My Saitek X-55 stick is really showing age and I’m looking at Virpil products to replace.
Any feedback good/bad would be appreciated.
Hi @piper!
I have the WarBRD base with the MongoosT50 CM2 grip. The action is precise and smooth. If you go with that grip you will have more hat switches and buttons than you can shake a stick at. The analog brake lever on the grip is great for the early Russian aircraft and the Spitfire, which used a handbrake (it is actually more precise than toe brakes). The stick and base are quite tall, so I would highly recommend mounting it with something like a MonsterTech desk clamp.
Hope that helps a little. Oh, some of the Virpil grips have a twist axis, but the MongoosT50 does not, so you will need pedals if you go with this grip.
1 Like
I have the cm2 throttle cm2 base with vfx and alpha grips,also have the ace 2 pedals, it was super pricey but the quality is so far ahead of the x52 I owned for years. Right now I’m playing alot of sc with my alpha and it makes 6d manuvering so easy I’m in love with this grip
1 Like
My setup is:
WarBRD base + Thrustmaster F/A-18C grip
VPC MongoosT-50CM2 Throttle
VKB T-Rudder Mk.IV
I’ve thrown some hard earned cash on those controllers recently (as I was not able to fly in RL) and have to say that I am in flight sim Nirvana 
When I get shot down (pretty much on every mission), it is with a big smile on my face 
The WarBRD base is very good, has a good angular throw and with a grip on it sits actually pretty high. I got a table mount from Monstertech (also for the throttle) and all is just perfect. The way it was meant to be. I installed non-center-detent cams and the feeling is very very VERY close to a stick in a real aircraft (without the force feedback of course).
If you can afford to spent not negligible amount of cash, you can’t go wrong. It is really good 
1 Like
Sorry for being late, I hope this post comes in time to influence your decision process.
I have a floor mounted CM2 base with two extensions; the curved one screwed on top of a 10cm straight one. On top of that sits a thrustmaster warthog handle. It is perfection.
Without it, I could not fly a helicopter to save my life. I would spin out like a motherlover whenever I touched the stick in the spitfire. Aerial refueling was an exercise in horrible frustration. Energy fighting was something I read about, but never practiced. Gunnery was a matter of spray & pray.
With this stick I feel like a motherlovin’ lord of the sky. The smoothness, the precision, the lightness of touch while still being a solid piece of equipment. My BFM still sucks and I still bolter all the time. I still tend to end up grovelling after 270 degrees of turn and I still rarely hit what I aim for, but now at least I know that I have only my lack of skill to blame.
See, when I fly a lot, focussing on one of those weaknesses, I can see definite improvements. They don’t stick, for these skills all are highly perishable, especially in a man no longer young, but I did get better at shooting fokkers with the gun, at flinging my craft through footless halls of cloud.
This is the stick to get when you can do a floormount. When you are doing a deskmount, I would get the WarBRD. It’s mechanics are more suited to shorter, lighter sticks.
Whatever choice you make, you are in for a treat bud. It’s going to be a quantum leap.
3 Likes
How does the wiring work in your setup? Are you daisy chaining two sets of extension wires?
Do you feel a significant difference between just the 200mm extension vs 200mm + 10mm?
Yea I daisychained them. Was a bit if a hassle to get right, but when it works, it works.
I haven’t really tried it without the 10cm. Taller is better imo.
The S extension has a mounted cable but the straight extensions doesn’t. So you will have to use an extension wire for the 100mm extension.
I have had the warbrd base for about a year now, so far fantastic, it is very smooth,with no descernable center spots, when compared to somthing like the X52 or 56, as for grips I started with the Constellation Delta and have just moved up to the Alpha. The alpha is a major step up from the Delta. The software takes some getting used to but once you get the hang of it, its fine.
Personally i think i will now stick with Virpil, (he said eyeing up the CM2 throttle)
I also have the version one brackets for both the stick and my worthog throttle, these are very well engineered (read heavy) and for the stick is probably a must because of the height of the base.
1 Like
Stick between the knees is also very much more ergonomical and conducive to precision/smooth flying than having it off the side on a table.
The other night I boltered three times before slamming a 4 wire. Yesterday I trapped an ugly 2 wire on the first go. With a worse stick, I think I would have kept on boltering.
As for gunnery… hmmm 
For some reason vs bots I am Vasilii Zaitsev with wings. Brrt and off their wings come. In PvP, not so much, guess the adrenalin and moving target make things harder.
2 Likes
Today I have received the VPC WarBRD Grip which I ordered in order to fly “properly” the WW2 birds and early jets. In the meantime I was using the TM F/A-18C grip for all aircraft and discovered I actually had no need for another grip but yeah, here we go 
My first impressions vis-à-vis the TM F/A-18C grip:
- good build quality, however buttons could feel heavier and with more tactile “click”
- enough buttons for the mission - WW2 and early jets; a wheel brake paddle would be great though
- the WarBRD grip is very light and therefore the deflection tension feels harder (I am using the WarBRD base with no-center-detent cams)
- I realized how good the TM F/A-18C grip is - since it is made of metal. The feeling of grabbing it and being initially cold and its heaviness is just great. The WarBRD is lacking this feeling due to the materials used. The price ranges are different, of course, so no complaint here (TM cca 200 EUR, WarBRD 90 EUR)
Good grip for the money, I’d say. I may not be swapping it regularly but just for this little more immersion… yes.
3 Likes
I’m using the warthog grip on my T50CM, but looking askance at the T50 grip. That analogue brake lever…
…and the plethora of buttons Yes.
I like my TM F/A-18C grip. With an analog brake lever it would be just PERFECT.
1 Like
The brake lever is what sold it for me (it makes the DCS Spitfire much easier to handle on the ground)…plus the sheer number of programmable inputs. Replica grips are great, but if you want to map them as per the real aircraft, there are no buttons or switches left for sim specific functions, such as centering the VR view.
2 Likes