[REVIEW] 60470 Explorers' Arctic Polar Express Train

[Clone OPatra]

Though an enthusiastic train rider in real life, my enthusiasm has never extended to LEGO trains. There's something about loading a bunch of passengers on a train and then having it go around in a quick circle that doesn't fill me with excitement. Ditto for cargo. When I saw that LEGO was going to be doing a themed adventure train as a full-blown playset within the City explorers subtheme though, now that got me interested!

I'm pleased to have this opportunity to check out my first ever LEGO train, thanks to LEGO for providing it to Eurobricks for review.

SET INFORMATION
Number: 60470
Name: Explorers' Arctic Polar Express Train
Theme: City
Released: 2025
Part Count: 1517
Minifigures: 6 + two arctic foxes
Set Price (RRP): 199,99 EUR / 179.99 GBP / 299.99 AUD / 209.99 USD / 259.99 CAD
Links: Brickset Bricklink

CONTENTS
When all is said and done, here's everything included in the set: an engine and two train cars, a little tracked vehicle, a small outpost, a big terrain build for exploring(!), sixteen pieces of curved track, four regular straights plus two unique ones attached to the outpost and terrain, the remote control, the six minifigures and two exclusive arctic foxes.

It actually makes no material difference what order you build everything. The set includes separate instruction manuals for all of the different components, so it's easy to share between friends/family members, and to choose your own adventure. We chose to build the train engine first and set up the track so my kids could get straight into playing with the motorised part of the set, and then built and added all of the other sections over the course of a week.

While I didn't photograph it, the set comes in a two-piece box with a cover that lifts off, which is helpfully large enough to store the entire set once built, and can of course also hold both built sections and the remaining sealed bags if you parcel out the build like we did.

Overall, we found the build fun and engaging, with minimal repetition and lots of different types of things to work on.

THE TRAIN
Besides some of the standard LEGO train parts for the wheels, and in keeping with the last couple of trains, this train doesn't use any large prefab parts and instead relies on various building techniques for the shaping. The engine looks quite striking, with fantastic colour blocking along it in line with a lot of these city sets over the past couple of years. The plow at the front is also a must for piercing snow.

The sides are built with SNOT techniques to create space for the battery box inside, while these back side sections swing open to show some faux engine detailing. The door at the very back though oddly opens to reveal nothing but a blank void.

For controls our driver relies on this common printed slope, but it's a small space up front so that's adequate.

The battery box has some of the roof of the engine attached to it, but slots right in without any stud connections. You do have to make sure the wire is folded out of the way, though that's pretty simple and painless to achieve.

Next comes a "panoramic passenger car", or a crew/research/observation car I'd say because nobody here is a mere passenger. I do love the big trans-clear windows and just the overall look of it. Even those cupboard pieces integrated into the wheels feels like a lovely design touch.

Inside there's a large computer monitor section that looks like it's got the live feed from the camera on the next car which we'll get to, much like the monitor inside 60426 Off-Road Truck. The seating area strikes me as remarkably rudimentary though, with just a plain 2x4 brick for a table.

On this car it is possible to open the end doors and set up a figure coming through.

Finally we have the cargo + camera car, with a large flatbed section to hold the tracked explorer vehicle, a section for crates containing tools and of course the camera section for very practically filming wildlife from a moving train. While more basic in build than the other two cars, this one still manages a decent level of detail and colour, and doesn't look too simple.

The tracked vehicle plops on simply, and the camera sits on a turntable so can swivel 360 degrees, though with a minifigure in place it can't tilt up that much. 

THE TRACKED VEHICLE
The little tracked explorer vehicle has a lovely design to it, making it feel like a successor to last year's small Johnny Thunder ATV set 60424.

Though a minifigure can't actually hold them, the bucket handle for controls makes for a fun design, better than something simple like a steering wheel. This could have easily again been sold as its own small set, but it's a good overall value add to this larger playset too.

THE OUTPOST
Next up we'll take a look at the explorers' little base camp outpost. This was a fun build because it felt super simple and old school with just stacked bricks at first, but the design flourishes towards the end really bring it together and up to modern design standards.

There's plenty going on in a fairly small space, with bits of ice, a solar panel and satellite dish on the roof, lots of tools around, and more. I particular like the use of that relatively new insert for window/door frames as the grated walkway up to the entrance.

The whole outpost gets attached to one of the new track elements that is designed to attach via 1x4 tiles to a plate next to it, allowing for the train to drive past and pull right up. The crane has just enough movement and clearance that you can pick the tracked vehicle off the ground and hoist it onto the flatbed car without "cheating".

Though there's not much space inside, plenty of details can be found, with an obligatory coffee machine and what looks like refrigeration for food for specimens on one side (though neither are provided), and a radio setup plus medical supplies on the other.

It's cramped, but there is enough space for three figures, and the windows are at the right height for them to peek out too!

THE CAVES
Saving the biggest for last, we turn to the caves! This build is in fact somewhat repetitive with multiple repeating patterns, and the result couldn't be called elegant exactly, but does make an impact.

Like all of the builds in this set, there's no bad or back angle - everything gets finished off to a good degree. This side shown below is a little nicer than the other though, with a waterfall that carries through to the base of the slopes and more of the pretty snow-capped trees built with ferns.

Little spots of studs dot the cliff all the way up, allowing for ample figure placements and play possibilities, plus skis are included so you can have someone ski down the slopes.

When I reviewed the 60437 Jungle Explorer Helicopter last year, I complained that the helicopter dwarfed the scenery build, which was much too small. Not so here, with one of the larger terrain builds I can remember ever seeing that feels adequately sized for figures and for the train.

