I’d buy a separate D model, but I can only imagine the whining and wailing that would ensue from certain directions within the community if that was proposed by Heatblur.
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Which is the perfect reason why they should do an A-6E flyable next.
Intruder fans are much easier going, like the rest of the Attack community.
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I put in a pre-order on the ”Tomcat” grip.
I really like the way Virpil are going…
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That’s my boy! 
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I may be getting a little envious. VKB is … slow 
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Wondering if IL2 BOX could be setup to recognize the weapons selector switch. Am thinking it would be nice to map guns to trigger strange one, cannon to stage 2, and the selector to determine if the pickle button activates bombs or rockets.
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First Impressions of The Virpil V.F.X Grip
Received mine yesterday,Here are my first impressions,And I need to first state that I’ve been using The Thrustmaster F/A-18C Stick for a few months so I’ll be comparing the two.
It feels about 60% lighter than The TM Stick ,and a lot less Bulky.The Buttons are all working but lack a responsive feel, The trigger seems to lack any pressure and feels a bit cheap,and toy like.
The Weapons Selector switch is very nice and easy to use,I love how you’ll need to “Unlock It” or push In then Up to take it out of “Off” mode…This seems like such a '60’s-'70’s type of “Safety” of that Era…It reminds me of an Old Chevy Muscle Car with a Manual Transmission,You needed to do something similar to put it in reverse. 
The Paddle Lever is Super Nice and easy to use,It feels twice as big as the The TM Stick.
Installation on to a TM Warthog base wasn’t as easy as The TM sticks, As there’s no “Keyway” to match up with the Stick and The Base.You’ll need to be very careful to match up the internal pins and not damage them.
It also came with no users manual or button description
So to Sum it up,after only a few hrs of use and coming from The Thrustmaster F/A-18C Stick The Virpil V.F.X Grip is a bit of a let down…It just doesn’t have a quality feel and button response that I’m used to…
Also The Payment option at the time was a bit of a Headache as you needed to use a Third Party Lithuanian Bank to make your Purchase.
That and the fact it took over four months from time of payment to time of delivery was also a bummer as it was promised within 90 days.
I would have to recommend if you are already using a Thrustmaster Stick to wait till The VKB/Heatblur Stick comes out and gets some reviews before buying The Virpil Product.
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Got mine yesterday too. 
I can’t say my grip buttons lack response… Maybe a bit ”dull” response…?
Will the VKB stick be compatible with the WH?
I tried searching for an answer but only found VKB asking the users about this.
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Using a lighter grip on the very stiff Warthog base is going to make it seem rather lackluster IMHO. The stiff resistance really needs a heavy grip to counter it. I have my Warthog grip back on the original base for the F16 and right next to it, centrally mounted, I have the VirPil WarBRD base with the MongoosT50 CM2 grip. I also initially was a bit disappointed with the feel of the grip when compared to the heavy duty Warthog, but soon found that of the two, the Virpil stick/base combination allows for far greater precision. Also, having the brake lever as an axis is nice on the VirPil setup.
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I’m hearing on Hoggit that it will NOT be compatible with TM products…If someone knows for sure…Please chime in.
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VKB (not to be confused with VPC Virpil) have a different connection mechanism between stick and base. That connection is not Thrustmaster compatible - the VKB F-14 stick will not work with a Thrustmaster base.
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I guess I should qualify that
If they put out a specific one that is WH compatible, then it will likely be a separate product from their regular Gunfighter model (as the base connection is not compatible with the WH mechanism). VPC Virpil uses the same mechanism as the WH for the base/grip connection but VKB does not.
I mean it is possible they may have/ship with an adapter kit (that they sell to adapt the WH grip to the VKB Gunfighter base. So there is that.
Alright. Alright. Maybe.
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I am still interested in the grip, but now I am having doubts. Are the buttons and the trigger any different than those of the T-50 (which I think are absolutely fine)?
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My SimBox is packed away for the weekend.
Monster-in-law is visiting…
I dug out my VPC MT-50CM and TM Warthog sticks, to compare them to the VPC V.F.X and I made a little video of it…
[Turn on sound]
I’d say the switches of the V.F.X feel just as good as the MT-50CM, and in most cases better than the Warthog.
Now, the Warthog has been with me for a looong time. It has seen a lot of use. The solid feel of the metal can’t be beat. But the hat switches are really mushy. The push buttons are a mixed bag. Some are crisp and some are slightly mushy.
Comparing the dual stage trigger there’s no clear winner. All three have a crisp first detent and then the second stage is a bit mushy. But you can definitely feel the switches in all three cases.
The only switch on the V.F.X that could be better is the bomb release switch. The red one on the right… Must be the most awkwardly placed switch, ever. It looks like it’s put there as an afterthought by Grumman and VPC copied the position, of course.
Since you are reaching for it with your thumb, you hit it at an angle and the click feedback is sort of lost. In the video I had to use my index finger to activate the button to get any audible click out of it.
I thought using a Nomex flight glove would be cool, but the sheepskin makes some creaking noises. Sorry.
Not sorry.
Can’t compare to the TM Hornet stick, since I don’t have that one…yet…
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Fantastic video,Thanks for making it.,
I know my comments might seem a bit critical of The V.F.X Grip but really it’s just personnel preference. I went from the TM Warthog to The TM Hornet stick which are a very similar material,button pressure, and feel wise.
So The new grip is just a departure of what feels “Normal” for me.
Who knows?In a few months if I give it enough time I might change my opinion?
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No worries, @Phantom88. Everybody’s opinion counts. We all have our preferences.
The VPC MT-50 was my first stick, after the TM Cougar and then Warthog. Not feeling the cold metal in my hand, was a disappointment.
After buying the real Viggen stick grip, every PC flight controller was disappointing…! But quite frankly, I think flightsimmers would revolt if button forces was as hard as on the Viggen stick.
I know that VPC have had some quality issues with sticking switches and such. Normally fixed by adjusting some material clearances with a file or sandpaper. So it’s something to look out for and I guess this can differ between sticks.
Overall though, they seem to do excellent work.
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That’s some serious ASMR. You should stream this on Twitch.
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