AeroGator Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) Check out the pictures... A roaring F-14 Tomcat, one of the most fearsome airplanes of the Cold War. ... and A state of the art F-14 Tomcat grip that is now officially announced as it is entering production stage. Please put on your helmets, fasten your belts, and get ready for the take off. F-14 Tomcat grip turned to be one of our most interesting products (joint project with Heatblur, supported by Eagle Dynamics). The grip is a veritable replica, exact to a fraction of a millimeter. Prototypes were checked and approved by the real veteran F-14 pilots of Heatblur team. Making a replica grip wasn't easy, as we couldn't alter the shape or size of the device, nor the controls' layout. However our engineers set their creativity free when it came to internal design of the grip. We didn’t want to make a lookalike device, somewhat resembling the original. Instead we wanted to deliver the spirit and feeling of this legendary warbird with her feline nickname. The very touch of this grip is supposed to wake up the memories – or, bring up the images – of the glorious service Tomcat did to the world. Rubber inserts for a no slip firm and handy grip Metal ammo switch, hat, and emergency autopilot disable trigger Long travel soft click buttons Modular hat design (fully dismantleable, all buttons user replaceable) Ammo switch design based on contactless sensor DLC maneuver wheel design based on contactless sensor Two-step trigger design based on cam mechanism – similar to that used in real life war planes Lockable contactless sensor twist mechanism 32-bit ARM controller as the brain of the grip Now, where are we, and how it translates into simple words? We have finished the molds. Here they are, the real beauties. See the picture! Perfection in every curve! Our engineers need a few weeks to finalize the surfaces adding texture and making tiny invisible tweaks here and there. We're planning the first copies roll out in early-mid November. There will be pre-order open in November; RRP is marked at 189 USD (base not included). Those who already purchased F-14 module from Heatblur will enjoy 10% off this price; those who consider buying that module will have 10 USD off the price of the module with the purchase of the VKB F-14 grip. New VKB F-14 grip is breaking into the gaming devices market. We know: we did it right, and we’re proud of our new creation. Hope, you can join us and share our pride and happiness! P.S. An attentive pilot has probably noticed something interesting in the picture of the grip… What could that be? - Great question. Please stay tuned for more news: a new announcement is coming soon. Edited October 22, 2019 by UIV > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akrescue130 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 I spy a mkiii base Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waxer Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) This looks like exceptional work. Well done. I'll be looking forwards to getting one of these. I don't have a Gunfighter base: will you be building up a stock of these to meet demand for people new to VKB hardware? Anyways... pretty excited to see this. Oh... one question: what mechanism is there to verify F-14 module ownership? Edited October 18, 2019 by Milou [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Ball Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Glad I waited, this looks like the Tomcat grip to have. Looking forward to the Pre Order announcement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrohde Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Oh... one question: what mechanism is there to verify F-14 module ownership? It's planned that Heatblur will provide individual codes to owners of their F-14 DCS module, and these codes can than be entered into the respective VKB webshop for the 10% discount during checkout. 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 VKBcontrollers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
=37.Sqn= Mjugen Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 MK I base compatible ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrei Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 I spy a mkiii base Yepp... I think you're spot on. Damn, I was hoping for TECS hints :( AMD R7 5800X3D | Aorus B550 Pro | 32GB DDR4-3600 | RTX 4080 | VKB MGC Pro Gunfighter Mk III + Thustmaster TWCS + VKB T-Rudder Mk4 | HP Reverb G2 FC3 | A-10C II | Ка-50 | P-51 | UH-1 | Ми-8 | F-86F | МиГ-21 | FW-190 | МиГ-15 | Л-39 | Bf 109 | M-2000C | F-5 | Spitfire | AJS-37 | AV-8B | F/A-18C | Як-52 | F-14 | F-16 | Ми-24 | AH-64 NTTR | Normandy | Gulf | Syria | Supercarrier | Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streakeagle Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 I just got my SCG Pro grip in today completing my collection of grips compatible with the Gunfighter Mk II. Now, I am going to be waiting for the pre-order announcement. I also just purchased a 2nd Gunfighter Mk II because I damaged a bearing on my first one. So, now I have one fully functional and one that just needs a new bearing, providing some