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MCG Review


FlyBoyd

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Hey guys!

 

Just got done setting up my new MCG Gunfighter Pro and thought I would give a review here on the forums. I mostly come one here to get solid input and advice on such things and haven't really contributed much on my own so I thought I would start!

 

First Impressions:

 

Taking it out of the box you can tell that there was some solid construction put into it. It was nicely packaged and definitely felt like I spent my money well. The only initial drawback to me was the actual stick feels light. That doesn't mean it isn't well made, it just doesn't quite have the heft that I am used to with the Cougar and Warthog sticks.

 

Installation:

 

Being that I have the Obutto I did have to make some modifications to a bracket to make sure it had the right fit. Right away though I can tell you I love this stick as a replacement for the Warthog that I had been using. Even using extensions on the Warthog the MCG has a much more natural feel to it with its extension.

 

As for the software the instructions were super easy to follow and I had the software up and running in no time and the stick calibrated and ready to go!

 

Springs and Cams:

 

Now this is where it took me some time to get the right feel. There are two cam options a #10 and a #30. The #30 has more of a center to it when you let go of the stick. I can tell you that I did not like that at all. It had a similar feel to the original Cougar HOTAS with two opposing springs. This is not how a real flight stick feels and I recommend leaving the #10's in place as that is what is shipped with it. As for the springs they have an assortment of options that are labeled 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 with 50 being the strongest and 10 being the weakest. They come shipped with two #20s installed, one on each axis. I can tell you right now this was just waaay too weak. I then went to 40 right away and it was still too weak. The brilliant design team on this stick did however give you an option to install two springs on both axis (seriously, great design!) so I went with two #40s. However that ended up being too weak as well and I finally ended up with two #50s on each axis. This to me is the most natural feel to this stick from the real thing. Being an Air Force pilot I can tell you that it's pretty close! :joystick:

 

I would like the manufacturer to even include a more firm option above 50 and maybe if the stick had a bit more heft to it that might not be needed, but it is still just a tad weak for my liking. However, air refueling is a breeze, landings are smooth and turning is so much better than the Warthog was.

 

Buttons:

 

While I do strive for realism and even though this stick is not designed for the Hornet it does have a much better feel than the Warthog did. I have even moved the TDC assignment from the throttle to the stick as the thumb stick is a dream for the radar. The only thing I wish I could change would be the brake lever. It is set up as a slider for a brake (russian airplane thing) where I would use it as the NWS lever if I could use it as a switch. (btw I am just assuming I cannot change that, if you can please tell me how!!) It also has more hats and buttons than you can think of to program for the Hornet and I like that as well. Now I can add just a few more things than standard to really have a hands off stick feel.

 

Bottom line:

 

If you are in the market for another stick to replace the Warthog than I would definitely give this some consideration! I mainly fly the Hornet in DCS and completely love this stick for that. Easy to install, easy to setup and easy to program. Couldn't ask for a better way to go!

 

I also ordered the Virpil stick however I am still awaiting on it's arrival. I will do a comparison for you guys to hopefully help make the decision on what stick to go with.

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

 

FlyBoyd

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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Nice review and congrats!

 

 

Just a note, can't remember exactly where I read this, but pretty sure VKB recommends not exceeding #80 combined springs on each axis. I am running a #50 and #20 on each axis. It is fairly soft, but have gotten used to it now pretty well.

 

Edit: See here for changing your brake lever from axis to button press:

http://forum.vkb-sim.pro/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2868


Edited by dburne

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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Nice review and congrats!

 

 

Just a note, can't remember exactly where I read this, but pretty sure VKB recommends not exceeding #80 combined springs on each axis. I am running a #50 and #20 on each axis. It is fairly soft, but have gotten used to it now pretty well.

 

Edit: See here for changing your brake lever from axis to button press:

http://forum.vkb-sim.pro/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2868

 

Well even when I did two 40s it still felt really loose, but thanks for the heads up! I suppose I will go back to that just to make sure I don't tweak anything.

 

And thanks for the link! That's exactly what I was looking for

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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... I mostly come one here to get solid input and advice on such things and haven't really contributed much on my own so I thought I would start!

 

 

Thanks a lot, that's the spirit ... and this Forum is remarkable on the large quantity of individuals willing to share their experience ...

