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Just thought I'd share my latest MOC as I don't get much built that often. This is a small display showing part of an Arctic research building with a couple of vehicles outside. The larger tracked vehicle turned out to be an ugly beast of sorts, but I really wanted to try and use the helicopter cockpit windows (part 11289) on the front if I could, which proved difficult. There's also various SNOT on the snowmobile and brick separators on the building walls which I wanted to try out. Not the best photography, but I think it'll suffice. Full album of pictures which includes some more shots of the vehicles can be found by clicking here; https://www.flickr.c...57650420476168/ Any and all comments welcome and thanks for looking.
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I hope this is the right theme for presenting my small Arctic research submarine series X2. I don't have much orange bricks, so that's why some details are missing. I also made only top of the submarine, because it will be seen on bigger MOC which will have blue baseplates for sea and no bottom part of submarine is needed. This "Orange stuff" is little boring, so I made some environment around it.
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Hi. Here is my review of the City Arctic Icebreaker. I bought this set last year when it was released but kept it until early this year to build. Arctic Icebreaker set # 60062 Year released - 2014 Piece Count - 717 Pieces - 9 bags Instruction Manual - 6 Minifigures - 7 plus 4 huskies and 1 Polar Bear Price - £79.99, $129.99, e99.99 This set is similar to 60036 Arctic Base Camp, in that it is made up of a collection of smaller sets that can be played almost by themselves bu make up one big set. Box The front of the box artwork depicts all the playability of the set with all the minifigs in action shots. The rear is the now standard city and shows off actions shots from the set, aswell as what each of the 9 bags make up. The side panel shows off all 7 of the minifigs plus the Polar Bear and a Huskie. The 6 instruction manuals come in a protective bag, along with the sticker sheet. The contents of the box along with the Instruction manuals are, 9 bags, a Dark bluish Grey plate and the Boat base. Bag 1 & Instruction Manual 1 A good little play set in its own right. Comes with the Ice wall and 2 Ice Blocks, scene lighting and the polar bear. The Minifig from this bag is the Arctic Research Assistant with snow shoes. This minifig is the exact same as the Research Assistant from 60035 Arctic Outpost and 60036 Arctic Base Camp, which isn't too good if you have these set also. Bag 2 & Instruction Manual 2 Like bag 1, bag 2 has its own good play feature with the Tracked snowplough vehicle. comes with a load area at the rear and a heavy duty chain used to pull off sheets of ice from the ice wall or towing ice blocks. The minig is an Arctic Explorer and comes with full Arctic clothing and orange goggles. This minifig is also found in 60032 Arctic Snowmobile, 60035 Arctic Outpost and 60036 Arctic Base camp. Bag 3 & Instruction Manual 3 Bag 3 has the Huskie Sled dogs and sled. Although the sled is slightly different in design from the one in 60036 Arctic Base Camp, it also has a carry basket and is driven by the same female explorer albeit this time she has snow shoes. The female artic tunic differs from the male tunic as its more tailored at the waist. This female is also found in Arctic sets, 60034 Arctic Helicrane, 60064 Arctic Supply Plane and 850932 Polar Accessary set. Bag 4 & Instruction Manual 4 Bag 4 is a remote Research Lab. It comes with microscope, computer and satelite dish with aerial. There is also a fridge to preserve the ice crystals. The minifig with this bag is a scientist with orange sweater and white overcoat. Bag 5 & Instruction Manual 5 Bag 5 is the mini sized Helicopter which can be used to lift the equipment modules to and from the Ice breaker or for carrying the ice blocks using its onboard winch. It sits perfectly on the heli-pad of the Ice Breaker. the helicopter has many similarities with the mini sized helicopter from the Arctic Base Camp. The minifig with this bag is the helicopter pilot complete with Pilots leather jacket and helmet. Yet again this minifig is the same as the pilot from 60036. Bag 6 & Instruction Manual 