redundancy... but now there is a Mk III! [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniron Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 It's planned that Heatblur will provide individual codes to owners of their F-14 DCS module, and these codes can than be entered into the respective VKB webshop for the 10% discount during checkout. Does it matter if you have the module through Steam or directly from ED/Heatblur? Also, which are the time limits attached to these two discount options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroGator Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 I damaged a bearing on my first one Every time I bump into your name on the forum I have some sort of deja vu, like I did write to you ans asked to contact me through PM at VKB home forum... Did I not? Because I remember reading your first post about the bearing, and thinking how to help you. But we only do tech support via our own forum, so I thought I asked you to get registered there first. If I didn't, then I do now. Please go to our forum and ping me there. Direct links to your posts with your problem described would help a lot. I'm pretty positive we will be able to o something about it. And yes, pls mention which country you are in. > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroGator Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 Does it matter if you have the module through Steam or directly from ED/Heatblur? Also, which are the time limits attached to these two discount options? There is still some time till mid November; we will work out the technicalities, and explain how tos to the potential buyers. Talking time limits, no, we don't plan any. > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroGator Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 I don't have a Gunfighter base: will you be building up a stock of these to meet demand for people new to VKB hardware? Time to wake up and welcome the brave new world :pilotfly: GF bases are in stock. Talks about GFs and MCGs not being available are rapidly falling into oblivion, even although there are guys still happy to pop up this topic in every discussion. NO I am not hinting at anyone present :) just sharing my point that "vkb is never in stock" is not a trendy topic any longer. :music_whistling: > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroGator Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 MK I base compatible ? There will be kinda pre-order list (why kinda is because no funds will be taken or frozen) - it will help us know roughly the number of v1 users we will need to serve. Then, based on this number we will make grips for v1 - either they will be available right away (no firm promise), or within a couple of months (not years). Our production capacity now is times that last year, so fear not. Long delays are in the past. > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyTX Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 Where is the pre order location I have 2 GF1 bases. Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk I7 3930 4.2GHz ( Hyperthreading Off), GTX1080, 16 GB ddr3 Hotas Warthog Saiteck Combat Pedals HTC Vive, Oculus CV1. GTX 1080 Has its uses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadoga Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 I wish to buy the F-14 grip asap through your european distributor. Will he be able to open a pre-order list and receive grips from the 1st production batch as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackLibrary Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 (edited) is it compatible with a Warthog base? And the codes for owning a Tomcat does it for with steam Users too? im sooooo excited !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Givve it tooooo meee ! ;) Edited October 19, 2019 by BlackLibrary aka WarLord DCSFlightpanels DCS-BIOS Fork DCSFlightpanels arduino-library DCSFlightpanels DCSFlightpanels-Profiles DCS FP / BIOS Discord Server Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadus Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 I wish to buy the F-14 grip asap through your european distributor. Will he be able to open a pre-order list and receive grips from the 1st production batch as well? Interested in this too. Ryzen 5800XD - 32GB RAM - Sapphire RX 7900 XTX - VKB Stuff + MFG Crosswind Pedals Homebase: Southwest Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nessuno0505 Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 Is It warthog base compatible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VampireNZ Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Hehe cracks me up. VKB start voting poll - Does the F-14 stick need a twist function? 80% of respondants say NO it does not. VKB..."Sweet...Lockable contactless sensor twist mechanism added" Hey I am all for options right - but still kinda funny. Asus Maximus VIII Hero Alpha| i7-6700K @ 4.60GHz | nVidia GTX 1080ti Strix OC 11GB @ 2075MHz| 16GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB 3200Mhz DDR4 CL14 | Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2 SSD | Corsair Force LE 480GB SSD | Windows 10 64-Bit | TM Warthog with FSSB R3 Lighting Base | VKB Gunfighter Pro + MCG | TM MFD's | Oculus Rift S | Jetseat FSE [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroGator Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 Hehe cracks me up. VKB start voting poll - Does the F-14 stick need a twist function? 