 

 

really nice review and interesting reading in spite that I'm not going to purchase one anytime soon :)

 

 

 

Best regards

 

For work: iMac mid-2010 of 27" - Core i7 870 - 6 GB DDR3 1333 MHz - ATI HD5670 - SSD 256 GB - HDD 2 TB - macOS High Sierra

For Gaming: 34" Monitor - Ryzen 3600X - 32 GB DDR4 2400 - nVidia GTX1070ti - SSD 1.25 TB - HDD 10 TB - Win10 Pro - TM HOTAS Cougar - Oculus Rift CV1

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  • 4 weeks later...
Nice review and congrats!

 

 

Just a note, can't remember exactly where I read this, but pretty sure VKB recommends not exceeding #80 combined springs on each axis. I am running a #50 and #20 on each axis. It is fairly soft, but have gotten used to it now pretty well.

 

Edit: See here for changing your brake lever from axis to button press:

http://forum.vkb-sim.pro/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2868

 

Hey man just to let you know that VKB said that two #50s are good and won't mess anything up!

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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UPDATE:

 

After settling on using the #10 cams I noticed that I was having trouble finding center in pitch. Roll wasn't bad and the stick did a nice job of centering itself, but pitch became a fine tuning nightmare. So I've decided to go with the #10 on the roll axis and the #30 on the pitch. This still provides a better overall feel to the stick but also providing a place for the center in pitch.

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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UPDATE:

 

After settling on using the #10 cams I noticed that I was having trouble finding center in pitch. Roll wasn't bad and the stick did a nice job of centering itself, but pitch became a fine tuning nightmare. So I've decided to go with the #10 on the roll axis and the #30 on the pitch. This still provides a better overall feel to the stick but also providing a place for the center in pitch.

 

Thanks for posting this!

I have been experiencing the same, very happy with the roll as is, but pitch has a little slop around center that I just can not tune out. I think it likely is attributed to the offset of the extension tube, which puts some of the weight behind center.

 

I have been debating in my mind if it might be worth going in and changing just the pitch cam out to a #30, after seeing your results I will have to give a try.

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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Hey man just to let you know that VKB said that two #50s are good and won't mess anything up!

 

Yeah I had saw that - rrhode (their NA rep) states to use combined max of 80, not sure why they seem to have conflicting info on this. I am ok with #50 and #20 so far so will probably stick with that.

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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I would not recommend 2x #50 springs per axis. I ran with that for a while, but I've since reverted it to 1x #50 and 1x #30 per axis.

 

But this is just me being careful and wanting to not break/bend anything on the inside, especially with the huge amount of force an extension (in my case) exerts.

 

And you will get used to the lighter feel overall feel of your Gunfighter. As a reminder, there are always the dry clutches to tinker with if you need more "sticktion" around the center. ;)

PC: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | MSI Suprim GeForce 3090 TI | ASUS Prime X570-P | 128GB DDR4 3600 RAM | 2TB Samsung 870 EVO SSD | Win10 Pro 64bit

Gear: HP Reverb G2 | JetPad FSE | VKB Gunfighter Pro Mk.III w/ MCG Ultimate

 

VKBNA_LOGO_SM.png

VKBcontrollers.com

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Yeah I had saw that - rrhode (their NA rep) states to use combined max of 80, not sure why they seem to have conflicting info on this. I am ok with #50 and #20 so far so will probably stick with that.

 

Just being careful is all. :)

 

EDIT: If UIV or AeroGator see no problem with the 2x #50 per axis configuration, by all means - go for it.


Edited by rrohde

PC: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | MSI Suprim GeForce 3090 TI | ASUS Prime X570-P | 128GB DDR4 3600 RAM | 2TB Samsung 870 EVO SSD | Win10 Pro 64bit

Gear: HP Reverb G2 | JetPad FSE | VKB Gunfighter Pro Mk.III w/ MCG Ultimate

 

VKBNA_LOGO_SM.png

VKBcontrollers.com

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And you will get used to the lighter feel of the lighter overall feel of your Gunfighter. As a reminder, there are always the dry clutches to tinker with if you need more "sticktion" around the center. ;)

 

That does not work for me in the pitch axis ( it does in the roll ) with the #10 cam.

If I put some dry clutch in it , the stick just stays where it stops in that center slop area. So you really can not "feel" where true center is.

