Winwing F/A-18C Hornet Stick and Throttle Review

[@Firefox22]

That little kick at 14:05 has me dead hahahha

[@stal2k]

I almost spit my drink out when he threw that kick rofl.

[@redtailpilot]

Me too. LOL

[@zyraxnl85]

lol

[@flyingtravel]

i thought i was alone haha. That unecessary kick XD XD

[@Kaiyening]

@@flyingtravel why, I found it to be a real world test of how I treat my peripherals!

[@mururoa7024]

Great review. Thanks! Just a couple of years ago it was difficult to find anything else but the TM Warthog hotas but now there are so many options available I feel like we're in the Golden Age of sims.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

yes i agree its nice to see the sim world blowing up

[@sticmatic]

Hey @@GrowlingSidewinder I absolutely LOVE your channel ...did you end up using the winwing? what DO you use/recommend? I'm looking for F18 specific HOTAS+Rudder. For now I just ordered the FC16000 Bundle but I guess I won't STICK with it (pun intended). Regards+greetings from germany.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Winwing Site: www.winwing.cn/en/?language=en Wild Weasel: www.wildweaselapparel.com/

[@ThePinkus]

The thing I like of the FA-18 stick (I have the Thrustmaster one) is how the hand grips, or rather rests, so easily on it. The thumb rest, the bend that supports the inside of the hand and the placement of the four fingers. It is just so well thought. I just have to remember myself that strolling in a park with an FA-18 stick in my right hand might be regarded as weird... by uneducated people, at least. :P

[@dalebachman2892]

It's been over a year since this review. Is this (still?) your preferred HOTA's or do you prefer another? Have the concerns you expressed been addressed and resolved by Winwing? Interestingly, you had the mounts on top of the table covering instead of beneath... Why did you choose to do that? Thanks in advance.

[@rantanplan178]

Guys, seriously? I mean yes, throttle and stick look awesome but 900 friggin dolllars for a hotas is a little too expensive. You can get 2 thrustmaster hotas for this price and I always thought that they were friggin expensive. We are in 2019. Damn 2019. You can get a fridge with ice cube machine and alexa integration for a few hundred bucks but a bloody game controller (which this is in the end) costs almost a thousand dollars? WTF. I've dreamed about a thrustmaster hotas when I was younger. Always wanted to have one of them, even though, I couldn't justify the pricing but this....this is just a whole new level of ridiculousness in regards of pricing. Why...just why can no one make a good and usable hotas for maybe even 200$, which isn't this plastic "fantastic" bullshit Saitek makes. It annoys the crap out of me.

[@PatrickRatman]

and you can get the new F/a-18 attachment for the warthog stick base for $200. which is like $300 cheaper.

[@jm52128]

Totally agree. I wonder if the prices are so high because the community is so small compared to other genres out there. Maybe if the new flight sim from Microsoft is as good as they make it out to be it will cause a large enough growth in the community to trigger some more competition among these companies.

[@sandwich5344]

don't bother with the thrustmaster hotas... VIRPIL beats it easily

[@zackeryhardy9504]

the warthog has a terrible base though which is the part that matters. considering the other sticks with a similar quality base start at 400 dollars for the stick alone the price makes sense. I'd say this full kit is cheaper that my hotas setup

[@2ebarman]

@@zackeryhardy9504 Maybe they haven't moved their production to Asia yet.

[@joshuajackson1616]

If you sync it to DCS you can control the lights on the throttle with the light panel in the Hornet.

[@MILBSUSMC]

Outstanding post. More reviews please.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thank you, glad you liked it.

[@paulrubens3048]

sounds like just the thing i am looking for...thanks

[@donno1970]

I'm trying hard to keep my conformation bias in check but it's not easy to do when this thing looks so good haha great review mate, very informative. I can't wait to see the landing gear add on panel they're planing as well as what the have planed for the F-16.

[@Brooks__EU]

wait there will be more?

[@donno1970]

@@Brooks__EU Yep, though probably depending on the success of this one first

[@Brooks__EU]

@@donno1970 I mean. I am really thinking about getting it. But are there official "plans" to read about somewhere?

