Why you may belief TechRadar
We spend hours testing each services or products we overview, so that you might be positive you’re shopping for the most effective. Find out more about how we test.
Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet: One-minute overview
When you’ve learn our Thrustmaster Viper TQS Mission Pack review, you’ll know that flight sim tech is getting nearer than ever to turning your setup into one thing plucked proper from a fighter jet.
The Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet follows on that very same line of pondering, dovetailing superbly with its sister product whereas providing a incredible flight stick in its personal proper, filled with enter choices and loads of settings to tweak the sport really feel to your liking.
It’s ludicrously costly, although. The overview unit we’re testing is fashioned of a number of modular sections, with the corporate’s AVA base, a flight stick, and a base plate. These all mix in a nifty bundle for $579 / £450 (cheaper than shopping for them piecemeal) however it’s positively an funding for a flight fanatic.
It’s nonetheless laborious to not be impressed. It’s a hefty stick, one that might really feel proper at house doing loop-de-loops within the sky, and it’s completely filled with inputs with switches, buttons, and triggers throughout it.
When you’re trying to take your flight sim expertise to new heights, it’s laborious to look previous, however don’t neglect that the HOTAS X is a way more reasonably priced, entry-level mannequin that comes with a throttle – one thing the F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet doesn’t have within the field.
Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet: Worth and availability
- Checklist worth: $579 / £450
- Accessible worldwide
- Provided in components however this bundle is less expensive
When you do need to choose up every a part of the setup we’re testing right here for the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet, you may count on to spend a good quantity extra, with simply the baseplate alone coming in at $25 / £25.
That makes the bundle the way in which to go, and fortunately it’s simple to place collectively. It took me round 5 minutes to get all the pieces attached, and the burden is a lifeless giveaway that it’s constructed to final, weighing in at 7.6lbs / 3.5kg as soon as it’s put collectively.
The bundle contains the offset adapter, too, letting you tweak the angle at which the stick rests, both for realism or simply for consolation.
Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet: Specs
|
Worth |
$579 / £450 |
|
Dimensions |
5 x 6.7 x 13.4 inches / 128 x 170 x 341 mm |
|
Weight |
7.6lbs / 3.5kg |
|
Platforms |
PC |
|
Throttle included? |
No |
|
Buttons |
19 buttons together with 3x Hat Switches |
Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet: Design and options
- The bottom plate might do with higher ft
- Feels nice to make use of
- Satisfying inputs
As with the Viper TQS Mission Pack, it’s laborious to not be in awe of the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet when you unbox it.
It’s simple to place collectively, with a couple of screws attaching the AVA base to the bottom plate, and the stick mainly screws on with none strenuous effort. It’s very easy to get began, too, because you simply must plug in your USB-C cable (included within the field) and also you’re away.
In comparison with the T Flight HOTAS I’ve been utilizing for years, there’s an actual weight to any motion on the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet, and it makes flying really feel extra genuine consequently.
Button-wise, there’s a trio of hat switches. Two are on the prime, whereas one rests below your thumb, and if the sport you’re enjoying helps all of them you’ll have extra buttons than you realize what to do with. Two are four-way, whereas one other is eight-way, and mixed with bodily buttons you might have a whopping 19 on a stick that basically doesn’t waste any area in any respect.
The whole lot feels nice to press, and there’s sufficient effort wanted to hit issues just like the rear buttons so that you just gained’t end up by accident hitting them too typically.
Particular props needs to be given to the set off, too, which registers full pulls and half pulls in case your sport helps that, and at all times feels nice to drag whether or not you’re enjoying one thing extra grounded or extra fantastical.
Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet: Efficiency
- Plug and play
- Customizable innards
- T.A.R.G.E.T. software program is mainly only for drivers
As with the Viper, Thrustmaster recommends utilizing its T.A.R.G.E.T. software program, however you may actually simply use it for the drivers and little else. I discovered all the pieces was detected properly in Home windows’ personal management panel for enter units, and that was a greater spot for fast testing of deadzones and the like.
Flight sim followers could lean on it for preloading layouts constructed to approximate actual flight controls, however as I’ve talked about earlier than, I fancy myself extra of a Han Solo than an airline pilot, and the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet helps fulfill these dogfighting desires splendidly – when you map controls.
When you’re utilizing this and the Viper, video games ought to swap to make the latter the secondary enter, however it’s price noting I bumped into some hassle as sure video games mapped features to the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet that it doesn’t have entry to, resulting in a weird limitless spin within the likes of Elite Harmful and Star Wars: Squadrons. Remapping buttons did the trick, however if you happen to’re apprehensive you’ve acquired a dodgy unit, relaxation assured it’s a minor subject.
That apart, each video games really feel nice when utilizing the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet. (Intentional) barrel rolls and locking onto TIE Fighters grew to become second nature, even with out utilizing the Viper, and I discovered myself tinkering with the internal chassis simply to get issues dialed in.
The AVA base might be opened up with ease, letting discerning pilots modify resistance, journey, and extra. It’s simply completed and provides a stage past easy button remapping that specialists will little question have an terrible lot of enjoyable with.
In truth, the one actual criticism is that within the warmth of the second, as I pulled again on the stick, I discovered the ft on the baseplate didn’t give fairly as a lot resistance as I had hoped. That may very well be all the way down to me and having a comparatively smooth-feeling desk, however it’s one thing to contemplate.
Ought to I purchase the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally think about…
Nonetheless not bought on the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet? Right here’s the way it compares to 2 related merchandise.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet |
Turtle Seashore VelocityOne |
Logitech T Flight Hotas One |
|
Worth |
$579 / £450 |
$122.99 / £119.99 |
$99.99 / £89.99 |
|
Dimensions |
5 x 6.7 x 13.4 inches / 128 x 170 x 341 mm |
6.46 x 8.54 x 9.07 inches / 164 x 217 x 230 mm |
10.43 x 10.39 x 9.53 inches / 265 x 264 x 242 mm |
|
Weight |
7.6lbs / 3.5kg |
1.81lbs / 821g |
5.73lbs / 2.06kg |
|
Platforms |
PC |
PC, Xbox |
PC, Xbox |
|
Buttons |
19 buttons together with 3x Hat Switches |
27 |
14 |
|
Axes |
6 |
8 |
5 |
|
Throttle |
Sure |
No |
Sure |
How I examined the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet
- Examined over a interval of months
- Used on a gaming PC with an RTX 4070 Ti
- Examined with Elite Harmful, Star Wars Squadrons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator
I’ve been testing the Thrustmaster F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet for a few months, however the aforementioned remapping points meant issues took slightly longer to settle than I’d care to confess.
As soon as that was sorted, although, it was off to the races (or airport?). I examined it with Microsoft Flight Simulator for some trans-Atlantic journeys, however as I discussed above, I largely used it for dogfighting in Star Wars Squadrons or hauling area cargo in Elite Harmful.
First reviewed February 2025