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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That does not work for me in the pitch axis ( it does in the roll ) with the #10 cam.

If I put some dry clutch in it , the stick just stays where it stops in that center slop area. So you really can not "feel" where true center is.

 

I have dialed out my dry clutches as well to none-at-all for the exact same reasons. The current dry clutch implementation doesn't work for everybody, but it's a nice option to have if needed.

PC: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | MSI Suprim GeForce 3090 TI | ASUS Prime X570-P | 128GB DDR4 3600 RAM | 2TB Samsung 870 EVO SSD | Win10 Pro 64bit

Gear: HP Reverb G2 | JetPad FSE | VKB Gunfighter Pro Mk.III w/ MCG Ultimate

 

VKBNA_LOGO_SM.png

VKBcontrollers.com

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UPDATE:

 

After settling on using the #10 cams I noticed that I was having trouble finding center in pitch. Roll wasn't bad and the stick did a nice job of centering itself, but pitch became a fine tuning nightmare. So I've decided to go with the #10 on the roll axis and the #30 on the pitch. This still provides a better overall feel to the stick but also providing a place for the center in pitch.

 

:thumbup:

 

Finally got around to changing my pitch cam out, as I was really struggling in the pitch axis keeping the plane level especially when looking around. Just too much sloppy feel around center for my liking, undoubtedly due to the extension offset.

 

Oh yeah, this is so much better! No problem now being able to keep the pitch centered while looking around, no more turning to look at something then turning back and finding myself climbing or diving drastically.

 

 

Going to do the same, leave #10 in the roll axis as that feels good to me, will definitely leave the #30 in the pitch now. I think finally I have this setup just where I want it.

 

Thanks for the tip!

Don B

EVGA Z390 Dark MB | i9 9900k CPU @ 5.1 GHz | Gigabyte 4090 OC | 64 GB Corsair Vengeance 3200 MHz CL16 | Corsair H150i Pro Cooler |Virpil CM3 Stick w/ Alpha Prime Grip 200mm ext| Virpil CM3 Throttle | VPC Rotor TCS Base w/ Alpha-L Grip| Point Control V2|Varjo Aero|

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  • 3 weeks later...

Funny. I found out default #20 springs are about right. Why do you need to "wrestle" the desktop joystick. Its not a real piloting. And its easier to aim with #20 springs IMHO. Ofcourse with extension you should go for 40# or 50#.

I have KG12 grip and MCG grip is a bit taller so maybe, just maybe I would go with #30 springs on MCG but never beyond that (that is without extension).

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FlyBoyd, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get the stick? It is almost impossible in North America and they always have no stock. And, could you show us a pic of your setup sometime, ..would love to see it. Thanks!

 

 

I found 2 of my GF on ebay (one was base only new in plastic), and one on the VKB site, but diligently checking several times a day, and ordering very quickly when a GF2RevB came in stock.

 

 

 

I suspect it was a similar fluke for FlyBoyd.

Systems

 

 

Virpil T50x2,T50CM2x2,Warbrd x2, VFX/Delta/CM2/Alpha/Tm Hornet sticks, VKB GF3, Tm Warthog(many), Modded Cougar, VKB Pedals/MFG Pedals/Slaw Viper RX+109Cam Pedals/Virpil T50+T50CM Throttle/CH Fightersticks/CH Throttles/CH peds, Index x1, Reverb x1

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
:thumbup:

 

Finally got around to changing my pitch cam out, as I was really struggling in the pitch axis keeping the plane level especially when looking around. Just too much sloppy feel around center for my liking, undoubtedly due to the extension offset.

 

Oh yeah, this is so much better! No problem now being able to keep the pitch centered while looking around, no more turning to look at something then turning back and finding myself climbing or diving drastically.

 

 

Going to do the same, leave #10 in the roll axis as that feels good to me, will definitely leave the #30 in the pitch now. I think finally I have this setup just where I want it.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

You bet! Glad it helped!

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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FlyBoyd, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get the stick? It is almost impossible in North America and they always have no stock. And, could you show us a pic of your setup sometime, ..would love to see it. Thanks!

 

I basically just kept stalking their website until the stock came back in. It didn't last long and as soon as I got work I jumped on it. I recommend that you join their newsletter. I normally don't like getting random emails from companies and generally don't subscribe, but while I was waiting initially I missed an earlier opportunity. So I joined their newsletter and it announced that stock was back. I went to their website and ordered immediately. Same thing with Virpil (which I will be doing another review on once I get back to the states in January).

