What happens to the Thrustmaster F-18 stick ?

I hope if i wait long enough i can purchase it at lower price...This is to expensive for just a grip..

" Thanks to our amazing fans the F/A-18C Hornet HOTAS Add-on Grip is now a #1 Best Seller on Amazon

 

Thank you so much to everyone who waited so patiently for this; we're incredibly proud.

 

Thustmaster, 9 June 2019 "

It would appear the masses do not share your skepticism...

Pricing aside which remains debatable, there's nothing out there in my opinion that beats the licensed TM sticks in the look'n feel department. It is just an awesome sensation to feel a nice thick and cold, metal shaft in your hand when flying. This is why the Warthog stick stays in my main setup, no matter how old it is. I'm actually looking forward to having the new F/A-18 grip more than any new VR headset.

...It is just an awesome sensation to feel a nice thick and cold... shaft in your hand...

Please... stop. This is a family friendly forum.

Can we please close and delete this thread? It serves no purpose but to give voice to arguments that are better served on reddit.

Vote that down. I dare you.

Waited forever for this to be released. The price is pretty high for just a grip. That explains why there were never any grips released for the Cougar or Warthog prior to this: the grip is the principal cost of the stick and many people won't even consider paying the price of a full stick (or HOTAS!) for just an add-on grip.

However, already having not one, but two Warthog sticks. I really want to see more aircraft specific addon sticks. Given how much I paid for a VKB MCG Pro, the Hornet grip is chump change and will be a great addition to my hardware options.

While I love the VKB stick mechanics, you have to flash the firmware every time you want to swap grips. Swapping grips also requires using tools and carefully aligning spacers. Thrustmaster has the superior design when it comes to just unscrewing the grip and screwing the new one on.

If VKB ever provides adapters to permit using Thrustmaster grips with the MCG Pro stick base, I will get the best return on my investment being able to use all of my grips with the best stick base aside from having to flash the firmware every time I switch grips.

 

Thrustmaster has the superior design when it comes to just unscrewing the grip and screwing the new one on.

 

As do Virpil, .. with the added benefit of being able to rotate the grip to the angle you want, .. which is especially useful for center-mounted sticks, .. without using extensions.

I have 3 Grips (2 Virpil and a Warthog stick) that I use with my Virpil T-50 Base, .. and all that is required is to load the Profile (optional) for the new grip. The Profile contains specific config info (if required) and calibration data (due to weight differences) for the different sticks.

.. no flashing of firmware required .. :)

If I ever purchase the TM F-18 grip, .. it will just plug straight in to Virpil base. I've ordered the Virpil F-14 (VFX) grip, and the same applies .. i.e. plug and play .. :)

Cheers

Tom

What happens to the Thrustmaster F-18 stick ?

You still have to load the corresponding profile and save to Virpil device which takes a few seconds (similar downtime to loading VKB firmware—same difference); plus recalibration. Otherwise, only axis will work but not the buttons. This true when swapping my CM2 and Warthog grips around, not sure what will happen with the F/A-18 grip as it won’t be released until late July.

Waited forever for this to be released. The price is pretty high for just a grip. That explains why there were never any grips released for the Cougar or Warthog prior to this: the grip is the principal cost of the stick and many people won't even consider paying the price of a full stick (or HOTAS!) for just an add-on grip.

 

However, already having not one, but two Warthog sticks. I really want to see more aircraft specific addon sticks. Given how much I paid for a VKB MCG Pro, the Hornet grip is chump change and will be a great addition to my hardware options.

 

While I love the VKB stick mechanics, you have to flash the firmware every time you want to swap grips. Swapping grips also requires using tools and carefully aligning spacers. Thrustmaster has the superior design when it comes to just unscrewing the grip and screwing the new one on.

 

If VKB ever provides adapters to permit using Thrustmaster grips with the MCG Pro stick base, I will get the best return on my investment being able to use all of my grips with the best stick base aside from having to flash the firmware every time I switch grips.

How much did you pay for your MCG? I paid £400 so a hornet grip is definitely not chump change compared.

I would only ever buy the hornet grip if I was building a hornet pit.

This is a one time purchase that will likely last for many years...... I pulled the trigger on Amazon and even went as far as to order the TRP rudders which are on the way..boy am I in trouble! :megalol: I realize it's a large investment but the quality and the modeling of the actual stick really helps with the F-18 sim immersion.

For all of you lambasting the price of the Hornet Stick...Lets look at some actual numbers...

Thrustmaster F-18C Hornet 229.99...Free Shipping. (Amazon)

VPC V.F.X Grip $211.18 (185.9 Euro) $170.39 for the stick (149.95 Euro)...$40.83 (35.95 Euro) Shipping...

For a sum total difference of $18.81...Or about what I'm gonna piss away in vending machines at work over the next two weeks.

Your complaints are unfounded...

(We can discuss product naming conventions and the extra $19.00 if you wish. :) )

For all of you lambasting the price of the Hornet Stick...Lets look at some actual numbers...

 

Thrustmaster F-18C Hornet 229.99...Free Shipping. (Amazon)

 

VPC V.F.X Grip $211.18 (185.9 Euro) $170.39 for the stick (149.95 Euro)...$40.83 (35.95 Euro) Shipping...

 

For a sum total difference of $18.81...Or about what I'm gonna piss away in vending machines at work over the next two weeks.

 

Your complaints are unfounded...

 

(We can discuss product naming conventions and the extra $19.00 if you wish. :) )

You can give people a brick of gold and they will complain that it is too heavy.

