Tu144LL engines?

[Adam Poultney]

On my desk right now is an unstarted ICM Tu144S with decals and jetpipes to make the Tu144LL, plus a set of Tu144D bits from another ICM Tu144 which I didn't use them for.

But when I went to do some research on the jetpipes and how they fit, I saw that the jetpipes fitted to RA-77114 today are nothing like the resin ones for Kuznetzov NK-321s I have. They look pretty much exactly like standard Tu144D jetpipes for Koliesov RD36-51 engines.

After doing more digging I found that actually, the jetpipes have been swapped on RA-77114 more than just when it was initially converted. It looks to me like the NK-321s were removed after some time and RD36-51s were reinstalled. I think this was done around 2004/2005, not that long before it was announced that the two remaining Tu144s at Zhukovsky would be scrapped (thankfully this didn't happen and both are very nicely restored now). It seems really odd that they weren't simply removed and left empty if the engines were needed for another purpose (I believe they are the same as on the Tu160?). 

Basically I'm very confused as to why they bothered to fit Tu144D engines to the Tu144LL that was sitting on an airfield rotting away, and also how on earth to fit the Braz resin jetpipes to the ICM kit. Not many good up close photos of the Nk321s fitted to help and there's no instructions for them.