diff --git a/docker/windows/container.ps1 b/docker/windows/container.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fac0087f99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/windows/container.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# Copied from mesa, big kudos
+# 
+# https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/blob/master/.gitlab-ci/windows/mesa_container.ps1
+# https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/blob/34e3e164936d1d3cef267da7780e87f062fedf39/.gitlab-ci/windows/mesa_container.ps1
+
+# Implements the equivalent of ci-templates container-ifnot-exists, using
+# Docker directly as we don't have buildah/podman/skopeo available under
+# Windows, nor can we execute Docker-in-Docker
+$registry_uri = $args[0]
+$registry_username = $args[1]
+$registry_password = $args[2]
+$registry_user_image = $args[3]
+$registry_central_image = $args[4]
+$dockerfile = $args[5]
+
+Set-Location -Path ".\docker\windows"
+
+docker --config "windows-docker.conf" login -u "$registry_username" -p "$registry_password" "$registry_uri"
+if (!$?) {
+  Write-Host "docker login failed to $registry_uri"
+  Exit 1
+}
+
+# if the image already exists, don't rebuild it
+docker --config "windows-docker.conf" pull "$registry_user_image"
+if ($?) {
+  Write-Host "User image $registry_user_image already exists; not rebuilding"
+  docker --config "windows-docker.conf" logout "$registry_uri"
+  Exit 0
+}
+
+# if the image already exists upstream, copy it
+docker --config "windows-docker.conf" pull "$registry_central_image"
+if ($?) {
+  Write-Host "Copying central image $registry_central_image to user image $registry_user_image"
+  docker --config "windows-docker.conf" tag "$registry_central_image" "$registry_user_image"
+  docker --config "windows-docker.conf" push "$registry_user_image"
+  $pushstatus = $?
+  docker --config "windows-docker.conf" logout "$registry_uri"
+  if (!$pushstatus) {
+    Write-Host "Pushing image to $registry_user_image failed"
+    Exit 1
+  }
+  Exit 0
+}
+
+Write-Host "No image found at $registry_user_image or $registry_central_image; rebuilding"
+docker --config "windows-docker.conf" build --no-cache -t "$registry_user_image" -f "$dockerfile" .
+if (!$?) {
+  Write-Host "Container build failed"
+  docker --config "windows-docker.conf" logout "$registry_uri"
+  Exit 1
+}
+Get-Date
+
+docker --config "windows-docker.conf" push "$registry_user_image"
+$pushstatus = $?
+docker --config "windows-docker.conf" logout "$registry_uri"
+if (!$pushstatus) {
+  Write-Host "Pushing image to $registry_user_image failed"
+  Exit 1
+}
diff --git a/gitlab/ci_template.yml b/gitlab/ci_template.yml
index bfc9044c3d..25765d02c4 100644
--- a/gitlab/ci_template.yml
+++ b/gitlab/ci_template.yml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ variables:
   MANIFEST_TAG: '2020-10-22.0'
   TEST_MANIFEST_TAG: '2020-10-22.0'
   INDENT_TAG: '2020-10-22.0'
+  WINDOWS_TAG: "2021-02-24.0"
 
   GST_UPSTREAM_REPO: 'gstreamer/gst-ci'
 
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ variables:
   MANIFEST_AMD64_SUFFIX: 'amd64/build-manifest'
   TEST_MANIFEST_AMD64_SUFFIX: 'amd64/test-manifest'
   INDENT_AMD64_SUFFIX: 'amd64/gst-indent'
+  WINDOWS_AMD64_SUFFIX: 'amd64/windows'
 
   FEDORA_IMAGE:   "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE/$FEDORA_AMD64_SUFFIX:$FEDORA_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
   FEDORA_DOCS_IMAGE: "registry.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gst-ci/amd64/fedora:2020-07-03.0-master"
@@ -44,11 +46,14 @@ variables:
   MANIFEST_IMAGE: "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE/$MANIFEST_AMD64_SUFFIX:$MANIFEST_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
   TEST_MANIFEST_IMAGE: "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE/$TEST_MANIFEST_AMD64_SUFFIX:$TEST_MANIFEST_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
   INDENT_IMAGE:   "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE/$INDENT_AMD64_SUFFIX:$INDENT_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
-
-  WINDOWS_IMAGE: 'registry.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gst-ci/amd64/windows:v13-master'
+  WINDOWS_IMAGE: "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE/$WINDOWS_AMD64_SUFFIX:$WINDOWS_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
+  WINDOWS_UPSTREAM_IMAGE: "$CI_REGISTRY/$GST_UPSTREAM_REPO/$WINDOWS_AMD64_SUFFIX:$WINDOWS_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
 
   # Can't use $CI_* variables since we use this template in all repos, not just gst-ci
   CERBERO_SCRIPT_URL: "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gst-ci/raw/${GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH}/gitlab/cerbero_setup.sh"
+  # FIXME: fix the file path url to point to the upstram once merged
+  # WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_URL: "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gst-ci/raw/${GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH}/docker/windows/container.ps1"
+  WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_URL: "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/alatiera/gst-ci/raw/alatiera/windows-build-redux/docker/windows/container.ps1"
 
   GIT_STRATEGY: none
   MESON_BUILDTYPE_ARGS: --default-library=both
@@ -327,6 +332,36 @@ gst-indent amd64 docker:
     DOCKERFILE: "docker/indent/Dockerfile"
   extends: .base
 
+windows amd64 docker:
+  stage: "build docker"
+  variables:
+    GIT_STRATEGY: fetch
+    REPO_SUFFIX: "$WINDOWS_AMD64_SUFFIX"
+    TAG: "$WINDOWS_TAG-$GST_UPSTREAM_BRANCH"
+
+    # Unlike the buildah/linux jobs, this file
+    # needs to be relative to docker/windows/ subdir
+    # as it makes life easier in the powershell script
+    #
+    # We also don't need a CONTEXT_DIR var as its also
+    # hardcoded to be docker/windows/
+    DOCKERFILE: "Dockerfile"
+  tags:
+    - windows
+    - shell
+    - "1809"
+  script:
+    - $env:WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_PATH = "$env:CI_PROJECT_DIR\container.ps1"
+    - echo "Fetching $env:WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_URL"
+    - Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $env:WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_URL -OutFile $env:WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_PATH
+
+    - "& $env:WINDOWS_CONTAINER_SCRIPT_PATH $CI_REGISTRY $CI_REGISTRY_USER $CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD $WINDOWS_IMAGE $WINDOWS_UPSTREAM_IMAGE $DOCKERFILE"
+    - |
+      if (!($?)) {
+        echo "Failed to build the image"
+        Exit 1
+      }
+
 #
 # Job to create the manifest.xml to used for our builds
 #