Bela 10997 Arctic Mobile Exploration Base Review: Six Vehicles, Six Explorers and a Woolly Mammoth

Bela 10997’s appeal is the breadth of its Arctic convoy: a crane truck, mobile lab, saw vehicle, trailer sled, snow bike, six explorer minifigures and a moulded woolly mammoth. The 804-piece set recreates LEGO City 60195, released in 2018. My review build, bought on AliExpress in 2021 for under $40, had been stored away for nearly five years before I finally assembled it.

The set was retired by LEGO in late 2019 or early 2020, according to the source review, which describes the original as increasingly hard to find. The reviewer recalls its 2018 retail price at about $120 USD. Those figures give context to the clone’s price, but the build itself has plenty to assess: the parts, instructions, figures and how well the vehicles work together.

What arrives

Bela, sometimes known as Lari, has a long history in the clone building set market. The review notes that Bela-branded sets no longer appear on AliExpress, though it’s uncertain whether the company stopped operating or simply stopped using that name.

The set arrived without a retail box, packed in a large cellophane bag. Its numbered bags run from one through nine, with six more bags numbered 10 through 15 tucked inside bag nine. The numbering doesn’t match steps in the manual, so builders still need to empty and sort the parts before starting. The single instruction booklet is 47 pages and appears condensed compared with the LEGO instructions, though the reviewer didn’t have those instructions to check directly.

The manual’s front cover says “Cities” and has no Bela logo; the set number appears on the back, alongside a small catalogue of other sets Bela cloned in that production run. A sticker sheet is included and was in surprisingly good condition. Its set number reads 10997, rather than 60195. The reviewer left the stickers unused.

The figures are a strong part of the package. There are six minifigures: an expedition leader, a driver and four distinct Arctic explorers. The reviewer found the figures and their accessories convincing as clones. The moulded mammoth looks fine from the front, though a noticeable gap between its head and body shows from the side. The review suggests that gap may come from the design Bela copied.

Convoy builds and play features

Assembly begins with a snow bike styled like a motocross machine, but fitted with a rear track and a single front ski. The ice cave is built to hold the mammoth. To place the figure inside, builders must remove four ice panels; hinged panels that swing aside would have made access easier during play.

The mobile saw vehicle brings an adjustable boom arm, a rotating circular blade, a rear tow hitch and an opening canopy for the driver. The reviewer liked the oversized balloon tires, though their scale makes the vehicle body appear small. A larger body and taller canopy might give it a more convincing heavy-duty look. With the boom retracted, the rear view shows the vehicle’s compact proportions clearly.

A simple flatbed trailer sled attaches to vehicles with a tow ball joint. Its intended cargo includes the snow bike or specimen crate. The reviewer couldn’t see a practical way to carry the ice cave and mammoth on it.

The mobile lab takes a different approach to Arctic travel: an orange and dark blue cabin sits on a dark blue ski-skid base and connects to a towing vehicle with a front ball-joint coupler. A rooftop radar dish rotates 360 degrees. The side panel and roof canopy open to reveal the cabin, where compact equipment includes a computer terminal desk, monitor and diagnostic scanner panels. There’s also a single bunk and a wall-mounted coffee maker. These details give the small interior character, though the reviewer felt the lab needed more space.

The heavy crane truck is the convoy’s largest work vehicle, riding on six chunky rubber tires. The reviewer was pleased with the soft, grippy feel of the tires. Its crane base rotates 360 degrees, while the expandable boom has a working winch. Despite its broad exterior, the cabin feels cramped; the reviewer expected room for two minifigures side by side. The set’s vehicle scale strikes them as small overall.

Build quality and verdict

Across the set, the reviewer found the brick clutch tight. That makes the finished models feel sturdy, but could make separating pieces more difficult. Scratches were minimal, and the rubber tires earned a particular positive mention. The review rates brick quality 4.0 out of 5, design and playability 4 out of 5, value for money 5 out of 5, and the set 4.5 out of 5.

Those ratings reflect a set with plenty to build and display, alongside clear compromises in scale, interior space and access to the mammoth cave. The connected convoy, varied vehicles and six figures give the 804-piece build a satisfying range. Bela 10997 is still listed on AliExpress, according to the review, which reports a lowest price of about $47 USD at the time of writing and says coupons or promotional discounts could reduce the cost. Anyone considering a copy should weigh that price against the loose-bag packaging and the time needed to sort parts before building.