Ferrari 126C4/M2 Monza version

The Ferrari 126C series is one of my favorites, and this is the last one. Ferrari were the only manufacturer to use the reverse arrangement with the exhaust system in the centre of the engine V

With the start of the Turbo era at Ferrari in 1980 the cars were named “126C”. The Ferrari 126C2 and C3 won the Formula 1 Constructors Championship in ’82 and ‘83 and the 126C2 would have easily won the drivers championship as well if Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi hadn’t had their horrible accidents in ’82, killing Villeneuve and ending the Formula 1 career of Pironi. The 126C4 was the last of the 126 series and it was modified 2 times through out the ’84 season. The season started with a design close to the BT52 that had won the driver championship the year before, mid season the sidepod design was changed increasing their length and for the last 3 races the design of the sidepods was changed again to match the design of the dominating McLaren MP4/2. The car now featured the so called “coke bottle shape” at the rear end. The 126C4 was the last of the turbo Ferraris to have the unique engine layout with the exhaust system including the turbos located in the centre of the engine V.

The Model Factory Hiro kit is a full detail all metal version and most parts are packed in a plastic box so that they are not damaged during transport. MFH recently increased the price significantly but after inspecting the content of the kit I think the kit is definitely worth the money. The M2 is the last of the ’84 versions that has been released by MFH and so many parts are carried over from the early versions. The M2 was only raced in the last 3 races of the season in Italy (Monza), European GP (Nürburgring) and Portugal (Estoril). With the kit you can build the Monza version. (For the races in Portugal and at the Nürburgring the front wing was changed from the delta shape to a square version similar to the one used the following year on the 156/85)

The kit is as already mentioned 100% made of metal. It contains a monocoque, undertray, engine and nose cover forming the main part of the car. All engine and engine details, water radiators including tubing, wing elements for front and rear wing and suspension parts are of white metal. Furthermore 2 sheets of photo etched parts, the one with the smaller parts with foil backing so that you don’t need to cut the parts off, the other containing besides other parts the wing end plates. The wheel rims and brake disks are machined as are the rear damper bodies and the wheel centres are die-cast again. Finally seat belt fabric, leather to cover the seat, a vacuum formed windshield, a set of Ferrari emblems and several small screws are provided. The rubber tyres are of good quality without any outside injection marking. The decal set contains all necessary markings but no Marlboros.

The full article can be found here