5 Bag 6 see's a Large satelite dish which goes with the Remote research Lab. It also the a couple of items that are carried on the Ice breaker Boat, the equipment modules and the Snowmobile. The minifig from this bag is another Arctic Explorer, this time with green goggles. This explorer also comes in the following sets, 60033 Arctic Ice Crawler, 60035 Arctic Outpost, 60036 Arctic Base Camp x2, 60064 Arctic Supply Plane and 850932 polar Accessary Set. Bag 7 & Instruction Manual 6 Bag 7 is the first bag of the Ice Breaker boat build. It see's the boat's anchor, engine and sleeping accommodation being fitted along with the equipment module holders Bag 8 & Instruction Manual 6 Bag 8 sees the boats chimney/funnel fitted along with access ladders and the helipad fitted to the rear. Bag 9 & Instruction Manual 6 Bag 9 see's the build of the Wheel House and the Ice Breaker completed. The minifig with this bag is the Ice Breaker's Captain.He sports a streotypical Captains beard and his torso comes with a White marine sweater and Orange blouson jacket. Overall Ratings Parts: 8 - Good variety of parts. Works out at 11.16p, 18.13c & 13.946c per part depending where you buy it. The Figs: 9 - There are 7 in this set which is a decent number and the Huskie prints are great and due to the blend mix of these dogs, each one should be deifferent, I am reliably informed. The only let down is that many of the Minigfigs in the Arctic theme are the same as stated throughout this review. Build & Model(s): 8 - All the builds are fun and easy to make. And because of the way they are seperate builds, you don't ned to do them all at once. Playability: 10 - This set really has lot's of playability; Boat, Helicopter, Tracked vehicle & Huskies with sled, not forgetting the small snow mobile. Value for Money: 8 - Not too bad for what you get but would have liked it to come in about £10 cheaper, but then what would TLG have left out if it was. Overall: 9 - A great set from a theme that I like personnaly. This set is designed for great fun play and is good as a stand alone set, but is also a great companion to the rest of the Arctic theme.
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I was recently drawn out of my dark age with the wonderful new Arctic sets and this is one of the first MOCs I've done since I was in high school. I would have liked to make a few different color/part choices, but you gotta work with what you have, and right now I don't have much. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out overall. C&C welcome. The initial inspiration to do an Arctic motorcycle came from this picture from Popular Science: After I put this together, I Googled Lego sidecars and discovered that TLG did a motorcycle and sidecar set in the Indiana Jones line (7620). They use a much sturdier link to keep the motorcycle and sidecar together and I might try to make another model using their conection method as this one is pretty weak. But for now I don't have the pieces. It can survive a little bit of pushing, but certainly won't hold up to much play involving kids. Edit: figured out how to post pics from Flickr
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Eurobricks and Rebrickable were challenged by LEGO to make alternate models for current year city sets. The builds had to only use the pieces in available in the official LEGO model, be made in LDD, digitized, tested in real brick and be a model a 7-10 year old could build!! I received set 60033 "Arctic Ice Crawler". It's a cute, nostalgia-inducing, but sadly smallish truck. With only 113 parts, some of them only connecting in one way, making alternate models out of this one really was a challenge. Luckily there were a good deal of brackets and functional elements available, so building nice playsets still was possible and fun. I hope you enjoy them and maybe rediscover how fun it is to build alternate models! Here are my two alternate models: "Bulldozer" [MOC] Bulldozer - 60033 alternate model by Bert.VR, on Flickr You can find the LDD model and building instructions there on Rebrickable. "Snowplow" [MOC] Snowplow - 60033 alternate model by Bert.VR, on Flickr [MOC] Snowplow - 60033 alternate model by Bert.VR, on Flickr LDD model and building instructions are available on Rebrickable as well I hope you like it, and stay creative with those lovely chunks of plastic!
