RealSimulator F/A-18 grip

[BlacleyCole]

Not to be putting realism down or anything I heard mention of Rx and tm but no one said anything about the vkb modern combat grip for its gunfighter 2 base? That’s what I’m leaning to there’s plenty of sticks but finding a good quality throttle is hard

[Buckeye]

Not to be putting realism down or anything I heard mention of Rx and tm but no one said anything about the vkb modern combat grip for its gunfighter 2 base? That’s what I’m leaning to there’s plenty of sticks but finding a good quality throttle is hard

 

That's a very well made stick for but, but at the end of the day it's a Russian stick so many find it silly to use with a NATO jet...especially for the Hornet when they are upcoming options for replica sticks of the real things. I will be opting for a Gunfighter Pro Mk II, because I think it's the best base avaiable, but I would never use the MCG for flying NATO jets. Obviously, views on this will vary.

 

Good quality throttles are coming. VPC says theirs will be out Q1 and VKB says the TECS will be out Q3.

[BlacleyCole]

Last i got from vkb Europe it will be closer to the end of the year if all goes well. Well I’m not gonna buy a different stick for each ac just to look realistic when in vr I can’t see it anyway as long as it has enough buttons/hats to configure like the real thing then great. I mean for helos i only have my b4 grip and generic head on the collective. It would be nice two be able to swap out grip and head on the puma and or the grip and throttle levers for the fixed wing. From the post here the newer tm products are a crap shoot so ill use my current stuff until the gf2 and mcg with ext is available then pick it up got to have the best gimbal and sensors underf $1k. When the tecs is released ill buy it based on current product reliability I have the gladiator and pedals no where as poor in quality as my saitek or previous tm pedals and never had trouble with the stick or pedals. Can’t say that about my x-56. Now the proflight yoke, throttles and pedals are ok for the price but the vkb stuff blows them away for fell, responsiveness and quality.

[Buckeye]

Last i got from vkb Europe it will be closer to the end of the year if all goes well. Well I’m not gonna buy a different stick for each ac just to look realistic when in vr I can’t see it anyway as long as it has enough buttons/hats to configure like the real thing then great. I mean for helos i only have my b4 grip and generic head on the collective. It would be nice two be able to swap out grip and head on the puma and or the grip and throttle levers for the fixed wing. From the post here the newer tm products are a crap shoot so ill use my current stuff until the gf2 and mcg with ext is available then pick it up got to have the best gimbal and sensors underf $1k. When the tecs is released ill buy it based on current product reliability I have the gladiator and pedals no where as poor in quality as my saitek or previous tm pedals and never had trouble with the stick or pedals. Can’t say that about my x-56. Now the proflight yoke, throttles and pedals are ok for the price but the vkb stuff blows them away for fell, responsiveness and quality.

 

The recent Euro release I saw said Q3, but who knows. We are all well aware this will likely be delayed, given history. And agreed, who cares how it looks? It's about how it feels, especially in VR (as you said)...for me, it should feel like the real grip, be the same shape as the real grip, and have the same layout as the real grip.

 

To each other own, though :thumbup:

 

From the post here the newer tm products are a crap shoot

 

Indeed they are, however, their grip (on the Warthog at least) is the strength of their products. Their gimbal design is indeed absolute trash.

[jameslockridge]

I just received mine and I love it so far.

[sk000tch]

That's a very well made stick for but, but at the end of the day it's a Russian stick so many find it silly to use with a NATO jet...especially for the Hornet when they are upcoming options for replica sticks of the real things. I will be opting for a Gunfighter Pro Mk II, because I think it's the best base avaiable, but I would never use the MCG for flying NATO jets. Obviously, views on this will vary.

 

Good quality throttles are coming. VPC says theirs will be out Q1 and VKB says the TECS will be out Q3.

 

Silly? I Have a WH grip and MCG pro and prefer the MCG when flying the A-10, if that tells you anything. Part of that is the gunfighter gimbal, but my WH is on a WarBRD - so it's no slouch.

 

The WH is heavy, and people equate that to quality. Ironically lighter is better, as the gimbal requires less damping to prevent oscillations (which is actually silly, as no real plane stick oscillates from spring). The MCG can be set to perform identically as their software is great. TMS location is an analogue slew, which is a bit odd at first but i've got mine set to create an additional button press at 50% deviation. Short press, long press, doesn't matter. And you get two additional buttons right of the face, the master mode is a 5-way hat (all are 5-way actually), POV has a press as well (great for VR center), or can be used to switch between a POV and relativer axis, functioning as an actual trim to the X-Y Axis.