 

Trust me...worth the wait!! I enjoy flying DCS with the Hornet with this stick much more than the Warthog stick! I am sure once the Hornet stick from TM is released (if it ever gets released!) I will have a hard time choosing, but for now there is no comparison IMO.

 

As for the setup I just have this one pic. I recently moved and didn't save the pictures I had before. I have the Obutto Revolution and welded a custom plate to one of their brackets to get the height that I wanted.

IMG_0218.thumb.JPG.5e4962d68f900d7be65e2b78231b352a.JPG

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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Funny. I found out default #20 springs are about right. Why do you need to "wrestle" the desktop joystick. Its not a real piloting. And its easier to aim with #20 springs IMHO. Ofcourse with extension you should go for 40# or 50#.

I have KG12 grip and MCG grip is a bit taller so maybe, just maybe I would go with #30 springs on MCG but never beyond that (that is without extension).

 

I don't need to "wrestle" the joystick per se, but as a pilot with several thousand hours of experience with real flight sticks, it just needed more tension. That of course is my own opinion and if you find the lighter feel of using the looser springs easier and better by all means. I was strictly coming from a more realistic approach and would have liked to see a firmer feel, especially when you consider how heavy an actual stick gets with the onset of G's.

 

The extension might also be a factor. I am using the extension and prefer that because again it closer resembles what the actual stick would be like in the plane. I'm definitely not the kind of guy that just throws a joystick on a desk and calls it good. I would much rather have more of a cockpit to give me the real feeling. Makes a difference for me flying in VR as well!

 

I do appreciate your input!

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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If going to replicate the feel of the real thing as close as possible, wouldn't you want weaker spring(s) on roll axis than on pitch axis?

 

Well the springs I have on both axis are the same. I am using 2x #50's I think you are referring to the "cams" that are either a #10 or a #30.

 

If I had a choice, and the stick could handle it (even though MCG rep told me that a combined total of 100 is fine for the springs, only 80 is currently recommended) I would go a little heavier on the springs. Ultimately a force feedback stick would be the best to add some tension under G load, but I doubt we will get to that point for a while. So for now I just want there to be a stiffer feel as you get to the full range of the stick, while maintaining a fairly easy center. The 2x#50 springs are the best for this IMO.

 

As for the cams it strictly cam down to finding center. I don't like a hard center (similar to how the Cougar was from TM with two opposing springs) as that is not what you will find in a real plane at all. I found though that I needed a little bit of it on the pitch to better maintain level flight. Without that center detent I found that it was hard to get to a trimmed hands off condition by just letting go of the stick.

 

Ultimately though it is strictly what feels better to you. If you got this stick I would recommend starting at the lowest spring (which is what I did) and gradually increasing to your liking. It was a pain though as it took quite a bit of time to tear down, take the springs off and get the new ones on. That is ultimately why I decided to write a review to help ease that process for someone else.

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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How did you buy one? I've visited the store several times a week for the past 5 months..

 

Yeah man it's not easy. I do recommend you join their newsletter. It will send you an email when they get stock in and that is what I had to do. I wasn't signed up for it at first and when I checked their "news" section I noticed they had stock but sold out fairly quickly.

 

Once you get the email though, jump on it quickly! I think it took about 6 months for me to finally get one too so hang in there! It's worth it for the Hornet IMO!

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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I use my GF Pro/MCG mostly for WW2 and helicopters and have been quite happy with #10 cams and 40 spring for roll and 50 for pitch. I did try and use it in F/A-18C but that combo was too mushy around center esp in pitch. So after reading this thread I too switch pitch CAM from #10 to #30 and changed roll spring from 40 to 50. This makes the joystick very nice for modern planes as well and I honestly dont feel the difference in WW2 and Helis.

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  • 1 month later...
How did you buy one? I've visited the store several times a week for the past 5 months..

 

New batch in stock! Get yours now if you are interested.

Intel I9-9900k, Gigabyte AORUS Ultra, 64GB G.SKILL Trident Z Royal 3200, EVGA 2080Ti, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 512, Samsung M.2 960 Pro 1TB, MCG, Vipril, TM Controls, SLAW device rudders, Obutto Revolution, Valve Index

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