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Made this around 2008
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LL-924 Arctic Cruiser by Veynom, on Flickr You are kindly invited to read the full article concerning the LL-924 and many of its variants: - Part I: LL-924 & Variants - Part II: LL-924 Backhoe (on MOCpages) - Part III: LL-924 TIE Cruiser This version was designed following the interest regain in polar and arctic exploration missions. Indeed, some well-established scientific communities had then formulated that if a space ship could endure the almost absolute-zero temperature of space emptiness then it could for sure endure the warmer icy temperatures. Additionally, as ice and water was also present on various stellar bodies across the stars, retrofitting space ships could make sense in the long run and decision was taken to re-use the good old LL-924. Back then rumors also reported that in fact, the choice of the good old LL-924 was merely dictated by budgetary constraints. Anyway and whatever the reason, the LL-924 Arctic Cruiser was born. LL-924 Arctic - Laterial View by Veynom, on Flickr And so started a long operational career as some photo could show. LL-924 Arctic in action by Veynom, on Flickr Several modifications were necessary in order to face coldness, blizzard, snow and ice. First of all, the landing gear was modified in order to be equipped with skis. Several schematics were designed but ultimately, the final solution looked very similar to the original system, ensuring the same height. LL-924 Arctic - Bottom View by Veynom, on Flickr On both sides, powerful light projectors were added in order to help scientists in their missions. LL-924 Arctic - Top View by Veynom, on Flickr Finally, a reinforced isolation plate had to be mounted on the rear in order to improve the engine protection. Sadly none had foreseen that blizzard and freeze could deteriorate both engines so fast. LL-924 Arctic - Rear View by Veynom, on Flickr That extra isolation plate lead to important modifications concerning the cargo compartment as the traditional opening engine pods were replaced with lateral doors. However that modification revealed quickly its usefulness as tools could easily be stored and retrieved while preserving the total storage capacity. LL-924 Arctic - Cargo compartment by Veynom, on Flickr The inside of the ship was equipped like a full-scale laboratory for the passenger who could sit behind the pilot. Next to a very impressive analyser, an extra computer screen was installed to display additional information and data from from the powerful sensor mounted on the top of the ship. Various tools could fit the cockpits and even a modern nuclear-based temperature sensor guaranteed the measures accuracy. LL-924 Arctic - Interior View by Veynom, on Flickr LL-924 Arctic- Open Cockpit by Veynom, on Flickr Comments welcome !
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Well, I couldn't resist, my local toy store not only had 10% off, but were just putting the new 2014 sets on the shelves and the big orange white and blue box was shouting "buy me, buy me!" from its shelf. So whithout further ado here is my review of the 60036 Arctic Base Camp. Arctic Base Camp Set #: 60036 Year Released: 2014 Piece Count: 733 Minifigs: 7, plus 4 dogs, 2 fish and 1 bear RRP: $89.99, £59.99 (according to Brickset, but UK retail seems to be £69.99 at the moment). As the set is a collection of models rather than one big construction, I will break the review down per the instruction booklets before giving my overall impressions at the end. So in this post enjoy Part 1: The Box the Snowmobile and the Dogsled (the less popular rip-off of the lion, the witch and the wardrobe!) The Box: Pretty big, as you might expect for a set of this price: The front shows nicely all the models and minifigs packed into the set and everything is in full action mode hinting at the playability of this set. The base is perched at the edge of an ice shelf, with snow covered mountains in the background. Just in case we forgot this was part of the City line the logo looms above the base and there are skyscrapers on the far horizon in the top right. The back has a standard 'hey' guy, but in arctic gear showing us a few of the models and play features of the set., the left side tells us this is a numbered build with pretty much one bag per model. The bottom left corner tells us to go online to play the LEGO City game, though our arctic player is dressed a little warm for downtown; also he appears to be making off with some money being chased by the police- maybe it is only so long before we get arctic police and fire sets!? The top edge shows the 7 minifigs we get with the set along with a couple of the new huskies and polar bear. The Contents We get 8 bags, and a cardboard backed deck of instructions along with a single sticker sheet. Loose in the box is a 16x16 plate (not baseplate) and conveyor belt. Disappointingly we aren't trusted to build a conveyor belt, it comes as a permanently assembled moving POOP. As it is split into mini builds, I'm going to deal with each as it comes as I explained above. Her you can see the DSS and the instructions for build 1; the dog