creating sets that feature real military vehicles. In 2020 it withdrew a V-22 Osprey model before launch for that reason.

Does COBI only make military sets?

No. Military vehicles, aircraft and ships are its largest range, but COBI also builds licensed civilian cars, among them Maserati, Citroën, Fiat Abarth and Trabant models.

Where are COBI sets made?

In COBI's own factory in Mielec, Poland.

Do COBI sets use stickers?

Many current vehicle sets have printed markings and no stickers, but not all. Each of our COBI product descriptions says so where it applies.

Browse both

Our COBI collection holds the historical, military and licensed car range. Our LEGO collection holds the licensed and themed sets.

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