Random set of the day: Polar Base
Posted by Huwbot,Today's random set is 6575 Polar Base, released in 2000. It's one of 45 Town sets produced that year. It contains 441 pieces and 6 minifigs, and its retail price was US$60.
It's owned by 1193 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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25 comments on this article
This is the most awesomely 2000 thing I have seen in a long time. And I watched the first X-Men movie yesterday.
I find it interesting that Arctic is counted as a Town subtheme. Nothing about it screams Town to me. Arctic feels more like a specialty theme that when rebooted in 2014 and 2018 was just shoved into City because reasons.
I never knew this existed! Thanks, Huwbot.
That guy in the tracked thing has some cool shades, watching that eyeless bear rushing at him.
Apparently, this was the only LEGO Arctic set I owned. Well, if it's gotta be just one set it'd better be the biggest! It's now on display in my LEGO display case for my older sets. I put the polar bear on the stretcher in mine, because why not.
One of the most interesting aspects of this set was how the sections of building were modular so you could rearrange them however you liked, including putting them all on the same row instead of the back-to-back pairs shown on the cover art.
I want that dome.
Yaaay Polar Base! As soon as I discovered this existed I went to Bricklink & got the 1st complete one they had. I still use it in conjunction with the more recent Arctic sets
This is a really cool set, and I like the variety of vehicles included. I also like how the small helicopter actually has an enclosed cockpit, unlike more recent ones.
I loved this very first subtheme of Arctic sets, just because Lego went nuts with orange pieces, at the time, and it was very cool.
I love this set! I feel lucky to have it, and I loved the whole Arctic line from 2000... and from 2014!
I was thrilled when I got this for a christmas present. Each of the little modules had so much character
I got this as a kid! One of the last sets I received as a youngun
Awesome. No wonder the recent arctic sets were also good. It's a good pedigree.
Yeesh - Juniors before it existed offically....
Loved this set as a kid! Everything was actually enclosed, as opposed to the wide open 90’s space bases. The whole thing just looks so chunky and rugged, like it was really built to withstand the harsh polar environment. Had a really nice sense of place to it.
Arctic was great. Although I do remember a pic of the prototypes in the Lego Club Magazine. It was a lot less juniorised with a red colour scheme, and penguins. Does anyone know where I could find that pic?
I had some of this range. Although officially year 2000 sets I bought one on December 31st 1999 from Toys R Us. Oh the excitement of seeing ©2000 on a box!!
Honestly my favourite town subtheme. I never had more than one of the small sets (6579 Ice Surfer) but even for the simplistic designs they were just really appealing to me. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing Lego tackling a subject matter that they hadn't done before... that, and I REALLY loved those fur-lined hood pieces, they were great!
Agree with MCLegoboy, though; I was so surprised to find Arctic counted as a Town subtheme when I first joined Brickset. I always thought it was just its own little theme.
@chrisaw - Don't know if it's the same picture you were thinking of, but these ones were in a behind-the-scenes article in the UK Lego Adventures magazine at the time: https://cdnw.nickpic.host/rdD8Ej.png Apologies for the small size; they were pretty tiny even in context.
Never knew anything about this theme. Was deep in my Dark Ages at the time.
It does look quite a bit like Juniors/4+ to me.
I remember this from the DK Eyewitness Readers--I think I had one themed for Arctic and another I can't recall in terms of LEGO. Never did get any of the sets. I do plan to possibly get this one, however.
@BionicleJedi
So, Lego either took 13 years of the design process for this theme, or it was repeatedly rejected until 2000? Even though unclear, it's very cool (no pun intended) LEGO provided those pictures!
@BioncleJedi
That’s the ones, thanks!
@chrisaw I have's and these pictures in slighty better quality in my Flickr gallery, along with other Town prototypes from 1980's and 90's.
Here is the 90's version of Arctic:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/94191375 @N07/27324895537/in/photostream/
In my opinion this set is very good, compared to other 2000 Town sets.
This looks great, imagine a non UCS SW base with this detail....
The town subtheme is not official.
This series was inspired by THE THING according to old Lego Book I own. I loved how simple yet very effective aliens translucent creatures can be :D