sled and snow-mobile. First page of the instructions gives us the open bags in order comic strip and an advert espousing the virtues of the brick separator. Random instruction shot: The pale white/blue snowscape background shows up the models well and generally colour distinction is good; though occasionally the white parts look a little bley. Despite this, with the bagged nature of the build and clear part callouts, you're pretty unlikely to be confusing parts. There are also quite a number of single part steps, so this should be easy for even the youngest lego fans to put together. The Parts (Bag 1) Already new, or at least interesting, bits everywhere, inverted 1x3 cursed slopes, new skis, 2x2 tiles with studs, the parka hood, husky, handlebar type bits and an orange brick separator. The Minifigs In this bag we get 1 male and 1 female researcher, with male and female specific torsos; note the 'hourglass' shading on the female and different pocket configuration. Both seem to have some kind of GPS, temperature sensor or stopwatch on their person- the girl's reading '4^' the guy's '3^'. The different coloured ski goggles are a nice touch, though unfortunately having printed goggles rather than a goggle piece makes these heads theme specific. Legs have various climbing gear printed on them and the rear torso has a nice mission patch. The Build and Model: Snowmobile Part way in: Here you can see the use of the SNOT tiles and inverted curves to make the model a healthy carpet-runner; an interesting step away from the usual 2x2 round dish pieces you see on most LEGO boats (and in fact on the dog-sled in this set). Bam!: Here we are, finished, and I like it. The front curves come together nicely with clever parts usage and, whilst I missed it in the unbagging, the 2x2x2/3 slope on the front is printed, yes, printed! With a friend: Let us compare him with the 1990's offering; you can see the definite 'up-scaling' from 'town' to 'city' era. Whilst the new model has no obvious drive mechanism (though chainsaws probably weren't the best or safest) the shapes possible with the new parts just make it look so much better. My only criticism of this model is the width- due to the car axle used the thing is 6-wide at the skis. Unfortunately due to how the nose is put together it wouldn't be easy to change, but I cant help but feel this might be better with the skis at 4-wide (dry test example below): The Build and Model: The Dog Sled Part way in: After the snowmobile, this disappoints slightly in being a much more traditional vertical brick-stacking affair, we also come to our first sticker- that 1x2 cheese gets a radar screen and radio handset sticker. Finished the sled: Radar you ask? Why yes, here we are with everything but the dogs and you can see a small radar dish so the driver can see everything that's forward and left of the sleigh I guess. The use of a small boat mast to build the dog harness is an interesting feature and quite inventive use of bricks. The dogs! Yes the doggies! A new mold as you can see compared to the standard City dog on the right. Although the face/ear prints are identical the coat colouring appears to be achieved by mixing plastics which gives a subtle variation between dogs and makes them appear like individuals- a nice touch whether intentional or not. Note the traditional City dog is 1 stud taller- so there can be no Disney style city dog becomes sleigh dog scenarios. Finished: As with the snowmobile the 6-wide feels a little on the large side but otherwise I can't fault it, there are lots of play features packed in with the fishing gear and radar. The dog attachments are surprisingly strong and play-able so a race between dogs and snowmobile wouldn't be a question of who falls apart first. Plus dogs, did i mention the dogs? I like the dogs! Scores for Bag 1 Parts: 9 - very good selection for such small models, Lose a point for disappointing me with a sticker after delighting me with printed parts. The figs: 9 - Very nice printing on both figs and their hoods. I don't really see the need for a feminine torso though- I doubt real arctic explorers cinch their waistbands to show of their hourglass figure (if you are an arctic explorer feel free to tell me I'm wrong). Along with the face prints which are only really good for snowy scenarios this isn't quite a perfect 10. I'm still tempted to give it a 10 just for the huskies, they are simply excellent. Build & Model(s): 8 - The builds are short but sweet, and the curves of the snowmobile were satisfying to put together. The models look good if a little wide from some angles and its a shame the snowmobile has no visible means of propulsion. Playbility: 9 - The snowmobile is pretty swoosh-able, though compared to the dog-sled is a one trick pony. The dog sled has fishing gear, a something detector/radar and dogs as well as swooshing pretty well. The separate instructions and bagging also adds to playability as kids of shorter attention span (or simply wanting to prolong fun) can build, play, pause, build more, play more etc...as I am off to now before I bring you Part 2: The Helicopter! Note : value for money score will come with an overall score once I get to the end of part 5...
