I am currently having a bit of a Messerschmitt frenzy - which is really strange 'cos I'm a railway modeller!
Anyway... I am in the process of building a couple of Bf109Es in North African colours. I am quite taken with the tonal differences between RLM 79 Sandgelb and RLM 79a Sandbraun. So here's a question to start:
Is RLM 79a an official paint colour distinct from RLM 79, or is it simply a difference in paint manufacturing techniques, such as "RLM 84" is reputed to be?
Having seen how different the two colours are, I thought that a colour scheme featuring RLM 79 uppersurfaces with an RLM 79a mottle would look quite interesting. I would consider actually building a model in this scheme, just as a bit of fun. But then I considered the plethora of colour schemes, some of them quite unofficial, that the Bf109 appeared in. So, to my main point.
Was this scheme - 78 undersurfaces, 79 uppersurfaces with a 79a mottle - (or something similar) ever actually applied? If so, are there any references to which I can refer?
Thanks in advance for any comments or advice.