Within the cave system there are some fun details to explore, and the slopes section detaches fairly easily plus has a roof that's easy to lift off so you can get to them.

Inside there are 1x1 pearl gold round studs that seem to represent gold, plus a pickaxe, suggesting it's either an abandoned mine or a hideout for some criminals if you want to combine this with police sets and stage a chase.

THE FIGURES
Five of the six figures have been part of the broader team of intrepid City explorers for a while now. In fact none of the torsos besides Johnny Thunder's are new, with the medium azure ones dating back to the last arctic subtheme in 2023. The bearded fellow second from the left could perhaps be the arctic team leader, since he didn't join the others in the jungle for 2024.

The set includes plenty of accessories to deck out the figures, and I like the simple but very effective thermos build especially. It is slightly disappointing though that they include two of the same hat and only the one hat-hair combo when others exist like the one with the braids that they used last time, or the Weasley pom-topped hat one.

With Johnny Thunder returning in the jungle sets last year, we now have this redux of his Himalayas outfit, though with the full scarf piece standing in for the scarf. I wonder if we'll see a new version of his green outfit to complete the set.

Last but not least, there's this brand new unique arctic fox. In the grand tradition of the gorillas, seals, orca, baby polar bears and more, I wouldn't necessarily expect this fox to pop again any time soon, though LEGO is frustratingly selling it for a very exorbitant price on Pick a Brick. It's cute, but not worth that much I'd say (nearly $20 here in Australia).

While technically a fox, it shares a lot in common with LEGO dogs so I thought it would be fun to put in a lineup. It fits right in between the french bulldog and the terrier.

RUNNING THE TRAIN
We've talked through all the individual components and builds, so now we've got to talk about arguably the most important features: running and playing with the train. In this video I put it to the test and demonstrate all of the important features:

 

Pleasingly, and probably no surprise to anyone who has had one of these Powered Up system trains, the trains runs super well. It picks up speed quickly, and also comes to a very quick stop when the stop button is pressed on the remote.

The remote itself is a little bit of overkill for a train because there's only one input into the battery box so you only need the controls on one side, which was a little confusing at first to my young kids, but they got the hang of it. After my last experience years ago with trying to use the Powered Up app, I'm just grateful there is a remote included still and no device required (in fact I have since rebuilt that App-Controlled Batmobile and run it with the remote, which is way more fun than with a phone).

The unique features of this train in particular make it extra fun. I was expecting something a bit more extreme than a slight shake out of the new special action feature track used in the terrain section for the "avalanche", but as you can see in the video, that amount of movement does the trick to knock things off, and it's fun trying to hurry and reset them before the train comes back around.

The plough on the front does the trick to knock many objects out of the way - especially the round boulders - as long as the train is going fast enough, which also allows for some fun with putting things on the track and seeing the train blast them away.

There's only one feature I'd call lackluster, which is actually just the zipline setup. For whatever reason, pushing figures down it doesn't go very smoothly at all - maybe it's the texture of the rope piece being used, or it's not quite taut enough given the distance. Whatever it is, it's a jittery letdown.

CONCLUSION & RATINGS
THIS is what I probably always wanted out of a LEGO train. Not the passenger stuff, not the cargo stuff, but the inherent fun of a motorised train paired with some imaginative builds and action-adventure play features. Disbelief still has to be suspended of course - why do the explorers keep going around in a circle and try to capture video of foxes while they do - but as a toy train I find it a lot of fun.

The design of everything looks pretty good too, with great colour blocking and detailing like we've come to expect from City in recent years. It doesn't rely on a prefab piece for the front of the train, though still isn't going to fall apart even if it derails.

I find the price relatively reasonable too honestly, with more pieces than train sets of the past, new unique parts, and novel features that can be played with for many hours on end. By comparison, the other most recent train playsets were 60336 Freight Train ($200 USD for 1153 pieces) and 60337 Passenger Train which is still available ($190 for only 764 pieces). This set's $210 for 1517 pieces seems pretty good.

So how do I rate this set?

9 MINIFIGURES

I just wish there was a bit more variety of woolly headwear, and maybe one more figure, but this lineup is pretty good.

10 PIECES

Lots of pieces, big, small and everything in between, unique moulds, good stuff all around.

9 DESIGN

Almost everything is great, besides the big cliffs which can look slightly clunky, and a couple of other minor quibbles.

10 PLAYABILITY

The inherent fun of a train coupled with this one's adventurous play features and scenarios makes for a great play package.

10 PRICE

I also really cannot ding the price. Motorised trains are expensive. LEGO is expensive. For a motorised LEGO train and what you get, the price seems fair.

9.6 OVERALL - It's a fun adventure train with a lot to offer.

Now foxes, move out!

[Clone OPatra]

Let me know what you think of this set and my review. Was I too glowing?

[Jim]

This is a supercool set. I would buy this in a heartbeat if I had all the arctic sets. This was love at first sight.

Nice review with clear crisp pics!

[Murdoch17]

I think you did a very good job on your first train and train review @Clone OPatra, and I hope to see more train reviews from you in the future! Although I will point out Johnny's torso is not exactly new... it first released in January 2025 on this figure, although it has yellow hands instead of gloves.

Edited 1 hour ago by Murdoch17

[MKJoshA]

Great review! I love the extra play features. It's certain elevates the set above go-around-in-a-circle. I recently picked up a used 60336 Freight Train for a good price. It's will be my first foray into Lego trains myself. The real test is whether it holds my kids attention or not. I imagine this arctic version would have a better chance at that.