1:32 Paint mask Spitfire Mk.Ia L1065 PR-E (KOT)

1:32 mask for painting the Spitfire Mk.Ia, machine L1065 with the code PR-E

An SX-Art masking set in 1:32 scale tied to a single aircraft. The name gives the Mk.Ia version, the serial L1065 and the code PR-E. The item contains an aid for painting, not a model.

The Mk.Ia version and what it means

The letter a after the mark designation distinguished the armament: the Mk.Ia carried eight 7.7 mm machine guns in the wing, whereas the rarer Mk.Ib had a pair of cannons. Serials in the L series follow on from the earlier K series and belong to machines from orders of the late 1930s, that is to the time when Spitfire production was only gathering pace. A model of such an aircraft therefore stands or falls on the early details: the shape of the exhausts, the propeller and the canopy. Machines from these batches also went through modifications directly at the units, so two aircraft with neighboring serials need not have looked the same.

How to work with the mask

• Let the paint under the mask cure fully, otherwise the edge will tear when it is lifted
• Spray the first pass almost dry; only the second gives full coverage
• On circular shapes work from the center outwards, so that paint does not pool anywhere
• Remnants left by the mask can be removed with a cotton swab and weak alcohol

Who the set is for

For builders who want a large Spitfire with documented markings and will not settle for a general version. Before you choose the set, compare the small differences of early production with what your part-built model has: it was exactly on the first Spitfires that a number of parts changed within a short time, and not every model matches every serial.