COBI Romans Set 20067

COBI's Romans set contains 38 blocks making three figures: two legionaries and a centurion, with the centurion's crest removable. All markings are printed onto the blocks rather than applied as stickers.

The equipment is modelled on the real kit — the galea helmet, lorica segmentata plate armour, the curved scutum shield, the gladius, and the pilum javelin. A separate block extends the tunic and carries the printed hanging belt, the baltea. Under the armour the legionaries have a plain tunic printed on, so the figures work as civilians once the plates come off.

The javelin that ruined a shield

Of everything in this set, the pilum is the piece worth knowing about. It had a long soft iron shank behind a hardened point, and that was deliberate: on impact the shank bent. A bent pilum could not be pulled out and thrown back, and one lodged in an enemy shield made the shield useless — too heavy on one side to hold up, and impossible to clear in the seconds before the Roman line arrived. Legions threw them in volleys just before closing, which meant the enemy met the gladius already half-disarmed.

In the COBI range

These figures crew the rest of the Imperium Romanum line: the Catapult (20068), the Chariot (20069), the Warship (20071) and the camp sets. For opponents there are Celtic Warriors (20074) and Germanic Warriors (20075) in the same three-figure format.

Specifications

Pieces: 38 · Figures: 3, two legionaries and a centurion