Ferrari 126 CK | Monaco GP 1981 | Gilles Villeneuve 1st

Something very different as i take a break from the Tomcat. The subject is the beautiful Ferrari 126 CK, driven in the 1981 Formula 1 World Championship by drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi. This particular configuration was used during the Monaco GP 

Starting from P2, Villeneuve would eventually go on to win the Grand Prix after poleman Nelson Piquet crashed out and retired after a failed attempt at lapping Eddie Cheveere and Patrick Tambay. It would be Villeneuve's fifth win overall, his sole at Monaco, his penultimate win, and Ferrari's first win since the 1979 Eastern U.S. GP. 

The 126 CK would be Ferrari's first Turbocharged F1 car, and a massive improvement over the outdated 312 T5. The car's 1.5 litre, twin turbo V6 engine produced 575 hp, and gave it excellent acceleration and top speed, but also unpredictable handling in the corners. This combined with Villeneuve's very aggressive driving stile produced many iconic moments in Formula 1, until the canadian's tragic passing at the 1982 Belgian GP. 

I've chosen Tameo's kit of this car in the unusual scale of 1/64. It's a kit i've owned for a couple years. 

This is mostly a white metal kit, along with PE, some turned metal parts, vacuformed windshield, and rubber tires. 

Given the cost of the kit, the quality of the castings is not amazing, and neither is the build. Shown here are two suspension components which needed drilling through. Thankfully the metal used is soft so this is not hard at all. 

This is the completed engine, Euro coin for scale. 

Despite the tricky assembly, the final detail is excellent for this scale. Very much worth the effort. 

Cockpit tub and front suspension assembly completed. 

Front and rear wings completed. 

Car body and sideskirts completed. Tamiya LP-50 Bright Red was used above a coat of Mr Surfacer, the result is excellent. 

And here she is. 

The build was surprisingly fast, taking me about a week. 

As i've said before, building this kit was not easy, a lot of sanding, cutting, drilling and bending is needed, but the payoff is immense. 

I'll glue her to a 3D printed base fairly soon, and she will reside in my room.