This eBay auction is the first I've seen of it.

The throttle vaguely reminds me of the Russian one I forget the name of (the stick portion's the Defender Cobra M5, if I'm not mistaken), but the stick is totally different.

There's no way I'd pay almost $100 for these, especially coming from China and considering that you can get a Saitek X-52 Pro for less than that on eBay, but it nevertheless strikes my curiosity as someone with a knack of recognizing specific joystick models at first glance.

It looks like something Saitek and Logitech would come up with. Stick = Logitech and Throttle = Saitek. Weird

Isa chinese wholesale producr, is thea same manufacturer that sells the russian throttle that a lot of people suggest to buy with the defender cobra

The throttle is copy of Gametrix stand alone throttle (based on X-52 molds to cut costs).

And the stick copy part of molds of X-45 (a common practice of Chinese manufacturers).

Normally the electronic is typical of low cost sticks - very worse, dont worth even 50$...

Anyway find more cheap in Alibaba.

Sokol1

Has anyone got on of those Russian joysticks because they look nice.

Some people get VWK Mamba.

http://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/1269-help-ordering-vkb-fat-king-cobra-mkii-joystick/

SOkol1

I've done some reading but I cannot find this info out...

The gimbals of the VWK Mamba are high-quality metal and such... But what is the actual stick and base made of?

It's a very very nice looking stick, be sure.

Oooohhh! I do like the look of the Fat Black Mamba (What IS IT with Joystick names?! :P )

Argon, it seems (from Sokol's linked thread) that the base is aluminium but the grip and buttons are plastic. One buyer really didn't like the plastic, but other two (?) don't seem to be bothered by it as much.

Yeah,the grip is plastic. But it is interchangeable with the Warthog/Cougar grip,if you choose to get a seperate adapter,which isn't aviable yet but should be in the near future. Also it's planned to make adapters for other Sticks aswell,like the CH Fighterstick or the Saiteks. There is also a Metalgrip in development,but I can't say when it will be released.
Further they plan on selling the bases seperatly so Warthog,Cougar etc. owners have the option to "upgrade".
Thats why I got the Black Mamba,because I plan to use the Warthog grip on it with an extension,which will also be aviable seperatly. The Gimbals are very smooth on the Mamba and also very accurate. The Sticks internals seem to be made to last and any play that may develope over time can be removed by small screws on the Gimbals.
It's a well thought design and you can easily disassemble it for maintenance if needed. And you don't need to grease it for best performance,like I had to with the Warthog....also the Cables are much less likely to break on reassembling,unlike the Warthogs.^^

If someone thinks about to get the Black Mamba,you should think about on how you want to use it...as a Sidestick on a Desk a good option is the Fat Black Mamba with the Buttons on the base. If you plan on using it in a Cockpit or as Centermount,maybe even with an stick extension,the Standard version would propably be a better choice. Although the Controlerboard is a "light" version,it can be upgraded to the "pro" version via Firmware update ,if you are willing to spend another 19Euro or something. Somewhere I've read that a seperate Buttonbox is also planed if you pick the option without the buttons on the Base. I wish I had known this earlier, then I had bought the Standart version. But thats not the Joysticks fault.^^

Lausbub thanks for your post

how long have you had the Mamba?

How does it compare with the Warthog stick for ergonomics? I'm assuming here that it's not as good, since you say you plan to use the WH grip with the Mamba base.
How does it compare with the WH for precision?

TIA,
C_G

I have it since about mid November. The ergonomics I don't find bad at all,the grip is more slim than the Warthogs and better suited for smaller hands. The button layout though is something you need to get used to. When you rest the thumb where it is intended you can not just reach up with the thumb to press the buttons. You have kinda move the thumb a bit backwards first or move the whole hand a bit. It's a different Stickdesign,but you will get used to it.
I plan on using the Warthog grip because I simply like it. And because I'm so used to it after a bit more than 2 years of use.^^

The Mamba doesn't have the issues the Warthog has out of the Box. The Warthog has an issue with sticktion and needs to be re greased with a better grease than Thrustmaster uses to reach its best potential.There is also a rubberring that may need replacement after some time. And to get the most out of the Warthog IMO it needs also a stick extension,especially when you fly a lot of Propeller sims because without an extension the Spring is too strong and the center too hard to do small asjustments around the center...thats my opinion of course.
The Mamba is very smooth out of the box and the accuracy is as good as the WH. It uses Ballbearings and metal gimbals while the Warthog is all plastic inside. It's high quality plastic,but still plastic. About the feeling of the Gimbals can be argued,it's just up to personal preference. The Mamba uses the same system like the CH Sticks where both axis have it's own center,and you can feel it when you pass through it. In that case I like the WH more,it has only one flat spot directly in the Center and with an extension it is almost not noticable.
I imagine when the Mamba would use an extension the centerspots would be less noticable too. Thats why I'm waiting for the Warthog adapter and the Extensions for the Mamba beeing released.

Of course both Sticks have pros and cons. Im using my WH now for more than 2 years without much problems and all in all im satisfied with it. Time will tell how the Mamba will do after some more time of heavy use.

So if you plan on maybe getting a Mamba I'd suggest that you try out a CH Fighterstick somewhere ,if you have the chance, to see how and if you like the centering mechanism. If you do,the Mamba is a good option.

Thanks Lausbub!
I just got a used WH and I love it. The previous owner replaced the rubber ring with a Teflon ring and I've just finished making an extension for it which makes the center must easier to move through.
I don't see any reason to buy a Mamba at this time but it is a nice looking stick. A force feedback mod would make it hard to resist!