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

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.

It's kind of overkill for video games, but wow! This stick is very solid, tight, heavy and realistic. When paired with a Thrustmaster or Verpil base you will feel like you have to upgrade your other peripherals to match. I think the buttons and the very top (hood shaped) section are plastic, but it's hard to tell. The coupling is metal and designed so you really can't misalign it when attaching it to the base.This stick has all the same buttons as the genuine item (and can be mapped exactly the same in DCS) with one or two extras. Size and shape wise, it's just about an exact replica. I understand the weight is the same, too. Some other users feel like it's a bit large for average sized hands, but it seems perfect for me. I wear gloves sized L or XL.I really can't imagine any way to "improve" on this stick, except to lower the price, but for me it's worth every penny.

Very well built as what you expect from thrustmaster. Easy to remove or install when switching between grip types. My only fault would be the price. While price and quality often walk hand in hand I believe the price is a little high for just the grip. Perhaps a discount or rebate should be offered for owners of the rest of the control system as an incentive to purchase. Now, as an ultimate act of hypocrisy, I have no regrets in this purchase at all! I love it so the fact I paid for it is on me. Would also be nice to see a few other handles come out such as the F-14, or other classic aircraft. Heck, maybe offer a gift pack of 3 or 4 handles around popular holidays. Have been buying Thrustmaster gear for 20 years and still love it. Also as a retired USAF aviator, I believe there are some TM sticks which were better built than their real world counterparts.

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!!

The Viper is the exact same grip that comes as standard on (newer) Warthog sticks. Older Warthog grips didn't have a "press" switch built in to as many of the 4-way hats as the Viper, but I was surprised to learn that this is simply a more affordable way to get the Warthog grip (maybe for use on a 3rd party base or something?).

What do I like about the TM AVA BASE?First, you can feel the difference between a mechanical gimbal base from a regular base which is the resistance when you pull and push on the Axis.Second, the centering and calibration of the base is simple and straight forward, just push a button next to the power cord for 5 seconds or until Green LED starts blinking do not touch the joystic, push again center saved then move the Axis, push again, done.I have a joystick extension which make the joystick off center and with this calibration made extremely easy.Third, you have 3 spring choices and two cams ( jet of aero). If you fly combat simulator I find that the Jet cam is the way to go.The base only problem is the provided dampers are to soft which make the joystick a little jumpy if you let it go but when you are dogfighting is very rare that you will do that. Maybe flying helicopters will be and issue.The price. A little high but is worth it, every penny. Overall awesome!

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.