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Post by vifam7 on Dec 11, 2019 19:36:40 GMT
Newbie question here.
Can someone explain to me what the differences are between Small Army, Historical Collection, and World of Tanks lines?
Sometimes I see the same tank in two different lines. For example, the M46 is both a Small Army release and a World of Tanks release. Similarly, the T-34/85 is both a Historical Collection and a World of Tanks release.
Explanation greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
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Post by El Caracho on Dec 12, 2019 10:33:33 GMT
Cobi has to pay a licence fee for the "World of Tanks" and "World of Warships" products, so they also release some sets as "cheaper" versions for the customers who do not need the game bonus codes.
And some customers want to ... err ... "customize" their tanks with stickers, so they go for the "World of Tanks" ones, and some customers want historically accurate models, so they go for the "Historical Collection" ones with printed parts instead of stickers.
Also the licence seems not to be valid for all countries in the world, so to be able to sell their products in the "unlicenced" countries, some models are available in different product lines. Example: If you switch the Cobi webshop to "Polish", the "ORP Błyskawica" is not available among the "World of Warships" products (only as a Small Army product), but if you switch to any other language, e.g. English, the "ORP Błyskawica" is available as a "World of Warships" product.
But if you're a collector, it's a real bummer, because you have to buy a lot of models multiple times, which is especially expensive for the big warships, and you end up with 3 gigantic Yamatos (sets 3083, 4811 and 4814) 
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Post by vifam7 on Dec 12, 2019 15:23:05 GMT
Thank you for the explanation.
However, why do some releases have extra pieces even though it's the same exact tank or warship? For example, the World of Tanks M46 (3008) has 525 pieces while the Small Army M46 (2488) has 520 pieces.
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monty
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by monty on Dec 12, 2019 18:40:35 GMT
There are usually some minor differences between the World of Tanks releases and their subsequent Small Army/Historical Collection reincarnations. Sometimes the differences are very visible (the pad-printed markings on the M46, the side skirts on the Stridsvagn), and sometimes they are less obvious, such as the differences in the tiles used to build the rear of the M46 turrets.
Small Army vs. Historical Collection: "Small Army" was Cobi's first modern warfare line. It was initially aimed at children, so the vehicles and minifigures did not represent actual vehicles or nationalities. Things changed in 2013 when Cobi rolled out its first set of four World War II tanks. These were not very accurate, but they were popular, so Cobi quickly went "all in" on scale models of real vehicles, making (and remaking) them more accurate as time went on.
In 2017, Cobi began labeling its World War II and early Cold War models as the "Historical Collection," but most late Cold War and post-Cold War releases remained in the "Small Army" category--even though they, too, became increasingly accurate models. Judging from the upcoming Abrams re-release, it looks like this residual "Small Army" category is about to be phased out in favor of a new "Armed Forces" line.
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Post by vifam7 on Dec 12, 2019 20:20:50 GMT
There are usually some minor differences between the World of Tanks releases and their subsequent Small Army/Historical Collection reincarnations. Sometimes the differences are very visible (the pad-printed markings on the M46, the side skirts on the Stridsvagn), and sometimes they are less obvious, such as the differences in the tiles used to build the rear of the M46 turrets. Small Army vs. Historical Collection: "Small Army" was Cobi's first modern warfare line. It was initially aimed at children, so the vehicles and minifigures did not represent actual vehicles or nationalities. Things changed in 2013 when Cobi rolled out its first set of four World War II tanks. These were not very accurate, but they were popular, so Cobi quickly went "all in" on scale models of real vehicles, making (and remaking) them more accurate as time went on. In 2017, Cobi began labeling its World War II and early Cold War models as the "Historical Collection," but most late Cold War and post-Cold War releases remained in the "Small Army" category--even though they, too, became increasingly accurate models. Judging from the upcoming Abrams re-release, it looks like this residual "Small Army" category is about to be phased out in favor of a new "Armed Forces" line.
Thank you. That explains everything!
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