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REVIEW 60033: Arctic Ice Crawler Details: Series: City / Arctic Release year: 2014 Quantity of bricks: 108szt. Quantity of minifigures: 1 Quantity of bags with bricks: 2 bags (1 big + 1 small) + 2 tracks chains Bricklist: BrickLink Proce: ~15Euro Brickset BrickLink Summer 2014, over 30 degree heat outside, and you need to incorporate into the skin of the Arctic explorer, where it is also 30 degrees, but less than 0, and review the latest edition of the Lego City - Arctic. It's the reactivation of the same subject from the beginning of the millennium. There already appeared snow creepers, scooters and base. I wonder what was the "response from the market"? I'm trying to understand what was the spark for that decision, why Lego decided to return to the monotonous Arctic topic? 2014 Arctic gives us also a banch of snow vehicles and main base. What precisely incldes whole set ? 60032: Arctic Snowmobile 60033: Arctic Ice Crawler 60034: Arctic Helicrane 60035: Arctic Outpost 60036: Arctic Base Camp 60062: Arctic Icebreaker 60064: Arctic Supply Plane Yes, I remember about 30310 but I do not treat it as a part of whole set. I do not like polybags, at all. Sorry. :-/ Today's set is the second largest, but the least on my personal list of Arctic sets, which I would like to have in my collection. And how in the details presents 60033? Box: A small rectangle measuring approximately 20cm x 10cm. Leading blue colors are of course, a spin-off series Arctic City, white and blue as arctic white and orange and blue and shades of gray as the main colors of bricks. Tempted to say that the color has not been drastically altered from the sets of the 2000 ... FRONT & REAR TOP & BOTTOM RIGHT & LEFT Instruction and additionals: Small 40to page booklet, which describes the 36 steps of the submission of the model. On the last pages advertising the latest sets: Arctic and trains. inAnd ... big bag of parts (without number) and smaller, cha tracks and a template with labels. Minifigure(s): ... but the quality of minifigs, vehicles and proportions of the models stand on a much better level. Good example is the ice crawler's driver. The body has printed a lot of details: 2 x Arctic logos, zippers, pockets, fur and a transmitter? Complemented well as refined pants and blue hood. Bricks: Not much new stuff here, which is a strong argument. From my point of view, only these two things, listed below, I treat as "new". Black Tread Small (20 tread 'links') Light Bluish Gray Plate, Modified 2 x 4 with Pins Work in progress: Finished set: Last two pics made with 60032, which I bought for my daughter. BENEFITS: + track chains – had carried out a car with this element. You get the feeling that this is how the original works. Lightly tick. Cool! + nice and I think a good return to the topic that seemed to be so far now, as the Arctic land, + minifig, + set of colors, + set skillfully reflects, or at least gives you feeling, how work machines on research expeditions, + playability, + relatively not much stickers, but I think that the Arctic logo could be printed as it was done in 60032 set, WEAKNESSES: - price – in extreme cases, you can buy twice time bigger set from Great Vehicles series,, - distance between axes could be a little bit bigger..., - ... that's the main reason, IMO, why ice crawler looks less in comparison with a similar vehicle from 60036, Summary: Ice Crawler, strikingly reminds me of my first sets bought over 25 years ago. Subject simple model also, lack of additional interest in a set (only vehicle), a small box, over a hundred parts and as a result a lot of joy and fun that fits in your hand. Vehicle that is worth noting, was built based on existing blocks. Great for a small gift or a gift from a fan of Lego and of course must have in your collection !
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REVIEW - 42038 - ARCTIC TRUCK INTRODUCTION Arctic vehicles aren't new to LEGO. Back in 2000 the Town theme already had several small orange arctic vehicles. In 2014 TLG again released a number of Arctic sets in the City theme (formerly known as Town). Some of these sets are actually pretty big, containing over 700 parts. Looking back in history it seems that Arctic sets may have found their origin in the Technic theme. Although these sets were white instead of orange, they are unmistakenly Arctic. The 1986 Technic Arctic Sets contained the infamous Technic Figures. Unfortunately the 2015 Arctic Truck doesn't contain any Technic Figures, but nonetheless it's great to see a new Arctic vehicle in the Technic line, not counting several snow scooters. Let's see if the new Arctic Truck lives up to the expectations. Note: All images can be clicked for hi-res versions. SET INFORMATION Number: 42038 Title: Arctic Truck Theme: Technic Released: 2015 Part Count: 1219 Box Weight: 2110 gr Box Dimensions: 47,8 cm x 28,0 cm x 7,2 cm Set Price (MSRP): € 79,99 / US$ 84.99 / £ 59.99 Price per Part: € 0,088 / US$ 0.093 / £ 0.066 Links: Brickset, Bricklink THE BOX The box measures 47,8 cm x 28,0 cm x 7,2 cm and weighs around 1385 grams. The box actually feels pretty heavy which means it's filled properly. This seems to be a trend in the Technic theme. Slightly smaller boxes can