The Bf 109V-13 and V-14 will be well known to readers of Aeroscale as the subjects of Jean-Luc Formery's superb conversion, The Dübendorf Brothers. Such a scratchbuilding project is beyond the skills of many modellers, but Werner's Wings have come to the rescue by making Jean-Luc's resin parts available commercially. They've gone a step further too, by including new parts to allow the V-13 to be built in its later speed record configuration, plus a full set of decals for both aircraft.

The set arrives in a zip-lok bag with an attractive card insert illustrating the three colour schemes that also gives some extra protection to the parts inside. A nice touch is that the more delicate parts are given special protection against damage in transit: the undercarriage covers are taped to a piece of card, while the lower cowl has a piece of expanded polystyrene to support it.

The conversion set is designed for use with Tamiya's Bf 109E-3 and breaks down into two main sections.

For the V-13 and V-14 racers, there are:

- resin main cowl
- resin lower cowl with an enlarged radiator bath
- resin spinner
- resin inserts to fit inside the wing so that the cannon bulges can be sanded flush
- resin wheel covers

Also using the main cowl, wing inserts and wheel covers from above, for the V-13 record-breaker, there are additionally:

- a new pointed resin spinner
- a vacuformed canopy

The casting is well done throughout. There's a clear difference in style between Jean-Luc's original conversion parts which are cast in beige resin, and the newly added "speed spinner" cast in grey. A little clean-up will be required to remove some flash, and the new spinner needs to be separated carefully from a substantial plinth, but the conversion looks like it'll be ready to use with a minimum of fuss.

The vacuformed canopy is a real beauty - crystal clear and with neatly defined framing. It captures the more rounded and streamlined look of the original and is moulded to include a section of fuselage ahead of the curved base of the windscreen, so fitting it should be straightforward. No spare is provided, so be careful cutting it out - and especially if you want to slice it open to show off the cockpit.

Werner's Wings have provided an excellent sheet of decals for the racers and record-breaker schemes. The decals are custom printed by Cartograf and the quality is superb, with perfect registration and crystal clear carrier film. The swastikas are printed as one with the tail band, and it would have been nice if they'd also been included as separate items for modellers who prefer to paint the bands.

Rounding things off is a very nicely produced set of instructions, combining detailed written explanations of each step with photos of the actual conversion. The modifications needed don't appear complex and should be well within the capabilities of the average modeller, although building the V-13 in its record-breaking configuration will require some simple scratchbuilding to create a new low-profile radiator under the nose.

Conclusion

Werner's Wings are to applauded for making Jean-Luc's excellent conversion available and adding new parts and top quality decals to widen its appeal still further. It's good value for money at $25 and I'd put it in the "must have" category for fans of quarterscale '109s. This is a limited edition of just 250 sets, and at the time of writing less than 100 are left, so you'll need to be quick if you want to add a very different Emil to your collection. Recommended to anyone with a little experience working with resin parts.

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