The thing is, a brick of gold is really heavy though.

How much did you pay for your MCG? I paid £400 so a hornet grip is definitely not chump change compared.

 

I would only ever buy the hornet grip if I was building a hornet pit.

I paid about $500 for the VKB MCG Pro... so $200 for just the grip isn't even close to that price. When you consider I have two complete Warthog HOTAS, I bought one for $350 and the other for $380, the VKB is very expensive. I have two real B-8 grips. Each one cost me about $500 and they only have a 4-way trim hat, trigger, and 3 other buttons. So compared to all of my other purchases except for my Saitek stuff, $200 for a replica grip is fair.

Summary:

VKB MCG Pro: grip, base, and metal extension for $500 (including shipping)

Warthog: grip, base, and heavy duty dual throttle for $350-$400 (they were even as low as $300 from Dell one time).

Warthog throttle stand-alone: $270-$330

F/A-18 grip: $230.

Warthog stick grip and base stand-alone: $200 (formerly $300)

MCG Pro grip: $160.

The complete Warthog HOTAS is clearly the real deal. The F/A-18 grip looks expensive compared to the new low price for the standalone Warthog stick, but isn't really that much higher than the MCG Pro grip and is metal instead of plastic. Given that I already have two complete Warthog sticks, spending another $230 to get the F/A-18 grip isn't that bad compared to buying a complete MCG Pro setup that costs more $150 than the complete HOTAS and leaves you with only a stick.

I paid about $500 for the VKB MCG Pro... so $200 for just the grip isn't even close to that price. When you consider I have two complete Warthog HOTAS, I bought one for $350 and the other for $380, the VKB is very expensive. I have two real B-8 grips. Each one cost me about $500 and they only have a 4-way trim hat, trigger, and 3 other buttons. So compared to all of my other purchases except for my Saitek stuff, $200 for a replica grip is fair.

 

Summary:

VKB MCG Pro: grip, base, and metal extension for $500 (including shipping)

Warthog: grip, base, and heavy duty dual throttle for $350-$400 (they were even as low as $300 from Dell one time).

Warthog throttle stand-alone: $270-$330

F/A-18 grip: $230.

Warthog stick grip and base stand-alone: $200 (formerly $300)

MCG Pro grip: $160.

 

The complete Warthog HOTAS is clearly the real deal. The F/A-18 grip looks expensive compared to the new low price for the standalone Warthog stick, but isn't really that much higher than the MCG Pro grip and is metal instead of plastic. Given that I already have two complete Warthog sticks, spending another $230 to get the F/A-18 grip isn't that bad compared to buying a complete MCG Pro setup that costs more $150 than the complete HOTAS and leaves you with only a stick.

How can you have an MCG pro and call the Warthog the real deal?

Problem is the Warthog stick has a very heavy center spring so things like close formation especially in jets that auto trim get tricky compared to a soft center detent. Also my Warthog ( which to be fair was 4 years old) had to be moved almost an inch at the top ( with a 30cm extension on it ) before it even registered any movement.

The VKB registers instantly so make it much more realistic to fly. The Warthog is about as responsive as a B747 wheel on initial movement.

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Problem is the Warthog stick has a very heavy center spring so things like close formation especially in jets that auto trim get tricky compared to a soft center detent. Also my Warthog ( which to be fair was 4 years old) had to be moved almost an inch at the top ( with a 30cm extension on it ) before it even registered any movement.

 

The VKB registers instantly so make it much more realistic to fly. The Warthog is about as responsive as a B747 wheel on initial movement.

 

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

You are talking about the "Warthog stick" which from the context of your observation I take to mean the combination of a Warthog base and a Warthog grip. (And I agree with your observation on that basis).

I have the Virpil WarBRD base and a Warthog base. The Warthog base sucks. Therefore I use my Warthog grip (which is good) on my Virpil base (which is excellent). And that is a good combo. But the point is that there is nothing much wrong with the Warthog grip.

Yep that's what I meant. I have a Virpil base as well the old one, using it as my lantirn controller.

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Problem is the Warthog stick has a very heavy center spring so things like close formation especially in jets that auto trim get tricky compared to a soft center detent. Also my Warthog ( which to be fair was 4 years old) had to be moved almost an inch at the top ( with a 30cm extension on it ) before it even registered any movement.

 

The VKB registers instantly so make it much more realistic to fly. The Warthog is about as responsive as a B747 wheel on initial movement.

 

Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

Did you turn off hardware deadzone in TARGET GUI?

I turned off all deadzone which makes formation flying a bit easier.

What happens to the Thrustmaster F-18 stick ?

Gotta know your toys and how to work around their shortcomings buddy. In order to make the Warthog base shine you either have to cut the upper spring or use shorter one, or double up the 4 lower springs (or use longer ones to increase tension which will in turn ease the tension around the center). Once that is done it can hang with Virpil/VKB devices.

MCG Pro is much better for precision near the center due to the smooth motion and much lighter forces. But a Warthog with an extension works almost as well. It is simply a matter of me preferring the feel of the MCG Pro to the Warthog, but functionally, there was very little gain. I could use either one and be happy, but the analog brake lever of the MCG Pro is very useful in realistically flying MiGs and the Spitfire. With the Warthog, I had to assign a brake pedal to be the brake lever.

I never used target software, I had a 30 cm extension, it just has too hard a center notch. If I was in a normal trim aircraft I would deliberately fly out of trim so I could be smooth and keep it out of the center notch, but that is very unnatural.

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