save shelf space for retailers. THE FRONT The front of the box shows the main model and in the lower right corner there's a image with the dimension of the model. It's 40cm long and 18cm wide. THE BACK The upper part of the back of the box shows the functions of the main model. The lower left section shows the B-model, which looks very promising (more on that later). The lower right section shows the motorization options for the main model. The crane (partially) and the bed can be motorized. Besides motorization some LEDs can be added as headlights. THE SIDE On of the sides shows one of the newer smaller style panels. This is the first time it appears in orange. When you take a look at the sticker you can see that it's not symmetrical. Not sure why TLG "cut of" one of the sides of the stickers, since the position of the panel is very suitable for a continuous sticker. CONTENT OF THE BOX The box is pretty densely packed, which is better than semi-filled boxes. It feels like you actually bought something which matches the box size. The box contains: 2 Booklets 1 Sticker Sheet 8 Bags BOOKLETS & STICKER SHEET Unfortunately the instructions and sticker sheet haven't been packed with cardboard protection, which results in a curved sticker sheet and slightly bent instructions. In my case this wasn't so bad. At least no real damage. HIGHLIGHTED PARTS This set proves to be a great parts pack, especially when you might have missed some of the 2014 sets. BLACK LINK TREADS Usually the Link Treads come in Dark Blue Grey, but this sets includes 96 Black treads, which is great if you'd like to replace the DBG ones in your MOCs, or other official sets. UNDERCARRIAGE AND SUSPENSION Several parts are included to build the undercarriage driving the treads. Four Large Tread Sprockets and eight Small Tread Sprockets, which are used as return sprockets. Also included are four Steering Portal Hubs and four Steering Portal Axles for driving and steering the vehicle. Several frames, including two C-shaped Pivot Frames and two Steering Ball Joints to create an undercarriage much like the 4x4 Crawler. The set even includes two H-shaped Frames (a.k.a. Dog Bone Frames). NEW CHANGEOVER CATCH PARTS This year (2015) three new parts have been introduced to improve the changeover catch. More on these parts later. NEW PIN CONNECTOR Another new part for this year (2015) is the "1L Round Pin Connector", which looks like a pin connector, but acts more like a bush. NEW PINS Furthermore this sets includes quite a large number of three (relatively) new parts. 17 x Pin with Pin Hole, 14 x 3L Pin with 1L Axle and 11 x 3L Pin with 2L Axle, which have been introduced this year (2015). When the new 3L Pin with 1L Axle was introduced in 2014 it was only a matter of time before the new 3L Pin with 2L Axle would appear. Both new Pins are a great addition to the parts portfolio. PANELS Last but not least this sets contains a fair number of orange panels, including the 3x11 Panel in Orange, which is the first time we've seen this part. PART LIST Below is the entire part list for the 913 parts. As usual this part list can be found at the end of the second booklet. THE BUILD The build immediately starts with some of the new parts, used to build the compact gearbox in the center of the model. Notice the two 20 Tooth Bevel Gears. One would have been enough to drive the 12 Tooth Bevel Gear, so the second seems to be useless. TLG probably used it in the A-model, because they needed it in the B-model, which you can see later. The front and rear suspension are almost identical. The front side also has the 13L Gear Rack, used for steering. The picture below shows the steering rack on the front suspension in more detail. At this point you have more or less finished the chassis. The gearbox is in place and the majority of the functions has internally been connected to the right gears. The small turntable shows where the crane will be attached later on. At the end of the first booklet, some of the bodywork has been attached to the chassis. The orange-black color scheme never fails to please me. Throw in some cool stickers for the extra effect and we have a winner. If you decide to motorize the model, using PF, the top of the cabin can be lifted to accomodate the battery box. The chassis uses lots of orange (and some black) panels to give the model it's distinctive look. The protective black bumber/railing is a nice addition which adds something to the exterior. The dumping bed at the rear can tilt to empty it's load. It's operated by a Mini LA. The Treads, which look very cool in Black, are driven by a Large Tread Sprocket and returned by two Small Tread Sprockets. The front and rear sections are identical. Building the undercarriages feels a bit repetitive, which is a problem for most tracked vehicles. FINISHED MODEL Adding the crane to the model finishes the build. Your model should look something like this. When you take a close look at the finished model, you realize this is something else. It's trully a unique vehicle. The color scheme is brilliant and the fact that it's an Arctic Truck is really neat. It's a welcome change for the Technic line to see a vehicle like this. This picture emphasizes that's it's a very cool vehicle. Imagine this