This conversion came about one day while I was looking through the decal sets at the LHS and saw all the cool markings for F-14Ds. I didn't want to pay the 65-70 bucks for a Hasegawa F-14D and I wasn't interested in rescribing a R/M F-14D...so what were my options? I have several Academy F-14A "Bombcat" boxings in my stash, so after some careful research I decided to this was the kit to go with. The Bombcat boxing already had many of the upgrades neede, including the ECM bumps, GPS dome, BOL launchers, etc. I set out to do the conversion as inexpensively as I could...no fancy resin or PE. Just existing parts from the spares bin and a little scratch building. All of the updates done in this conversion can be performed by any skill level. A beginner should be able to accomplish all these updates with ease.

Having done a F-14B conversion from the same kit, I had an idea of what I was in for. Except I had a huge problem. When converting the B, the front cockpit is pretty much the same as the A. But the F-14D front cockpit is very different. First and foremost are the MFDs. The F-14D has them mounted next to each other as opposed to vertically like the F-14A and B. How on Earth was I going to scratch build that? Enter Revell with their recent F-14B release. For some reason, they included a F-14D panel in that kit. Some quick research and I found the part number I needed. I went online and ordered the part from Revell's website. Normally, they charge you shipping but they didn't charge me anything this time...Freebee! I then added a throttle quadrant from an old R/M F/A-18C that had long been scrapped. The F-14D also uses different seats than the other versions. The D used NACES seats. I was able to scrounge a couple of extras from a guy on one of the forums in the spare parts section.

The RIO's station on the F-14D is also very different than it's older brothers. Now there is a large screen at the top of the panel and a screen replaces dials on the right side. Also, the screen on the lower right side is replaced by various switches and buttons. I did make one mistake that wasn't realized until it was too late. All my research I found online seemed to indicate that the F-14D used a round main screen as opposed to the square PTID screen. Only the early F-14Ds had round screens...so learn from my folly and do your research! The kit version of the round screen just seemed a tad bit under sized compared to the pics so I grinded it off in an attempt to make my own. I shaved off all the detail on the right side and the center. I carefully extracted the screen from the right bottom using a razor saw. Then, I notched the top section to accommodate the new screen. The Navigation Control Panel was made by recycling pieces from the unused front IP. The top MFD is the same one I shaved off with the razor saw. I made the large circular Tact Info Display with a hole punch and a cottage cheese lid, same thing for the MFD on the right side. I then took the flight stick from the same F-18C that donated the throttle and added it to the left console for the LANTIRN control stick.

The F-14A used the underpowered Pratt and Whitney TF30 engines. These were later replaced with the much more powerful GE F110-GE-400. To modify the Bombcat kit, I used spare parts from a R/M F-14A. When Revell did their F-14D, they began including a new sprue in their F-14A kit. This new sprue included parts for the GE engine nozzles. As these were extra pieces...Bonus! However, what to do about the engine fairings? The F-14A had a rounded fairing whereas the GE engined Tomcats had a square fairing....Easy! Get out some tape and putty. Mask off the fairing and apply putty. Once dried, simply remove the tape and sand smooth. See the pics below for an example. Super easy! Now, let's tackle those nozzles. While you could just use the parts on that sprue, I went a step further. When I ordered my instrument panel from Revell, I also ordered 2 other parts from the F-14D kit (Kit #4729). Part number 103 Tail Cone is what you want. Alternatively, you can use the cans that come in the Academy box, you just need to grind a little from the inside to make the nozzle fit. Using the "cones" from the R/M kit revealed a small issue. The parts have these little "lips" around the edges that stick out when mounted. It's a relatively small issue, and can be cured with some careful trimming and then a few passes with the rotary tool to get it all flush. Once that is taken care of, assemble the nozzles and attach them to the cones. The finished assembly slides right into place, just like the kit parts. The external appearance of the F-14D differed in another way from the other variants. The chinpod was changed and now featured a dual pod. The same sprue from the R/M F-14A that supplied the GE engines contains the dual chinpod for the F-14D.

Construction of the rest of the model proceeded as normal, so I won't go into great detail. Academy did an excellent job of including updates to the airframe in the kit. The new tails with stiffener plates look great as do the new shoulder pylons for the LANTIRN and AIM-54. The kit also comes with some iron to sling under the bottom. I opted for the GBU-31 JDAM. The kit was then given an overall coat of Tamiya Surface Primer Grey. This is a near perfect match of Light Ghost Grey. Once that dried, I sprayed model master acryl medium grey over dark ghost grey to complete the TPS camo. The model was then decaled using TwoBobs VF-2 sheet. Weathering was done using a pastel chalk wash. I let the wash dry on the model, then ran it under water and brushed away the excess wash with a 3/4 inch sable brush. After the weathering was done, I attached all the ordnance and landing gear. I had an old PE set from a Hasegawa F-14 that I used to spruce up the canopy and add mirrors.

Excluding the cost of the kit and aftermarket decals, I completed this conversion for less than 10 bucks.