[@donno1970]

@@Brooks__EU sorry I'm not sure where I read it, either on Discord or their Facebook page.

[@donc9751]

Great looking throttle set up if not big! But very cool. Hoping they'll sell them separately and that if someone wants a different stick it would be easily programmable to work together. Love the idea of being able to share setup files for all the different planes you might fly with it that's a huge help alone especially for someone like myself who is just starting out in DCS! GOOD Review!

[@charles_wipman]

Both look to me after this tour as good products; i also see flaws or potential downsides on the joy, but i don't see any on the throttle. Look really well and sturdy.

[@Saphare]

I see a pattern here, first the A-10 stick was a «throttle» in your setup video, and now the trigger is a «throttle». 🧐 GS wakes up in the morning he got throttles on his mind

[@GeFlixes]

Different chokes for different folks.

[@robertyoul]

They really need to sculpt some veins into that grip.

[@MILBSUSMC]

Once I am done building my system plan on doing some one on one training with you. Can't wait.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Awesome news buddy I look forward to it

[@overlordhabib]

so did it happen?

[@Bellthorian]

I will be honest, I am kind of surprised GS doesn't have a decommissioned legacy Hornet forward fuselage in his basement rigged to play DCS lol.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

work in progress.

[@Bellthorian]

@@GrowlingSidewinder lol

[@buickkkkkk1]

I wonder how much a real stick is if you go out two the desert , as retired A and P I have been thinking of going out two the bone yards and getting aircraft parts and repurposing them for games and furniture , have you seen the furniture their making out of old plane parts ? their making a killing , I would love two get into that .....

[@inrptn]

I live in AZ, do you know where to get plane parts?

[@theeltea]

It aint easy to repurpose real parts. Especially electrical components like throttle designators or instruments.

[@MaxMnemonic]

Very nice! Thanks for the review, I will wait until they have a throttle unit sold separately, that indeed looks nice!

[@FreeRangeLemon]

Same.

[@MavicAir1]

Great review. Agree with you completely on these points. 1. Trigger looks like it could be smoother. Nothing like having to extra squeeze it when you need the accuracy. 2. Connectors. I don't like copy cats but the connectors for the Warthog really are Military grade (Electrical/instrumentation background) and the set up they have there needs to be fixed up. Brand new (little use) and the wire sheathing was already wearing. once your through that your into the wire insulation. On the joystick and extension. Really no reason it has to be that way. I finally got my set up together (somewhat similar to yours) with the Warthog so it would be very hard to upgrade right now but I do like the fact they may sell the throttle assembly (which looks excellent) separate. Perfect: Warthog joystick and that throttle with all those functions. I try to run the least amount of programs in background. I don't even run target. Is that program it gives you just a functionality program that needs to be on all the time in the back ground. Doesn't appear to be a profiling software. Example: No leds if not running? Thanks for review.

[@theeltea]

MiniDIN 5 is military grade? News to me...

[@spiral83]

youtuber: as you can see: super sturdy setup. *kicks thousand dollar setup to prove a point* me: 0_0 good review though, thanks man :)

[@FoxD13]

I wonder why they chose the route to dim light via sw. Would be even more immersive to let it be regulated by just probing the poti on the intrumentlight regulator knob itself and even easier... Might mod this if i got my hands on one some time...

[@EdadTace]

My one issue is that I can't buy the throttle as a standalone unit. I have the Warthog hotas already, and it works great, but this Hornet throttle is sexy and I would love to pair that with the Warthog stick, and with the Hornet add-on stick. That would make me very happy.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

well ,I mentioned in the video how they will eventually start selling them as separate units so maybe just wait for that boss.

[@EdadTace]

@@GrowlingSidewinder Don't know how I missed that, but thanks, that's good to know!

[@zackeryhardy9504]

i would recomend replacing the warthog stick anyway. the base will eventually go out on you, and its mechanically inferior to the design of this stick. most people's piloting performance goes up after replacing the warthog with a better base like vkb or virpil. i mean even the 80 dollar vkb gladiator mk ii is better than the warthog

[@silentone11111111]

Thanks for the vid :) Its turned out a lot better than I suspected. Not for me though. Ill keep with my VKB stick and legacy Hog throttle. If they broke Id still go with a VKB stick but the Virpil throttle is looking very nice now. Id go with that.

