Jagdstaffel 17, better known as Jasta 17, was one of the premier German fighter squadrons of World War I. It began as Kampfstaffel Metz, and later became known as Jasta 17. Although not as famous some of the other units, it nevertheless produced its share of aces, and three of its members were knights of the Orden Pour le Merite, holders of the coveted Blue Max. Julius Buckler, with 35 confirmed victories, was the highest scoring ace of Kampfstaffel Metz. Other standouts included Oblt Bruno Loerzer, Hermann Goring, Jacob Wolff (who was 48 years old when he scored his last victory, and was also Jewish), Vzfw Christian Donhauser, and a number of others who either transferred in and out of the unit, or served briefly until becoming casualties.

• Tents & Tarps Set #5, VG-005, $11.50
• Tents & Tarps Set #11, VG-011, $11.50
• Sherman Engine Deck Set #4, SH-004, $15.00

Value Gear out of Ireland continues to add to its list of quality aftermarket armor accessories, featuring plastic representations of tents, tarps, backpacks, crates – just about anything you might find piled high on a busy AFV, or anywhere else for that matter.

Their website is intuitive and easy to navigate. The home page describes Value Gear's Goal:

The Value Gear idea is to give model builders (me included) a more useful spares box! Creating and casting sets of Generic/Universal stowage. No helmets no weapons and nothing to keep you from using it in a wooden cart, a chariot, a truck, or a Panther tank. "Any Army, Any Era!" is my motto… the Army lives under canvas!

The F-111 was originally designed for use by the USAF and the USN, and was meant to be a money saving measure by then Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. This one platform for multi-service use was not well received. One of the biggest problems that both services had was weight. The Navy also wanted it for use with the Phoenix missile. The issues that the USN had with the "Vark" just became to numerous and another famous aircraft was created, the F-14.

Even though the F-111 started out on a rocky road, it would eventually turn a corner through the hard work of the developers & the crews and become one most important aircraft of the Vietnam War and several modern day operations. Australia was the only other country to use the F-111 and had originally intended them to stay in service to the year 2020. Due to increased maintenance issues and fiscal impact, Australia retired the F-111 in 2010.