It might be because I've never actually been to the snow, but themes and locations based around snow, ice and the like always do intrigue me. I even tend to let Ice themed platformer levels slide just due to the theme, even if it means subjecting myself to Ice physics leading to awkward platforming challenges... Moving on, while the Lego City theme, one of the few original themes Lego does still prioritize to some degree, has a lot of sub-themes to it, a lot of it can be connected to either Firefighting, Police, or some form of rescue operations. There are some like trains that tend to remain in circulation for a long time, but rarely does the line branch out from the norm, most of it tends to be in "Lego City". However, every now and then, you get something new, such as a new sub-line themed around Arctic Exploration, and where we go to today because I rarely get interested in City themes, starting off with one of the smaller sets of the wave, the Arctic Exploration Team.
Starting with the Minifigs, and unlike many other themes, City Minifigures don't often have designated names. We have a snowmobile driver who I shall from here on out refer to as Bob, a photographer who shall be known as Dave, and a more general explorer who shall be known as Sarah... also it comes with a little Husky. The prints on Bob, Dave and Sarah are all fine, nothing extravagant, and all fitting with the theme, but it's all generic like it could belong to any minifigure. Granted that's probably the point of City, but I personally would have prefered to see some more unique attributes, make these three feel like characters with more to them then smiling faces. I have no complaints though with the Husky, I want to see more Lego sets with dogs in them because this dog mould is adorable. The only complaint I have with it is that I wish there was a way for it to go on the snowmobile, but for how cheap this set is, I can live without it.
There are two builds that come in the set, a small snowmobile with attachable cart, and a little clump of ice with a 1x1 cannister inside, with an original print of a dragonfly on it to make it look like it was frozen in ice. The builds themselves are ok. The chunk of ice needs no explanation, but for the snowmobile, it relies on imagination more than anything (not saying that's a bad thing, this is aimed at younger kids after all. I'm not a fan of how the cart's built, as I feel like the skis should be lower down and as for the Snowmobile itself, it has the shape locked down, but this is a case where I wish it was a little bit more complex, seeing as the rear treads here are represented by two 1x3 technic beams.
It does its job fine, but at any other price range, I'd be disappointed. For around $15, it'll do. If nothing else this set's a cheap way to get more of the Huskies. It's hard for me to get mad at it because it's so cheap. I know some might call out the irony of that thanks to the Outrider Dropship, but the biggest problem with that one is that they turned what was a gigantic ship into something small with clear design flaws. Here, it's a snowmobile and a clump of ice. It's a small thing, to begin with. I'd still have rathered an original piece for the treads, and somewhere for the dog to go, but I can live without those. If nothing else, it's an easy way to get more of the Huskies. I'll see you on Wednesday for the conclusion of the Sailor Moon Marathon, and up next here, a Lego set a bit more complicated then this... just a bit...
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