[@ahmedjea3904]

Compared to Hotas Warthog throttle and stick should I buy the winnwing throttle and stick as an upgrade?

[@giuseppeloggia6412]

Hi grow. I bought the stick. But when I installed it I was scared because the stick didn't work. Nobody told me that it just work for the axes and that button aren't operative until you need to download the drivers to use it! Never read nowhere this particularity… So I think it could be a useful information to broadcast?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

thats interesting, I was given instructions and I followed those and it worked fine. (if I remember correctly) I just assumed they gave everyone instructions like they did for me.

[@giuseppeloggia6412]

@@GrowlingSidewinder yesterday at last I was able to setup fa18 stick. It has been very complicated because thrustmaster, obviously, don't like help about items not coming from they. So I had to do a procedure to make joy work with a big help from guys in Virpil. But put a stick thrust on a vpc base is not automatic as I touch.

[@HalBran]

It’s been a while since I’ve played flight sims, is force feedback not a thing anymore?

[@lucasart328]

Wait was it ever a thing?

[@Datttsnake]

@@lucasart328 yep it was a thing in the late 90s to early 2000s then then someone patented it and made it so noone could use it. Everyone thought it was the best.

[@lucasart328]

@@Datttsnake whats patented

[@Datttsnake]

@@lucasart328 force feedback in joysticks. Some company owns the patents so if any other company tries to make anything similar they shut them down and sue them.

[@robinstanfield1699]

do the sticks have the twist for the rudders or will i have to buy the peddels was looking at the combo desk top?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

You’d have to buy an attachment that would allow it to twist for the rudder function

[@TheRealJeff984]

Does the APU switch automatically reset when it turns off?

[@amorosogombe9650]

Dude. At this rate you will build a full F-18 simulator in your house.

[@eriktruchinskas3747]

So basically get the vkb base with the TM f18 stick?

[@JDuBz815]

Thrustmaster sticks are metal and that adds weight which can affect the cams of the base. If you're looking at vkb bases, I would consider the vkb stick as well. Virpil is another option. Seems like WinWing has the best throttle as far as resolution. But virpil and thrustmaster have nice ones as well.

[@Bear-dt6ip]

is the throttle panel a 1 to 1 replica

[@tarunbasra8230]

Yes it is

[@Bear-dt6ip]

@@tarunbasra8230 thanks

[@flipcoin6301]

no. they added switches.

[@Cagefighter]

I can get thks for 299 dollars which is 49% off on their website, do u think I should snap it up?

[@ReplyNI]

Yeah I see that. I’m currently trying to decide between this stick and the thrustmaster a10 stick lol

[@caesar5555]

Thanks. How is it vs Warthog stick which is not smooth?

[@konatelassina5301]

Warbird functionality and the switches on the throttle. Many would not be used for a warbird. What are your thoughts on their usefulness and re-assignability? AND, when will Winwing implement the reviewers’ suggestions? I’m about to pull the trigger on this purchase and want to know if I should wait. Oh, and it’s STILL listed as $899 on the website.

[@gryzor]

@Mars Exulte I see what you did there.

[@mungo7136]

I miss how smooth is the throttle. Thrustmaster TWCS can move smoothly but only as you start and keep moving. When you try to do very fine adjustments, it will jump. It is known for that. But only parts where operation of this throttle are shown they seem to exhibit the same behavior. Or it is hard to find out whether it is property of the throttle itself or it is because it was operated in such a way.

[@kencohagen4967]

Does this work for WWII fighters as well as modern fighters?

[@zackeryhardy9504]

it has a decent base so it should.

[@КостюмчёрныйНиочень]

HOTAS...

[@ALPHARICCO875]

Hello Growling sidewinder, May you tel me the size (dimensions in cm) of the Throttle only, without the side panel. Thank you very much see you soon for my Fa/18 home cockpit vidéo

[@gholamrezamehrdad8410]

The black colour applied on the HOTAS is not smooth and looks granulated, I think it flakes easily, isn't it?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

I had no flakes. I dont know if that will happen after months of use tho. thats yet to be seen.