 

Otherwise everything is in the same place, it's just massively higher quality with extra buttons. I don't fly anything eastern except occasional KA-50, but the f-18 is such as simple grip I don't know why I'd "downgrade" my available keybinds, especially in VR where hunting for keyboard sucks. In the hornet, for example, i can slew with my throttle (delta sim mod) or grip, whichever I feel like. The true analogue is much, much smoother viewed on joytester, so much so that I am kicking around ways to use it in the a-10 as slew. Realsimulators f-16 grip is a different beast, particularly with f-16 coming. Gunfighter might end up as dedicated f-14/helo... not sure.

 

Unfortunately I think you guys are going to be disappointed if you're hoping for TECS in Q3. F-14 grip in Q3, but TECS is a ways off yet. I wish it weren't, but fast VKB is not.

[Buckeye]

Silly? I Have a WH grip and MCG pro and prefer the MCG when flying the A-10, if that tells you anything. Part of that is the gunfighter gimbal, but my WH is on a WarBRD - so it's no slouch.

 

 

 

The WH is heavy, and people equate that to quality. Ironically lighter is better, as the gimbal requires less damping to prevent oscillations (which is actually silly, as no real plane stick oscillates from spring). The MCG can be set to perform identically as their software is great. TMS location is an analogue slew, which is a bit odd at first but i've got mine set to create an additional button press at 50% deviation. Short press, long press, doesn't matter. And you get two additional buttons right of the face, the master mode is a 5-way hat (all are 5-way actually), POV has a press as well (great for VR center), or can be used to switch between a POV and relativer axis, functioning as an actual trim to the X-Y Axis.

 

 

 

Otherwise everything is in the same place, it's just massively higher quality with extra buttons. I don't fly anything eastern except occasional KA-50, but the f-18 is such as simple grip I don't know why I'd "downgrade" my available keybinds, especially in VR where hunting for keyboard sucks. In the hornet, for example, i can slew with my throttle (delta sim mod) or grip, whichever I feel like. The true analogue is much, much smoother viewed on joytester, so much so that I am kicking around ways to use it in the a-10 as slew. Realsimulators f-16 grip is a different beast, particularly with f-16 coming. Gunfighter might end up as dedicated f-14/helo... not sure.

 

 

 

Unfortunately I think you guys are going to be disappointed if you're hoping for TECS in Q3. F-14 grip in Q3, but TECS is a ways off yet. I wish it weren't, but fast VKB is not.

 

 

 

You quoted a post of mine from February, where I quoted what VKB had stated at that time. It’s no surprise to me that VKB won’t have it out in Q3 if this year...hell, I’d be surprised if it was out by Q3 of 2020, personally.

 

And yes, some find it silly to use a Russian grip with a NATO jet. Some, not all. So, thanks for providing your opinion, and it’s safe to say you fall on the other part of that “some”.

 

FWIW, a number of people have said the buttons on the Hornet grip feel better than the MCG. Go figure. Still, none of them come close to the OTTO buttons I have on my throttle.

 

 

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[sk000tch]

Sorry, didn't realize the date, this forum moves a little slow

 

And fwiw, it's sort of a preference of the imperfect. if we had a long travel throttle with fingerprints and force sensing slew, I'd prefer a proper composite A10/F16 style grip with depress on the hats. We don't have those, so we are left to make things fit. In that case, where we are trying to accommodate a wide range of modules with a single hotas, imo more options are better

 

My post did come across a bit snooty and that wasn't my intent.

[sk000tch]

And yes, some find it silly to use a Russian grip with a NATO jet. Some, not all. So, thanks for providing your opinion, and it’s safe to say you fall on the other part of that “some”.

 

FWIW, a number of people have said the buttons on the Hornet grip feel better than the MCG. Go figure. Still, none of them come close to the OTTO buttons I have on my throttle.

 

 

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Just wanted to add that the throttle you had put together is awesome. i don't get hung up on 1:1 authenticity (obvious per prior discussion), i get the realistici sim-pit thing but am more of a form over function type (especially given the need to suite multiple modules). That said, your throttle is excellent. I've probably said it a few dozen times on this forum but if someone would just manufacture a solid realistic travel throttle, preferably adjustable detents, proper force sensing slew (doesn't have to be mil-spec, but similar performance), the rest can be regular consumer grade so long as its repairable... I would throw money at them. Its nuts how it doesn't exist given the amount of flight stick, or even collective/cyclic options we have.

 

re the hornet grip, i explained elsewhere but really not into the TM. The base/gimbal is what matters to me anyway, a grip with flexibility in buttons that won't break and im good. Slew matters, whether on throttle or stick (the VKB slew vs delta sim, for example, when viewed in joytester the difference is obvious (not knocking delta, good product and guy)). My competition ride is a su-29 w/ heavy controls that i fly 2-handed, but can jump in a twitchy R22 right afterwards with minimal adjustment. While they are completely different... they're both precise, don't oscillate, allow very fine control inputs, etc. No idea what you paid for that throttle, just wish we didn't have to go to those lengths to get one of similar quality and function.