Review: LEGO 60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab

July 26, 2023 | 0

August will see North America finally getting their hands on the LEGO City Summer 2023 sets, which means they’ll be able to enjoy the new LEGO City 2023 Arctic sets.

After reviewing 60368 Arctic Explorer Ship and 60376 Arctic Explorer Snowmobile, I have 60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab next on my list – mostly because of the adorable Polar Bear family included with it.

Let’s take a quick look at 60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab which is available now in the UK, EU and Australia, and will be available in the US from 1 August onwards. In Australia, the set is an Amazon exclusive.

Who is this set for? LEGO fans wanting a family of Polar Bears, and a fun but expensive science-y themed City Arctic set

Special thanks to LEGO for sending these sets over for this review.

60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab Set Details

Set number: 60378
Set name: Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab
Pieces: 489
Retail Price: US$74.99 / AU$104.99 / £62.99 / €69,99
Theme: City
Release Date: 1 June 2023 (EU, AU, UK) / 1 August 2023 (US & Canada)

60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab Minifigures and Animals

The set comes with four minifigures, who should be very familiar faces as these “characters” show up across the 2023 LEGO City Arctic sets.

From left to right, we have the dashing Captain from the Arctic Explorer Ship, complete with his impressive beard and moustache. He’s in charge of driving the Tracked Vehicle in this instance.

We also have the female photographer from the Arctic Snowmobile set, here to snap some photos of the Polar Bear family, and the two Scientists to round out the very gender-balanced crew.

Here’s a look at their back prints and alternate faces and I do like that LEGO has given each of these minifigures their own unique designs, instead of wholesale recycling designs for the entire theme.

Like most of the other Arctic sets, the true stars of 60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab are the animals included. In the set, we see the return of the LEGO Polar Bear, but mumma has been busy as she has two adorable polar bear cubs in tow!

The small section of ice is the perfect spot to observe and study the Polar Bear family, as they gorge on fish, and at the back is a mysterious meteorite that is an object of interest for the Arctic expedition.

Here’s a look at the insides, which feature lovely trans-blue crystallisation as well as a trans-green rock crystal hidden inside.

The new Polar Bear Cubs are incredibly cute and I like that two are included, which is the common size of a litter of cubs.

Between these and the baby seals introduced in 60376 Arctic Explorer Snowmobile, it’s been a bumper year for collectors of LEGO animals, especially if you’re into cute baby varieties!

60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab Builds

On to the builds, the set depicts a Mobile Laboratory on skis that’s pulled by a tracked vehicle. It features the signature LEGO City Arctic colour scheme, which is enhanced by pops of medium azure and dark blue, which complement the vibrant orange really well.

Here’s a look at the tracked vehicle which is quite excellent, with plenty of functions such as a snowplow to trudge through the harsh Arctic environments.

There’s also a crane attached to the back which you can use to lift the meteorite from its landing spot.

It’s a pretty snazzy vehicle, and I always enjoy it when we get tracked vehicles in City sets, and there are some nice design flourishes such as these curves and lines on the cab.

To facilitate access to some of the most extreme corners of the Arctic, the expedition has employed a Mobile Laboratory, raised up and mounted on skis. It boasts a very compact design, but there are some really cool features such as the window design, as well as a wind turbine and solar panels to generate electricity.

The Mobile Lab hooks on pretty easily to the Crawler vehicle, and I especially like the functional bridge that connects both of them – it creates a realistic path that the minifigures can use to travel between the vehicle and the lab.

The top of the mobile lab pops open quite easily – there are 2 white ice cream splats on them, which are used to represent ice, which I like.

The interior of the mobile lab is quite cramped, but the designer has made great use of the space inside, and it even includes two beds for the crew! I guess they take turns and rotate sleeping in shifts while out on the ice.

Global fossil fuel conglomerate Octan is here, but with their renewable energy division with some Octan-branded battery cells that are charged by wind and solar.

There’s also a small section here with a laptop featuring a photo (or video feed) of a Polar Bear waving hello, as well as an area to place the green rock crystal for further analysis.

What I liked:

• LEGO Polar Bear family is super cute
• Lots of play potential and playability
• Each minifigure has a unique design

What I didn’t like: 

• Expensive at full price
• Could use another smaller build to beef up the piece count

Final Thoughts

LEGO fans will primarily be drawn into this set for the Polar Bear family, especially the new Polar Bear cubs which are simply adorable and great additions to the LEGO animal menagerie.

Thankfully the rest of the set also delivers a great play and educational experience. The tracked vehicle is a lot of fun to push along, and has plenty of fun attachments like the snowplow and crane to give it plenty of interactivity and will be something that younger builders will especially enjoy.

The mobile laboratory is also a fun little addition, giving a “base” for the Arctic Explorers to operate out from, as well as function as a storage module for the smaller elements and minifigure when you’re done with play. The design is also fresh and contemporary, and its ability to be pulled by the Tracked Vehicle is also another extra bonus.

There’s just so much to do with the set that it’s a really well-designed play set, from animals to vehicles to a little base for science experiments, and this is one set that manages to nail all the highlights of the LEGO City Arctic theme – vehicles, wildlife and science.

Unfortunately, it’s on the pricier side of LEGO City sets, possibly because of the animal moulds, and large-ish elements used in the set. At US$75, it’s definitely creeping close to the US$99 psychological barrier, and I do think that it would’ve been great if LEGO had included another small build, like an autonomous drone or remote controlled robot to at least pad up the value.

That said, as it’s a LEGO City set, it should reliably be discounted if you have the patience to wait for a sale, which then makes this a bit of an easier recommendation, especially for fans who want to add another adult polar bear and her two cubs to their collection.

60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab is very good City Arctic set, and perhaps the most accessible at its pricepoint for most fans, and it delivers the complete City Arctic experience, so definitely get this set on your radar!

Build [3] – The build is approachable and should be easy for younger builds to get engrossed with
Real Value [2] – Despite including one polar bear and two cubs, the set’s high price tag and low piece count are one of the major downsides
Innovation [4] – Combines the best of LEGO City Arctic, and still manages to keep it fresh with contemporary vehicle designs
Coolness [4] – I really love the razor sharp focus on science and wildlife with the set, and how much fun it is to play with
Keepability [3] – The animals are definitely keepers, and but younger builders might get bored of the vehicle and lab after a while

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Thanks so much for reading my review of 60378 Arctic Explorer Truck and Mobile Lab. This set is available now in Australia, the UK and EU, and will be released on 1 August for North America.

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