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Recently I was entrusted by a close friend of mine to build, in 1/12 scale, a replica of this famous bike. Before I continue I want to state that although I have to date updated bike kits, plus one rally car as WIP, my hands are itching to go back to my pet love, Formula 1 cars. However as fate would have it my next build before the Expo shall be another bike, but more of this later.
In 1966 Honda produced a 250cc race bike for the Isle of Mann TT titled the Honda RC166. 250cc isn't the type of engine capacity that gets many riders excited but when you start listing some of the RC166's specs such as its six cylinder engine, 6 independent carbs, 64hp and 7 speed gearbox that is capable of 18,000 RPM, things get a little more interesting. And then of course you hear it running and all of a sudden you're hooked (in fact my friend had experienced this live during one Isle of Man TT). The RC166 took won an amazing 10 out of 10 1966 World Championship series races along with the Manufacturers' & Riders' Championships in its class two years running while piloted by Isle of Man TT winner, Mike Hailwood. A dry weight of 112kg and a top speed of over 240kmh made it a lethal track weapon and it's outstanding results would have left other manufacturers scratching their heads. Not only did the Honda RC166 deliver the goods in performance but it also looked fantastic. It's best feature being the 6 exhaust pipes fanning out 3 a side at the rear of the bike, screaming on down the track.
The kit was Tamiya, and I had the luxury of having all of the exiting detail sets, including chain, spoke wheels, clutch kit and front fork assembly as well as the body rivets. I tried to fit as much details as possible, and also scratch built the
cowl stand. Various bolts were used all over the engine. Engine assembly was also a replica of this famous air cooled unit, with a layer over layer of fins. The chain was a delight to assemble, thanks to Tamiya's jig, with the spoke wheels providing the sternest of challenges. Paint was the colour matched set by Zero Paints. Alcals polished alu was used on the engine (through thoroughly washed) and the wheel hubs. The only downside were the original decals which started to break even when in water, with a spare set procured. This however meant that the fuel tank stripes were spray painted, and yes I managed to also scratch and fit the minute fuel cap hinges.
I am hereunder first reproducing some shots of the engine as when fitted these tend to be hidden. So let's replicate words with photos and hope you enjoy, as I did with this build:
In 1966 Honda produced a 250cc race bike for the Isle of Mann TT titled the Honda RC166. 250cc isn't the type of engine capacity that gets many riders excited but when you start listing some of the RC166's specs such as its six cylinder engine, 6 independent carbs, 64hp and 7 speed gearbox that is capable of 18,000 RPM, things get a little more interesting. And then of course you hear it running and all of a sudden you're hooked (in fact my friend had experienced this live during one Isle of Man TT). The RC166 took won an amazing 10 out of 10 1966 World Championship series races along with the Manufacturers' & Riders' Championships in its class two years running while piloted by Isle of Man TT winner, Mike Hailwood. A dry weight of 112kg and a top speed of over 240kmh made it a lethal track weapon and it's outstanding results would have left other manufacturers scratching their heads. Not only did the Honda RC166 deliver the goods in performance but it also looked fantastic. It's best feature being the 6 exhaust pipes fanning out 3 a side at the rear of the bike, screaming on down the track.
The kit was Tamiya, and I had the luxury of having all of the exiting detail sets, including chain, spoke wheels, clutch kit and front fork assembly as well as the body rivets. I tried to fit as much details as possible, and also scratch built the
cowl stand. Various bolts were used all over the engine. Engine assembly was also a replica of this famous air cooled unit, with a layer over layer of fins. The chain was a delight to assemble, thanks to Tamiya's jig, with the spoke wheels providing the sternest of challenges. Paint was the colour matched set by Zero Paints. Alcals polished alu was used on the engine (through thoroughly washed) and the wheel hubs. The only downside were the original decals which started to break even when in water, with a spare set procured. This however meant that the fuel tank stripes were spray painted, and yes I managed to also scratch and fit the minute fuel cap hinges.
I am hereunder first reproducing some shots of the engine as when fitted these tend to be hidden. So let's replicate words with photos and hope you enjoy, as I did with this build:
