Barefoot Bandit

Ooohh.. That's very clever too... Quite like that... Z...

holy crap.. you've built what I have been trying to design for the last 6 months... Don't suppose you have any plans? How did you do the seat? I'm looking at using a back seat from a Hyundai Santa Fe from a car wrecker/breaker, looks like you have a DIY version there, looks awesome. Z...

Why the sad face? Some people simply can't mount under the floor, it's a trade off that has to be made, no? Z...

Awesome - have not had a chance to sand mine down yet, but will probably do it over the weekend, along with working out how to mount it to my chair. :joystick: Z...

This is looking very nice. Z...

Virpil works natively with the Warthog stick, and virpil has a modern fighter jet grip that you can buy *right now*. VKB needs an adapter, with a bit of messing around to get the Warthog stick to work, and it has only a WWII fighter grip. It's that simple, if you want to fly a modern jet (or space sim), Virpil is really your best choice at this point. When VKB release the MCG, and we can buy, with money, and have it shipped, then it'll be far more interesting. :joystick: I'm looking to buy a VKB Gunfighter Pro, but only when I can get the MCG with it. A WWII fighter stick is useless to me, as I fly mainly in Elite Dangerous, and the modern jets in DCS. A modern stick also adapts easily for WWII stuff, when I do fly the older birds. Doesn't work so well the other way around... Z...

ED is an odd game - once you understand how thrusters work in ED (it's not Newtonian, well, not quite, anyway...), you'll understand why that would, actually, work. You'd just need a bind for 0% throttle too, to make life easy. Really, you just need 0%, 25%, 75%, and 100% throttle settings. Z...

Nice review! Very positive vibe for this stick overall, now that it is in peoples hands. I do like mine! Z...

Yup, agreed - that's a nice solution. Currently look at T-slotted aluminium, but that looks far simpler to implement... Z...

Hahahahha! Great minds think alike! Pretty much what I was thinking. I can't remember if ED allows you to map forward and reverse thrust discretely as analog inputs or not, but even without, it should work well enough. Though, I think I will stick to pedals for yaw, seeing as I'm quite used to it. Smart move to stay away. ED is like DCS in some ways, the learning curve is quite steep - not Warthog steep, but it takes a bit of time. The game is then a huge time sink - not unlike DCS, you can't just jump in for a quick 10 minute play... Heck, I still have unplayed DCS modules because I spend too much time in ED. I'm now forcing myself to join a deep space expedition, which I know full well is way below my pace, so that I have a good reason to properly get back into DCS again. I need to learn to fly that damn Huey! Z...

I also play Elite Dagerous - and that setup looks very good, though I still have hope the throttle will have an analog stick... I like the reversal of the stick/mounts. For some unknown reason, I had not thought to do that for my chair... Simple, yet, effective. Z...

That's a pretty good run down right there, I think. I'm hoping to come up with some sort of temporary mounting scheme for the Mongoos this weekend so I can give it a good test fly. As I said earlier, it's meant to go into a simpit, so use with the current setup was never the intention, but I'm just too excited and really want to give it a test run. I'll likely also buy the VBK int he future, basically use it for Helo/centre mount, and the Virpil and side mount (int he same pit). Going to be interesting to work out how to switch, an dI'm still working out where the actual PC will go, but it should be a fun project! And, in theory, it'll fold into a coffee table to avoid too many rolling eyes by the little lady... Z...

Thanks for that, I'll happily get in touch re the cams, though I'll give the sandpaper thing a go, too. :thumbup: Though, currently, my biggest issue is finding a way to attach it to my chair, so I can give it a test run! I may have to buy a few more bits and bobs from the hardware store than just sandpaper! Z...

Just picked mine up from the post office. It's going to Manila for use with my cockpit build rig, so I'm not sure I can give it much of a run just yet, as I really have no way to attach it to anything, though I'm sure I'll find a way to give it a quick run somehow. A couple of quick observations... -Nicely packed, everything seems to have come through unscathed. Though it does look like a customs agent had a look at it somewhere, I'm pretty good at spotting repackaged stuff. -Grip - not bad at all, feels very light, seeing as I am used tot he Warthog, but it feels comfy, well made, and I like the feel of the buttons. The button positioning also seems fairly nice, though I know I'll be spending 2 or 3 days getting the muscle memory re-trained. The analog lever seems to go all the way tot he stick, so not sure where it starts and stops feeling pressure, but I can't test this until I plug it in, obviously. I would have preferred a metal lever, but the plastic one used feels nice, and also fairly solid from my quick tests. -The plastic grip is actually a blessing at the moment, as it is winter here, and the nights can get a touch chilly. Wrapping my hands around the metal warthog grip can be a little uncomfortable for the first minute or so, while the heat form my hand eventually warms it up. Nic esuch issue with the Mongoos. It's a a very nice feeling stick int he hand. -The base is a tad lighter than expect (not a bad thing) though I have not opened it up yet. -My quick "move the stick around" test reveals it's a touch lighter than my Warthog, though it feels a little... "grindy"? Like a *really* fine sandpaper,. as though the cams are not quite perfectly smooth or something - but there is no stiction at all, unlike my Warthog.. This coming from someone who regularly has to use "feel" to get things done for work, so I may just very sensitive to the slightest little thing, though I'll be swapping out the cams for the soft centre ones to see how the feel changes. -Shipping was quick, it actually arrived a few days ago, but I had not been to my PO box as I was not expecting it to turn up until next week. I was there to pick up a i7 6700K I bought off someone a couple of days back - nice surprise! -Button quality feels to be excellent. The presses feel sharp and tactile. The Warthog buttons often feel very stiff and hard to press, sometimes even not actually registered despite feeling like you have pressed properly. Ever button press felt positive and light on the VPC stick. Overall, I'm quite happy thus far, I'm looking forward to actually plugging it in and making it go! Z...

You people are as bad as I am. New toy arrives - take apart and modify! Z...

And just like that, I now have a notification. :thumbup: Z...

I ordered on the 13th and no notification yet. It's just a few days, it's so close now there is no need to stress about it. It'll come when it comes. Z...

I'm looking forward to seeing what the partnership brings. Z...

Shipping is an odd one. I am dealing with shipping as an issue with one of my businesses. We do T-shirt prints to order in SE Asia. We've been experimenting with various options and trial-ing a few things as we try to expand our reach into the US, Europe and Australia, but basically, shipping is as much as three times the cost of the shirts (depending on destination). Int he end, the "solution" was an all in price (as it was still well priced overall, but showing the shipping in the price turned people off the purchase). We are still small and have no real history with any logistics companies. As time goes and, and relationships build, the deals get better. I suspect shipping costs for VPC will improve over time as they develop a relationship with a logistics company Make no mistake, though, shipping can be nasty. Z...

I have to agree here, I'm getting some bonus goodies, and a decent discount on a future product. Sure, this delay of a month or two may seem bad, but jeez, in my industry, if a product is just 2 months late, that's a win. A new software package has just been released in my area of work, and not only is it about 3 years late (yes, years, not months...), it is a mess. I'll take a couple of months late, and a good product any day. Z...

I can understand your frustration, but I am unsure you have ever worked on designing/implementing a completely new product from scratch. To be brutal, shit happens, a lot, and then, when that is resolved, something else goes wrong because a change at one point often results in cascading changes needed throughout the system/product. I've been on both sides of the fence, and honestly, yes, the delay sucks, communications could have been handled a little better, but Virpil are also clearly working hard to deliver a product that we will be happy with. I'd rather not get a brand new stick, only to find a "v2.0" released a month later. I'd rather wait and have the right product at the end. :thumbup: Z...

From the sounds of it, my stick will be ready to pick up when I get back from my trip either way. Even if it isn't, I've waited this long, I'm happy to wait a bit longer. Z...

Is that phone set to vibrate? Or... :music_whistling: Z...

You bet! :thumbup: Z...

Baur F3's. I also have a set of VKB T-Rudder MKIII's, so, personally, I'm good with rudders for now :thumbup: I'm still interested in them, though, from an engineering perspective, I enjoy seeing the different solutions. Z...