Welcome aboard, Jester! Agreed with the others - you should definitely sign on to the Spitfire group build! It'd be nice to have some 1/32 company over there!
How far are you into the IX? I'm building Tamiya's VIII right now and wow. Just...wow. You certainly have to pay attention and keep organized, but the detail, fit and engineering are just beyond anything else I've ever seen (except for Tamiya's new P-51).
Mine's currently early in phase three of painting. Wasn't happy with my masking strategy, so I freehanded most of the Dark Earth. Going to pick up some tracing paper today, trace better outlines, lay it down (way more pliant than regular paper...) and spray some harder edges. The difficulty with Leland Molland's "Fargo Express" is that the camo is "tight free-hand". So trying not to go entirely hard-edged!
Also, if you're considering buying any aftermarket, I bought quite a bit for my kit, and here's my take:
Eduard PE interior (worth it for the amazing instrument panel)
Eduard PE seat belt (worth it - the kit PE is very stiff and springy, and the Eduard adds detail anyone would be hard pressed to replicate)
Eduard PE exterior (skip it...)
Barracudacast Engine Rockers (if you plan to display w/o the cowl panels, these are a must for the Rolls-Royce logo)
Barracudacast Seat (excellent, but the kit seat is nothing to sneeze at)
Eduard masks (do not fit the Malcolm hood...waste)
Master Hispano cannons (awesome)
Barracudacast tires (I actually don't mind the kit's rubber tires, except for that #%@^$ mold seam running right down the middle that, because they're rubber, is a pain to get off)
Scale Aircraft Conversions landing gear (I tend to pick up metal gear for 1/32 kits if I can, since they're a lot tougher. Also, Tamiya's reinforced gear certainly take an interesting approach, but I have zero interest in dealing with seams on the gear struts!)