[@gholamrezamehrdad8410]

​@@GrowlingSidewinderThank you for being so honest, keep up with your great clips, I already canceled my order a few days ago. will wait for the throttle when it becomes possible to purchase it only.

[@dilshan1994]

Hey need help. What is the shipping weight/size of the Orion? I'm trying to sort out the shipping but no one from winning is replying to me...

[@hasina1461]

so obviously this stick and throttles competitor is the Thrustmaster version of the stick so how would you rate them both side by side either just the stick or both stick and throttle i already own a TM so will be sticking with that but this is something others might be curious about

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

TM has a better stick the winwing throttle is better than the TM one.

[@phillm156]

What are you going to do about this grim reapers??

[@ghostrider1827]

I been looking at purchasing this eventually and right now for EVERYTHING, its 1029 bucks...my question about the whole setup is where does the power come from? do you have to use USB ports or is it power supply based, meaing you have to plug in to the wall?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Raffeal Morris it was 3 USB connections to the computer 2 from the throttle 1 from the stick

[@ghostrider1827]

@@GrowlingSidewinder Roger that! does it matter id they are 3.1, 3.0 or 2.0?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Raffeal Morris I don’t think it matters I had mine in 2.0 and it seemed to be working fine no input delays or anything of the sort.

[@RauTheCow]

Can someone explain to me why a keyboard isn't used instead of the throttle? Wouldn't that be more efficient?

[@zapp3r504]

9:01 satisfying sound

[@Gdatshim]

Does it make sense to get this throttle if im going to use a VR headset? I'm thinking i will have problems locating the switches with the headset on.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

What else will u use for the switches ? That’s what the hotas is for boss it’s easier to find what switch ur looking for on a hotas then to try and hit the keyboard command for it

[@Gdatshim]

@@GrowlingSidewinder Ok i hear you, I'm in my planning stages so thanks for the feed back. Basically i see i will have to place the hotas exactly where it would be in the VR and use my touch to identify.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

my pleasure, its not as hard as I think you're thinking, you'd be amazed at how quick ur brain will figure all of this out in terms of where to put its hands in VR.

[@Gdatshim]

@@GrowlingSidewinder ok lol i guess over thinking it. Do you know if the throttle can used with the Warthog Stick yet? that seems to be the way to go if its supported.

[@TeSSerak89]

is posible to adjust the position of the throttle detent?, for example at 50% throttle

[@ForeverDoubting]

But is it worth the price? Is it that much better than Virpil, VKB or the tried and true Warthog?

[@chandlermorris1]

How does this compare to the Thrustmaster Warthog?

[@SmoocheeWallace]

Weird. My Orion did not come with another cam.

[@nodekapunk]

I’m wondering if they fixed the throttle requiring a “smack “ to get into the afterburner. I just got mine, and I only have to push it forward into afterburner. There is resistance when you hit the wall, but you can push it through relatively easy.

[@EliasSchanz06]

If you use the finger lifts that you use to get out of idle, you will be able to move into AB without any extra force. Real jets are built like this so you know what your power is at without looking down, you always have to push through or use the finger lifts! If you are aware of it, I would see it as more of a great feature as it’s very well designed!

[@granteilers]

So this hangs on the side of your desk, correct?

[@oldmanfunky4909]

I think I'll get my upgrade from Virpil, WinWing had me nervous being a company from China. China is notorious for not having the best quality. And being WinWing charges quite a bit for their stick not giving a great deal compared to their competition. Being this video is from 2019, and I am writing this in 2021 I am curious how well this set up has held up the last two years. That is if they let you keep it.

[@theeltea]

Stick or throttle? The throttle - maybe. Stick - no way is it an upgrade from cm2.

[@mikerichardsonuk]

Can you run the throttle without the stick ? I have a ffb stick

[@tarunbasra8230]

Yes

[@mikkihintikka7273]

so thrustmaster or ch stick?

[@michaelcasson9563]

Is it possible to just get the throttle?

[@deniseubaldini7008]

Not yet but I think he mentioned eventually they will be available separately.

[@stephenmcsorley1411]

Yes, I just checked their website.

[@michaelcasson9563]

Ok, thanks!

