Which parent theme does Arctic belong to?

Town. City has a separate Arctic sub-theme with newer sets.

How many pieces does the largest Arctic set have?

Polar Base (6575-1) has 442 pieces.

Is it realistic to collect the complete line?

With 11 sets, most of them small, a full collection is within reach. The parts lists help you check each set for completeness.

Arctic

Sets: 11
Since: 1998
Newest set: 2000

Arctic sent Town’s minifigures to the polar ice. It is a compact sub-theme of 11 sets, released between 1998 and 2000.

Sets per decade

11 sets

2000s

1990s

About Arctic

A short-lived expedition

Almost the whole line arrived in 2000, with Snowmobile (6570-1, 44 pieces) and Sledge (6576-1, 24 pieces) as the earlier 1998 releases. The models revolve around exploring a frozen landscape: vehicles built for snow and ice, small scouting craft and a research station as the centrepiece. Because the range is so small, it is one of the more manageable Town sub-themes to collect in full, and a tidy snapshot of Town at the turn of the millennium.

What to look for

Polar Base (6575-1) is the flagship at 442 pieces. Mobile Outpost (6520-1) follows with 219 and Arctic Expedition (6573-1) with 121, while Polar Scout (6586-1), Ice Surfer (6579-1) and Polar Explorer (6578-1) are small starter-size sets. Combining the base with the smaller vehicles gives you a complete polar scene on a modest footprint. Each has a parts list on Bricoria, which is useful when reassembling sets from a mixed second-hand lot. Note that City later introduced its own Arctic sub-theme; those newer sets are listed separately.

FAQ

Which parent theme does Arctic belong to?: Town. City has a separate Arctic sub-theme with newer sets.
How many pieces does the largest Arctic set have?: Polar Base (6575-1) has 442 pieces.
Is it realistic to collect the complete line?: With 11 sets, most of them small, a full collection is within reach. The parts lists help you check each set for completeness.