Thrustmaster F-16C Viper HOTAS Add-On Grip (Windows)

I’ve had this grip for about 1-1/2 years now and I must say Thrustmaster did an outstanding job on it! No issues so far with it. Really adds to the immersion in game and the1:1 replica is a real game changer. If you have this and the F-18 throttle another company sells, it makes for some pretty fluid HOTAS functions like selecting the Litening targeting pod on your right DDI with the castle switch followed by a double press of the undesignate/nose wheel steering button on the control stick to un-stow the pod and then using the TDC slew on the throttle to look around and then designate a target. Really makes you feel like you’re flying the really thing! Apparently some people actually replace a few of the factory switches with real mil-spec switches, those things are a bit expensive lol. Maybe I’ll look into that some more down the road. Definitely worth the price!!

Great product. Feels great. Smooth. Love it. Now to learn to fly the darn aircraft in DCS world and land on a carrier. Fun times ahead.

The joystick itself is excellent, but the pins they use to connect it to the base are weak and very easy to bend. This can make your joystick unusable if you do not know how to repair the pins (which fortunately we could as electronics engineers). If you are wondering how the pins could get bent, the answer is that in a battle, the player could twist the stick which could make the connection loose and possibly bend the pins. It really does not make sense to use this weak array of pins when much better connections would be possible such as USB from the stick to the base. USB would provide a single stronger connection point that is easier to repair or replace if it gets damaged.

Solid construction. Easy to swap on to the base.

I am a big fan of flight sims (primarily DCS) and getting a joystick grip that mimics the jets I fly in the simulator adds a tremendous amount of immersion. The grip feels to be the same level or high quality than the Thrustmaster Warthog grip. The head of the grip is significantly larger which can be a pro or con. The hat switches all have a distinctive 'click' when activated so there's no ambiguity around when a button has been depressed. Speaking of buttons, the level of force to activate the main trigger, pickle button feels significantly heavier which I find to be a positive -- they don't feel like toys with very little resistance.The grip is not 100% metal as with the Warthog grip but it's not a detractor. The parts of the handle that you interact with is metal and it feels solid. One other thing to note is that the Hornet grip has fewer buttons than the Warthog grip, so if you were looking for a single grip to cover all your bases, the Warthog grip may be a better option.The grip pairs nicely with the Warthog base or with the higher end Virpil base. While the grip is expensive, it is worth the price and I'm glad Thrustmaster continues to make products to cater to our niche flight sim market.

The screws are very, very tight and the screws themselves are very flimsy. I broke the screws on the housing the first time I tried to remove and replace the damping spring. The hexagonal buckle is badly damaged and the metal is flipped out to the sides like it was hit by a bullet, indicating that the screws are very low in hardness. As a result, I can't perform any modifications at all and I have to use a power drill to destructively remove them. The default damping force is very high, so high that the base can't stay stable when I pull the rod full, so removing the screws to replace accessories is inevitable. Very unbearable default adjustment and screw quality.

So far so good. After I got it installed to replace my warthog I was a little shocked at the deflection as it seemed way to sensitive but then I realized that it’s designed to let software like DCS curves and saturation settings to adjust how much stick movement translates to control input. So far I like it.

EXELENTE BASE!!