Review up! (NOTE: Please excuse the image quality, all of these images were captured with the camera on my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note SGH-I717).
Thrustmaster Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) Warthog
To quote a brief writing I made on a Deviant Art journal regarding the HOTAS Warthog:
The HOTAS Warthog is the latest expensive flight simulator peripheral made by Thrustmaster, intended as a direct successor to the HOTAS Cougar, the latter of which was produced and released a couple of years after the turn of the century. The HOTAS Warthog, released with an Manufacture-Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $499.99, was modeled after the stick and throttle quadrant of the Fairchild Republic A-10 "Warthog" Thunderbolt II, whereas the HOTAS Cougar was modeled after the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. According to what it's based on, it's probably best played on Digital Combat Simulator (DCS) A-10, but will work for any flight sim, be it general aviation or combat.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick and Throttle by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Modeled after the A-10C's stick and throttle quadrant, it's one of the most impressive peripherals I've actually managed to obtain. I don't think I've ever seen it in real life until it arrived at my house yesterday, and, quite possibly, haven't seen it at any of the local hardware stores. Now, on to the specifics:
Flight Stick
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick: Right Side by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick: Left Side by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
The flight stick itself consists of 3 parts: Stick, base/power supply, and base plate
The stick required some assembly once removed from the box (the stick already being detached from the base/power supply for easy storage). One thing I like about the stick, aside from the easy portability, is that the stick has absolutely no yaw axis control what-so-ever, being based on the real A-10C stick and all. Definitely would recommend getting rudder pedals if you plan on getting the HOTAS Warthog.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick Detached From Base by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick: Mounting Bolt by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick: Guidance Stickers by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
There is a rotatable bolt on the bottom of the stick, designed to secure the stick onto the base once the stick as been attached. Rotates counter-clockwise to unlock and clockwise to lock. Along with this, the stick comes with arrow stickers that can be removed, but are useful for determining how the stick is supposed to be aligned with the base (should still be simple enough without them, the cable to power the stick is mounted on the front relative to the stick's correct orientation). Another good use for them is preventing damage to the pins on the stick, the 2-year warranty that comes included with the HOTAS Warthog does not cover accidental damage of the flight stick.
Aside from that, the stick, regardless if in cockpit config (minus base plate) and tabletop config (with base plate), the darn thing weighs a lot. I've been (jokingly) telling myself that the whole setup probably weighs a quarter tonne (it doesn't, my real guess is somewhere under 100lbs, the manual states that the control panel that the throttle handles are mounted on weighs above 3.5kg). Due to this fact, it is nearly impossible to get them to slide around during normal operation.
The stick contains multiple buttons, including a two-stage trigger, pinky trigger, nosewheel trigger, index trigger, thumb trigger, and at least 4 hat switches, one of which can be pressed down.
Throttle And Control Panel
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Right Side by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Left Side by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Throttle Face by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Throttle and Control Panel, main features include the throttle being dual-handled with a lock to connect them together, having multiple switches designed primarily for certain combat flight simulators (best example being DCS: A-10C), among other things. Not included in any of the pictures, the control panel has light-up LED's in it.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Front Section Controls by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Rear Section Controls by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
The control panel (as mentioned above) weighs, according to the manual, above 3.5kg (somewhere around 7-8lbs), complete weights of the entire system is unknown to me at the moment. The panel contains a lot of useful functions, such as engine starter, autopilot control, etc.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Motor Off Position by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Inside the base of the throttle handles, there's 2 stops for the throttle, idle stop and afterburner stop. These stops are tabs located inside the base that provide a stopping point for the throttle handles. By default, the afterburner stop is not set into position, but it is inside the base, same for the idle stop. Pictured above shows the throttle handles in the "Motor Off" position, which kills (powers down) the engines. To bypass the stops, simply lift the handles up and push/pull it towards the stop. Afterburner stop should be self-explanatory, certain games provide an additional increment for throttle axes, which control War Emergency Power (for World War II CFS's) or Afterburner (for modern CFS's).
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Locking Mechanism (Locked) by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Throttle Quadrant and Control Panel: Locking Mechanism (Unlocked) by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
As mentioned in the basic description of the throttle and control panel, the throttle handles have a locking switch that can lock the throttle handles together, or separate them, in the even that you find yourself needing to control individual throttle inputs instead of controlling the throttle of every engine in one go.
Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog - Stick and Throttle: Put Up by
Nascar241993, on Flickr
To wrap up this review, just like where I have the Saitek X52 Pro placed, I'm also keeping the HOTAS Warthog on top of the dresser while it's not in use. I know the X52 Pro is almost covered in nothing but dust cause it hasn't seen any use recently. Also, yesterday I ordered some Saitek Pro Flight Combat pedals which should be arriving tomorrow (thank you 2-day Prime shipping). At that point I'll actually try out the HOTAS Warthog.