diff --git a/common.docker b/common.docker
index 9e5c36e..19919e3 100644
--- a/common.docker
+++ b/common.docker
@@ -17,16 +17,15 @@ RUN \
   fi; \
   rm /dockcross/install-openssl.sh /dockcross/install-cmake.sh
 
-RUN git clone "https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja.git" && \
-   cd ninja && \
-   git checkout v1.7.1 && \
-   ([ -e /opt/python/cp35-cp35m/bin/python ] && /opt/python/cp35-cp35m/bin/python ./configure.py --bootstrap) || python ./configure.py --bootstrap && \
-   ./ninja && \
-   cp ./ninja /usr/bin/ && \
-   cd .. && rm -rf ninja
 COPY imagefiles/cmake.sh /usr/local/bin/cmake
 COPY imagefiles/ccmake.sh /usr/local/bin/ccmake
 
+COPY imagefiles/install-ninja.sh /dockcross/
+RUN \
+  /dockcross/install-ninja.sh \
+    -python $([ -e /opt/python/cp35-cp35m/bin/python ] && echo "/opt/python/cp35-cp35m/bin/python" || echo "python") && \
+  rm /dockcross/install-ninja.sh
+
 RUN echo "root:root" | chpasswd
 WORKDIR /work
 ENTRYPOINT ["/dockcross/entrypoint.sh"]
diff --git a/imagefiles/install-ninja.sh b/imagefiles/install-ninja.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..41d2d7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/imagefiles/install-ninja.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+#
+# Configure, build and install ninja
+#
+# Usage:
+#
+#  install-ninja.sh [-python /path/to/bin/python]
+
+set -e
+set -o pipefail
+
+PYTHON=python
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+  case "$1" in
+    -python)
+      PYTHON=$2
+      shift
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "Usage: Usage: ${0##*/} [-python /path/to/bin/python]"
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+  shift
+done
+
+# Download
+REV=v1.7.1
+wget https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/archive/$REV.tar.gz -O ninja.tar.gz
+mkdir ninja
+tar -xzvf ./ninja.tar.gz --strip-components=1 -C ./ninja
+
+# Configure, build and install
+pushd ./ninja
+echo "Configuring ninja using [$PYTHON]"
+$PYTHON ./configure.py --bootstrap && ./ninja
+cp ./ninja /usr/bin/
+popd
+
+# Clean
+rm -rf ./ninja*
+