9/21/2025 This article will cover my build of the Kotare 1/32 Spitfire Mk.1a "Brian Lane". I recently read the book Spitfire which was written and published from Brian Lane's notes while he served in the RAF during WW2. It is a great read and leaves you with a real appreciation of those who were willing to give their all (which Brian did), to preserve the life and liberties that we enjoy today. I am excited to build this as a tribute to him, besides which I love Spitfires – they are so beautiful. The only extra's I purchased was the Eduard mask set. Kotare is a new company and this is their frist offering. They are in Australia and are composed (for the most part) of talent that gave us so many fantastic WW1 aircraft – Wingnut Wings.
Here is a short history of Brian Lane, who flew this plane…
Brian John Edward "Sandy" Lane DFC (18 June 1917 – 13 December 1942) was a fighter pilot and flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He also wrote the book Spitfire!, an account of his experiences as a fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain.
Born in Harrogate, Lane joined the RAF in 1936 and was posted to No. 66 Squadron when his training was completed. Days after the Second World War broke out, he was transferred to No. 19 Squadron as a flight commander. Flying the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, he shot down a number of German aircraft during sorties to support the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk during the period late May to early June 1940. He also briefly commanded the squadron during this time. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in July, he became the squadron's permanent commander two months later, by which time it was engaged in the Battle of Britain. He claimed further aerial victories during the aerial campaign over England. He was on staff duties for a year from mid-1941 during which time he wrote Spitfire!, published under a pseudonym in 1942. He returned to operations with command of No. 167 Squadron in late 1942. He went missing on a sortie to Holland on 13 December. Wikipedia
A permanent memorial plaque, organised by local resident Paul Baderman, was unveiled on Lane's childhood home in Pinner on 25 September 2011, 69 years after his presumed death. Wikipedia
The above photo was taken by Flying Officer Stanley Devon, an award-winning press photographer on September 21, 1940. This was at the height of the Battle of Britian. Visibly exhausted 23 year old RAF pilot Brian Lane (center), after nearly 30 hours of dogfighting.
So here we go. This will be the first model I photograph using my new photobooth.
10/5/2025 Further down you will notice that I've painted the brown camo first. I realized that this was too light (at least to me) and I needed to redo it a little darker – heavy sigh. This ment that I had to remask the green this time to redo the tan in a darker shade. I am using the Vallejo Raf Colors Special Battle of Britan "Air War Color Series" for the exterior paint job. I had initially used BS 450, but since that's too light I've resprayed it with BS241.
10/13/2025 I've added the photos of the finished model.
9-25-2025 Here are a few more photos of the cockpit…
