Super Tomcat Resurrection - The Way it Was Meant to Be

[Spino]

This particular model has actually already been built, for over a decade in fact.  However it was originally built when I was a young whippersnapper (to most of you folks I'm sure I still am one  ) who didn't have much patience or skill.  As such, its canopy was destroyed with paint and much of the rest of it was rather unsatisfactory too. My attempts to improve it usually just made things worse, but that was then and this is now.  I've thrown away models before that just didn't turn out well, but this one is special enough that I can't bear to do that.  Not only is it a model of my all-time favorite airplane (the F-14 Tomcat), it's also the first model airplane I ever had.  Fortunately in spite of all the mistakes I made with it in the past, I think it's more than salvageable so I'm in the process of giving it a facelift.  My original intention was to restore it to a presentable condition while remaining an OOB build, using spare parts from the F-14D kit that is my Super Tomcat 21 build, in which case it wouldn't really have been a what-if and I wouldn't have posted about it here.  However, that's where thing started to go a little bit haywire...

The kit is a Revell F-14D Super Tomcat (1:48 scale as is nearly everything that I do), and as you might expect it had some parts fitment issues right out of the box.  But my limited skill when I originally built it meant that I had no idea how to correct those issues and I compounded the problem by ruining the engine nozzle assembly (couldn't seem to get the petals all symmetric, yes it was that bad  ).  It was originally built with basically no paint except on the engine nozzles and a couple of other areas, but now that has all been covered over with a good coat of grey.  Unfortunately those nozzles were beyond salvaging, so I removed them outright.  Somewhere along the way both of the vertical tails were broken off and I still can't find one of them, so I'm probably going to have to 3D-print a replacement.

Since I don't have any more F110 nozzles and I'm not interested in buying any, I decided to give this plane the engines that the Tomcat should have had all along - a pair of F401s.  To this end I borrowed the nozzle from the 3D model I have of the Convair 201 and 3D-printed a few of them (two for the Tomcat and a couple extra for other projects).  So this will be a "what if the Navy got F-14s with the engines they really needed all along" build.  I'm planning to completely redo the weapons load (long ago it was the OOB kit, 2x Sidewinder, 2x Sparrow and 4x AIM-54).  Now it'll have a LANTIRN pod, two Sidewinders, and two AMRAAMs in addition to some hefty air-to-ground stores.  Also I have a new canopy for it, something this poor thing badly needed.  Anyway, here's the photos of where I'm at with it currently:

Here you can see the new F401 nozzles dry-fitted (yes they are in the fully closed position).

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The left wing pylon never sat quite in the right position so I re-mounted it several times over the years, to the point that now it needs contour putty!  And you can also clearly see the damage to the Phoenix pallets - got a little clumsy with a Dremel at some point  .  That's also the reason for the putty on the intake. 

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Here's the weapons kit I plan on using.  LANTIRN and two AIM-9Ms, in addition to a pair of AIM-120A/B AMRAAMs on a twin rail launcher (that was actually tested on the Tomcat by the way).  The AGM-84Es may or may not stay, depending on how much of the front left Phoenix pallet is beyond repair (the SLAM fins cover the damage up quite nicely  )

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Last photo compares it to my Super Tomcat 21, which is still awaiting some new 3D-printed wing glove extensions.

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[Spino]

Well this one's going to take a bit more work than I thought, I discovered a spot on the nose that had a rather large paint run that needed to be sanded out, and I also am having to fill in the spots where the landing gear doors should have been (they were never fitted and I have no clue where they are now).  Slowly coming along though.

[Captain Canada]

Tomcats are the best. Looking forward to seeing more of this one.

[Spino]

Tomcats are the best.

Of course they are