80% of respondants say NO it does not. Well, this is not the only platform where we collected feedback. Besides, an advice is an advice, and necessity is necessity. Technology is technology. Some things vote for themselves! :) > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AeroGator Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 Warthog base - no. Why should it? Just to turn a masterpiece into an overpriced chunk of useless circuitry, plastic and metal? WH base is too much a limitation. > Best Regards from VKB Lair, AeroGator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sokol1_br Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Is It warthog base compatible? Warthog base is too "vintage" for this new features/tech, e.g. Lockable contactless sensor twist mechanism 32-bit APM controller as the brain of the grip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nessuno0505 Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Warthog base - no. Why should it? Just to turn a masterpiece into an overpriced chunk of useless circuitry, plastic and metal? WH base is too much a limitation. Well, if you put it this way then I'm not interested, you can keep your masterpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dudikoff Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 (edited) Well, this is not the only platform where we collected feedback. Besides, an advice is an advice, and necessity is necessity. Technology is technology. Some things vote for themselves! :) Did you also collect feedback for a TM base adapter perhaps? I'm sure there are customers out there with TM compatible bases who'd prefer your grip over the Virpil one. Since you don't offer a throttle, you can't expect people to ditch their current HOTAS systems, but selling them grips until your throttle is ready would be a way to attract them to your eco-system. Warthog base - no. Why should it? Just to turn a masterpiece into an overpriced chunk of useless circuitry, plastic and metal? WH base is too much a limitation. I guess there's my answer. Oh, well.. Edited October 20, 2019 by Dudikoff i386DX40@42 MHz w/i387 CP, 4 MB RAM (8*512 kB), Trident 8900C 1 MB w/16-bit RAMDAC ISA, Quantum 340 MB UDMA33, SB 16, DOS 6.22 w/QEMM + Win3.11CE, Quickshot 1btn 2axis, Numpad as hat. 2 FPH on a good day, 1 FPH avg. DISCLAIMER: My posts are still absolutely useless. Just finding excuses not to learn the F-14 (HB's Swansong?). Annoyed by my posts? Please consider donating. Once the target sum is reached, I'll be off to somewhere nice I promise not to post from. I'd buy that for a dollar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streakeagle Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 (edited) Why would VKB limit their designs or increase their cost/complexity trying to sell accessories compatible with their principal competitor's products? If you can afford it, it is better for both them and their customers to push sales of their Gunfighter Mk.II stick bases. If you can't afford their product or simply refuse because you are happy with what you already have, you weren't their target market. They wanted to make something for people who wanted something more than what the Warthog offered in both quality and capability. But it comes with a much higher price. I like the Warthog HOTAS, but the stick has always had its limitations. I decided to try VKB when they announced their MCG Pro. It killed two birds with one stone: a much better gimbal and support for Soviet style sticks with analog brake levers, flip down triggers/safetys, etc. I paid more for the VKB stick/grip than I paid for the entire Warthog throttle and stick HOTAS, but I got what I paid for. The feel and precision of the gimbal is amazing. The MCG Pro was perfect for flying certain MiGs and the Spitfire Mk.IX, but was still more than compatible with anything that worked well with the Warthog grip. As it stands, VKB has provided adapters that are easily installed to use the TM Warthog and F/A-18C grips with their Gunfighter Mk.II stick base. So you can keep your Warthog or even enjoy the new Hornet grip on a base that not only has a much better gimbal that can be tuned to the owner's preferences, but supports grips with much greater capability than the TM grips: more hats/buttons, analog axes and cursors, etc. I have absolutely no trouble flying with the Warthog throttle and VKB Gunfighter Mk.II in DCS World. So, I don't understand the need for VKB to urgently provide a throttle to make their stick/grips more attractive? I now have a large assortment of VKB compatible grips, most of them replicas or reasonable approximations of real grips. The F-14 grip will be a great additon to my collection. Edited October 20, 2019 by streakeagle [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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