beast plowing through the snow! As far as I know it's not based on a real life vehicle. If's probably a combination of several vehicles and some imagination. I can be totally wrong though. The rear of the vehicle shows the crane and drum, placed on the tipper bed. From this angle you can see some of the internals of the model, the gearbox behind the cabin for example. The crane can be partially motorized (rotation and base), while the boom is operated manually. What I like a lot is the protective railing around the vehicle. LEFT OVER PARTS Some leftover parts, nothing noteworthy. FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS This set has several functions/features: Steering Driving Suspension Crane Tipping bed STEERING As you can see in the image below the steering mechanism has quite a bit of negative caster (please correct me if I'm wrong), which causes the treads to rotate a bit upward/downward instead of only to the left and right. DRIVING You mention driving as a feature?! Yes I do and let me explain why. Normally I would ommit this as a feature and take driving for granted. However, driving this vehicle (on a flat surface) causes it to simply slide over the surface. For other arctic vehicles this would be a plus, but with a tracked vehicle it limits playability. This is one of the main drawbacks of these tread, they simple don't work properly on smooth surfaces. SUSPENSION The suspension is working properly. You do need to apply some pressure, but all things considered it's not too bad. CRANE The crane has four degrees of freedom: Base rotation Lower boom Upper boom Hook It does what it's supposed to do. Base rotation and lower boom can be motorized and switched using the gearbox, while the upper boom and hook are operated manually. TIPPING BED The tipping is operated via a Mini LA. CONCLUSION While the set does offer various functions and features, driving and steering is a serious issue. Therefor this set is more likely to be showcased than to be played with. B-MODEL Instructions for the B-model are of high quality. Looking at the image below, you will see what I mean. Here's the finished B-model, a tracked Jeep with a communcations device. This alternate model looks so good, it could easily have made it as a main model. One thing that does pop in mind; how would this look with tires?! More on that later. When you are in the artcic region it's imperative to have proper communication channels. Since there's no internet backbone, you will need a big antenna of some sort. This B-model actually features a small trailer wagon with a transmitter/receiver. Here's more detailed image of the B-model, without trailer wagon. I would buy this model in a heartbeat if it were a main model. Simply gorgeous. The side view doesn't give away that this in alternate model. The stickers also work really well in this model. And again, nothing to complain here. The model even has a small crane at the rear, operated by the Mini LA. Here you can see the arctic fleet, comprised of both the A-model and B-model. I bet these two can get some work done!! A bit of a messy picture, but this should give you an impression of the size of both models. LEFTOVER PARTS Not too many parts left, which is obviously a good thing. ALTERNATE MODEL WITH TUMBLER TIRES Just like me, you probably have been wondering how this model would look like with (Tumbler) tires. Well, here it is. As I imagined it does look great. Admittedly, these are not the type of tires we ought to use, but to be honest; I don't really care. Again, the negative caster results in quirky steering. The tires are a bit too big, so they hit the chassis when you compress the suspension. While this has absolutely nothing to do with an arctic vehicle, I really love this picture. SUMMARY We're almost at the end of my review, so what do I think of this set. Let's start with getting the Elephant out of the room; this set lacks proper driving and steering. Does that make it a bad set?! Definitely not! It's a great set, but it lacks some playability when it comes to moving the vehicle. The crane and tipper bed do work properly, so there's still some playability left. Does this set look cool? Definitely! I think it's one of the coolest (no pun intended) and most original models of recent years. The orange and black color scheme works great and the stickers are well designed. The B-model is of very high quality and some might even prefer it over the A-model. And if you are not interested in either of these models, this set provides you with a variety of great parts! All in all I think this is a great set! Maybe not to play with, but it scores high on all other criteria. PROS Original model Great color scheme Lots of interesting parts Great B-model CONS Steering and driving don't work too well Repetitive build of undercarriages (minor con) SCORE Below are my scores based on different categories. 8 DESIGN Original and good looking model. 7 BUILDING EXPERIENCE Fun to build, albeit a bit repetitive. 8 FEATURES Packs quite a few features. 7 PLAYABILITY Some features work, some don't. 9 PARTS Comes with interesting parts. 9 VALUE FOR MONEY Two great model in a single set. 8 COOL! As a bonus, here's picture of the main model with Tumbler Tires. Why? Because we can!
