Thrustmaster Hotas Warthog: to buy or not buy, info wanted pls

[Bob Scott 7,721]

I just found the Warthog on sale for $358 at one of Amazon's partner sites.

 

Santa just couldn't say no to that, Ho Ho Ho!

[Robert McDonald 167]

Hey Bob!

 

How great is that! GOOD JOB SANTA! That's a GREAT price! You'll love it!

 

Robert Scott McDonald

LOL the vehicles in your sig line - as if they were PC components :lol:

[buedi 36]

i found a thrustmaster hotas warthog in my local there is only 1 left.

My q is: The serial number on the thrust unit says: 05359, is this a good batch or is it 1 of those problem units?

 

Any info would be great before i decide.

 

 

Thanks guys

 

I got mine today and if I´m allowed to say that: If this is really the only one left in that store, it must been there for quite a while. Mine has a serial in the 14.000 range. So I have the feeling that unit is sitting around at that shop for a pretty long time. That must not be bad. Maybe you can try to get the unit pretty cheap, because it´s "old" :-)

[TOX 0]

I got mine today and if I´m allowed to say that: If this is really the only one left in that store, it must been there for quite a while. Mine has a serial in the 14.000 range. So I have the feeling that unit is sitting around at that shop for a pretty long time. That must not be bad. Maybe you can try to get the unit pretty cheap, because it´s "old" :-)

 

well i wish it was cheap, its in a glass cabinet dust free of course and not used.

The store price is currently at 395 euros (320stg) but they said i can have it for 375 euros (304stg).

 

Now I don't know if older batch serials can give me problems or not but Do you think I'll be better off looking for a Newer serials and built units?

thanks.

[Robert McDonald 167]

well i wish it was cheap, its in a glass cabinet dust free of course and not used.

The store price is currently at 395 euros (320stg) but they said i can have it for 375 euros (304stg).

 

Now I don't know if older batch serials can give me problems or not but Do you think I'll be better off looking for a Newer serials and built units?

thanks.

 

Mine is serial # 09545 and is appx 1 year old, I think.

[zmak 331]

Tox . Just do it :-)

[Dominique_K 10,150]

A very interesting thread, thanks to the contributors.

 

I wonder whether the TM Warthog would be a better choice than my present old CH HOTAS for driving a chopper (AS Huey) ?

 

The Fighterstick is smooth enough when moving vertically (pitch) or horizontally (roll) but its resistance is much stronger when moving diagonally which makes more difficult to control the ship as you need to input permantently small corrections in all directions. What about the TM W, is it consistent on 360° ?

[HoratioWondersocks 4]

As we are discussing Thrustmaster sticks ,I will just chip in and say I use there basic HOTAS X (works with 9 as well) Obviously nothing as fancy the Warthog ,but as a basic stick in the thirty quid dept it the best I have used in this range .

Andy

[buedi 36]

well i wish it was cheap, its in a glass cabinet dust free of course and not used.

The store price is currently at 395 euros (320stg) but they said i can have it for 375 euros (304stg).

 

Now I don't know if older batch serials can give me problems or not but Do you think I'll be better off looking for a Newer serials and built units?

thanks.

I fear I´m not in a position to make a judgement on what you should buy or not, since I have mine only since yesterday and I did not have another TM Warthog before (nor even touched one). What I did in the last 2 weeks was just reading and watching everything I could find in the Internet about the TM Warthog unit. And the newer the reports and reviews got the less people complained about problems with their units (sticking switches, not working switches, dead throttle units etc.).

 

So I can only "assume" that TM started a better quality control prior shipping units than they did when it was brand new. But that´s only an assumption and could be completely wrong. I was tempted to buy a used one from eBay, but since you are able to get new Units for as low as 275€ here in Germany if you are lucky, I did not see a reason why pay 250€ for a used one without warranty.

 

If you buy it from the store, the warranty is not a problem since I am pretty sure that for Thrustmaster your payment receipt matters and not the serial number if something breaks.

 

I really hope that mine lasts forever of course and I won´t regret it spending that money. But on day 2 now I´m still overwhelmed about the size and the weight of the Unit compared to my Cyborg Evo Force I used now for years and how smooth the throttle and especially the stick moves. It´s a fantastic feeling, similar to going from digital Joysticks to my first Analog Joystick decades ago. I still cannot believe that I bought it, so I think I should set this post to an end and do some flying :-)

 

I´m still waiting for my Pedals though, flying without rudder is really strange if you have to use the Keyboard for that and for taxiing on the ground. Also keep in mind that you will have no Force Feedback anymore if you´re used to it. But I´m sure I won´t regret paying that "small price" for a long time :-)

[Bob Scott 7,721]

@Dominique--another option to consider is the Thrustmaster T16000M--like the Warthog, it also uses noise-free non-contacting magnetic Hall Effect sensors...but for the pitch/roll/yaw(twist) axes (the throttle axis uses a pot), and it's a $50 joystick. I think it's probably the best consumer-grade joystick out there now until you get into the heavy iron, where the Warthog really is in a class of its own.

[hs118 707]

In honor of 12/12/12, my 13th post updates the HOTAS control assignment worksheet.

 

Hope you find it helpful.

 

http://uchisworld.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/oh-noes-the-mayan-apocalypse/

[TOX 0]

In honor of 12/12/12, my 13th post updates the HOTAS control assignment worksheet.

 

Hope you find it helpful.

 

http://uchisworld.wo...yan-apocalypse/

 

Thank you very much for your "HOTAS control assignment worksheet" well appreciated.

Keep up the good work.

[zmak 331]

Sure Zoran, I have just received delivery of the very same, well it's the MCP Boeing type to be correct, ready for installation into a new cockpit/pit build that I'm working on.

 

I use helios for DCS but is there a similar type of software for fsx? if you are talking about a generic method of assigning buttons and switches, then sure, LINDA. But beyond that I'm unsure

 

Howard how is the Mcp? I received the Mpanel today, Very impressed with metal construction and plug and play straight out of the box. i was wondering how they could afford to do this so cheap untill I read made in Korea on the box, could have fooled me it looks and feels German made.!

[Rocky_53 1,581]

Howard how is the Mcp? I received the Mpanel today, Very impressed with metal construction and plug and play straight out of the box. i was wondering how they could afford to do this so cheap untill I read made in Korea on the box, could have fooled me it looks and feels German made.!

 

Sure, Zoran... I can't comment at the moment because I've still not finished my new sim build. I hope to have it finished by the weekend...

[KingGhidorah 209]

I just got my Warthog and am pleased to say that it exceeds my expectations, despite having some reservations about the cost. It doesn't replace the yoke for GA aircraft, it complements it. If I'm going to fly a GA or commercial airplane, I use the yoke, and if I'm going to fly a combat sim, I just stow the yoke off to the side. In my particular setup, I'm sitting the new Warthog on a small table in front of, slightly beneath and below the main computer desk. I found it is a bit awkward to use while sitting on top of the desk because of it's size.

 

One of the things I considered was would I be able to adequately use it left handed for the upcoming FSL Airbus? I've determined that it might be a little strange for that task since it has a switch designed for your right hand thumb, but I think it will ultimately work just fine for the rare left handed control stick operation, nonetheless.