[@SgtLambo]

Better or worse than Virpil?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

dont know don't have the virpil

[@Kaiyening]

Dat kick 😂

[@kruegerbnu]

Do they have any plans to do something similar for the Viper?

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

I believe they do yes.

[@wmacky]

About the finish on the finger lift bars. Is that just paint texture, ot is the metal pitted? The finish does not look as good as the original samples. i.postimg.cc/VLV0XYhf/F18-HOTAS-JOYSTICK-THROTTLE04.jpg

[@theeltea]

The original samples look CNCed. The production units are probably casted.

[@slow9573]

Lol this hobby's price points.... Couple garbage sticks in the 10-20 range, ONE really good set in the $100 range, ONE really good set in the $200 range, a couple in the $500 range, and this thing that somehow thinks it should be in the $1000 range. Said it on another video reviewing winwig.... I WISH someone would do a replica F-18 hotas, or F-14, or F-16, in the $100-150 range. The thrustmaster set of T16000 and TWCS Throttle are a great pair, but it would be even better if they were in this price range, this material and quality, but actually matched the button layouts and ergonomics of a real jet (as opposed to the sci-fi look that the stick takes). There has to be a market for this. A ton of people use this T16000M. Even guys who have at least one warthog or Rhino or whatever, maybe they don't want to drop another $500 for a different replica stick. Maybe they'd like to just drop 75 to 100 for a plastic replica.

[@Miksuudcs]

Dialectic What sticks are selling for 10-20? Atleast in Finland, they are around 60 dollar mininum, 90 for hotas.

[@pluto8404]

I feel like this video should be on p0rnhub with the way this guy caresses it with his finger.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

Pluto : I uploaded there before even KZbin.

[@ComdrStew]

I just want the throttle, but I don't think they are selling just the throttle.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

they will, down the road.

[@pierrepauljacque4663]

Sold out

[@Mav20071]

wy a zoom function in real life you dont take a binoculas to zoom in on the target ???? lol

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

in real life you can see things a lot easier than you can on a screen too.

[@tonyHern865]

thanks for the review. Obviously the stick looks to be cheap quality compared to the warthog.

[@GrowlingSidewinder]

My pleasure, I'm not sure if thats a fair statement tho, the throttle is pretty amazing, I personally think the quality on the throttle is pretty good. the stick could use some ironing out.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

the warthog has terrible build quality. they have a plastic base with a horrible stiction problem. from what i have seen, this is the better stick even though the grip (the less important part) isn't super great

[@stephanefoutel9432]

great

[@nirvaantailor3888]

This was a great review... sadly my wallet does not approve of the product

[@kipchickensout]

799? I would pay 300

[@qiyuxuan9437]

Well, the compoments might be cheaper than 300$, but since this market is very very small, the r&d cost and custom molds will drive up the price significantly.......

[@kipchickensout]

@@qiyuxuan9437 sad

[@earthexplorer579]

way better than palsticky over priced tm warthohog hotas

[@omarjones1460]

The throttle is the only thing that intrested me here. The philosophy of the stick design doesn't make sense. If you shell out the money for this you're interested in reality. You won't need a Zed axis kit because you'll have pedals. Is the Rece button on the real hornet stick? Seems like they are pandering to the casual gamer instead of a hardcore simmer. They definitely cut corners with the stick attachment. I'd rather get a Thrustmaster for that.

[@theeltea]

Trust me, there are quite a few people who need the Z-axis. Just because you have two healthy legs and feet doesn't mean everyone does. It's optional, btw.

[@fjb5894]

Once Winwing sells you the product, you never hear back from them. I complained about several issues and NEVER heard back. Stay clear...

[@Power5]

$1000 and no flap lever....

[@qiyuxuan9437]

The real F18 dont have flap lever, its a 3 position switch......

[@abdulrafay1509]

Wish someone would gift this to me

[@JulesD92]

Get a job

[@abdulrafay1509]

@@JulesD92 I have a job, I am working against Corona in my country, it's just, I have way more responsibilities than buying a game for $70, when I earn like $80 a month :)

[@WIZZ-yb6im]

Su 35 vs f 18

[@asiftalpur3758]

Honda civic vtec power bro