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First off, I'll mention to newcomers that the Coko products apparently aren't
new and were more readily available in the U.S. in the early to mid 1990's.
You may still be able to find some in hobby shops or discount stores.
An unofficial product list can be found here:
http://users.sisna.com/gonzo3/coko.html
The two items I've picked up are the 51502 (jeep) and 51513 (jeep and tank)
sets so comments made here don't necessarily reflect on the other product
lines/themes.
PRODUCT: The elements are made from a plastic VERY similar to Lego's (as a
matter of fact, the boxes state that the material is ABS) and the bricks have a
"glossier" look than other brands like Megabloks or Best-lock. Bricks' design
follows the stud-and-tube design of Lego very closely and this, coupled with
the more pliable/softer ABS plastic, makes the bricks stick much better than
other brands' more rigid material. It should also be noted, though, that
sometimes the plastic seems almost too glossy/slick and some elements pop off
of others (I've also seen this once or twice in a Lego set).
Plate thickness is one-third that of a brick (another plus in the
Lego-compatible department).
Elements in the lineup include the standard plates, bricks and slopes, but also
include particular elements like odd half-slope/half-plate elements (Best-lock
has these) and a 1x2 plate with a hatch which is kind of cool for the tanks.
Minifigs, however, lose points. While the figures are the same size as Lego
minifigs, they differ in that the arms are straight (instead of being slightly
bent at the elbow) and the legs have jointed knees. These jointed knees make
the figures able to sit but as a result the legs become wobbly after too much
bending. The minifigs do have removable hats/hair but these are not
interchangeable with Lego elements because of Coko's hollow head design. The
two sets I received included stickers to put on the plain torsos of the
minifigs (which could be seen as a plus or minus depending on your point of
view).
Neat minifig accessories include M-16 rifles, Colt .45 pistols, five gallon gas
cans (which can also attach to vehicles), and a larger vehicle-mounted machine
gun with a snap-on cartridge.
MODEL: The models are the high point of the product with realistic-looking
jeeps (seating driver and passenger side by side) and great tank models.
The jeep wheels are not two-piece assemblies (hub and rubber tire) but rather a
hard, one-piece wheel. Also, the assembly that mounts the large machine gun is
frail and falls off too much for serious play.
Tank features include a chassis entirely built from bricks and plates (as
opposed to a large one-piece body) which results in a nice heavy model, and a
one-piece rubber tread that stretches over the sprockets (though it doesn't
stay on well when pushing the vehicle on a hard surface).
Perhaps the coolest thing about the tank (and I'm betting this is the same for
the models with howitzers) is that the turret gun/cannon really shoots little
projectiles. The ejecting device allows the user to "cock" the missile inside
the barrel and releases the projectiles with a trigger mechanism. The missiles
are pretty small (two studs long and about 1/8 inch in diameter) so they are
VERY easy to lose but four missiles come with each set.
I have a small complaint about the design of the models in that some
sub-assemblies don't secure to the main model very well but this is easily
fixed with minor modifications.
No extra bricks remain after making the main models but the models so
bountifully use bricks and plates that you could probably make subtle changes
to the design of each model and then have some remaining parts. Some set boxes
picture sandbags and barrels but these accessories are not included in the
sets.
OTHER THEMES: One interesting thing I noted about a Pirate set I saw was that
they contain chrome, scimitar-like sabers and broad-blade axes (cool!). The
Castle sets are all very basic with only slight variations on the box-like
design and I'm told that the horses' legs are movable.
WRAP-UP: Bottom line is that these are excellent military sets. In my opinion
the product is better than the other clones that are currently available
(though it doesn't quite match the almost-perfect likeness that my only Tyco
space model shows against real Lego).
Coko Bricks get a satisfied "thumbs up" for solid models and compatible bricks.
You'll probably end up tossing the minifigs but their accessories (and
stickers) will work nicely with your regular figures.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Coko Bricks Military Sets review
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| (...) Well I think TENTE is very ABS like much more than Megabloks which seems to be made from something else. (...) TENTE has these slope pieces also it must be a good idea then - LEGO don't have them probably because it goes against roof tile (...) (25 years ago, 4-Apr-99, to lugnet.off-topic.clone-brands)
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