this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2026
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Awesome "F-15" Radio Shack joystick (lemmy.ca)
submitted 2 weeks ago by HugeNerd@lemmy.ca to c/thrifting_scores@lemmy.ca
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This thing looks, and feels, like it came from an actual F-15. Holding it I feel like I could bomb [country that offends you] tonight!

Anyhow it's a Radio Shack 26-8104 "F-15 Combat Fighter" joystick. It's heavy. There seems to be a metal plate with actual hex head screws holding it together. There's a mish-mash of PS2, PC, and DB-15 connectors on there, can't wait to see if it sends out mouse or keyboard signals. Maybe because it has so many buttons it uses both the 15 pin and keyboard interface?

Googling it gives the rarely seen

"No results found for Radio Shack 26-8104 "F-15 Combat Fighter"."

Like, you'd think maybe one or two hits, something, some retirement home Myspace page about flight sims, nothing.

I just buy these things because they amaze me more than having a use for them.

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[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 23 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Here's the sticker on the bottom, if anyone isn't totally bored to tears already.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

Here’s a box for one on eBay!

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I’m pretty sure my dad had this exact stick when I was growing up

We played this ww2 aircraft game, I can’t remember the details but we really liked crashing. If you skimmed the ground with the German jet engine plane the engines would fly off IIRC

No idea what the game was called though

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Dynamix made several air combat games. I've only played Red Baron which is WW1 but it sounds like it could be similar to what you're talking. Maybe Aces of the Pacific?

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago

There was also combat flight simulator that had WW2 european theater and pacific theater editions. And some version with both included

[–] Maybelline@lemmy.zip 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Holy shit, I wanted one of these so bad.

Or the setup they had at Babbage's that was ridiculously out of the question for 9-year-old me.

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Can you tell me more about it? Was it advertised? I've never seen these, I don't remember seeing these even though I was into combat flight sims in the '80s and '90s. Granted, we're talking Commodore 64 and Amiga so this joystick wasn't for me anyway.

Was it a rebranded Suncom joystick? Did they have them in store for demo?

I will have to try to power up my Value Village PC and see what it does with the PS2 port.

Anyhow I can confirm that you had excellent taste in joysticks, this thing is awesome.

I think I will take it apart tonight, there is one reddit post out there with someone taking it apart, revealing a Realtek chip in the handle.

[–] Maybelline@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 weeks ago

I can't seem to find the display (as I remember it, anyway) but it looks like the joystick I'm remembering is the Flightstick Pro. So, likely less flashy, but IIRC, they also had the throttle for the left hand, too. Maybe it's more nostalgia than anything, since this would've been just after Top Gun or so, and I thought I was going to be a pilot.

[–] kcop@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It looks very much like this Suncom F-15 Talon, maybe?

https://www.combatsim.com/archive/htm/htm_arc4/suntal.htm

Might have been a white label thing for radio shack.

[–] ServantOfRa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago

That's the one I had!

[–] HAL_9_TRILLION@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Googling it gives the rarely seen "No results found for Radio Shack 26-8104 "F-15 Combat Fighter"."

And this is why Google sucks now. You just know that in all the web data they have archived, there is more than one entry about this unit over the past 30 years, but no. Nothing facing us (the public) anyway. They just actively erase all the history of people talking about shit that was so painstakingly built up. 😡

[–] anugeshtu@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

There are filters. At least for countries. If you search for a specific place with country at default, it may be that you get no results, while you get results with a specific country. I guess there are also many other filters.

[–] half_built_pyramids@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Bro that's sick a The hotas discords would worship you if you 3d scanned it for them

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Damn is there a place in Montreal I can bring it to?

[–] half_built_pyramids@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Oh shit, probably?

https://www.lespacemaker.com/en/

Came to in a quick search, maker space usually have scanners, or one of their members will, and they often like sharing

[–] cannedtuna@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Man! That looks super familiar. Had a joystick back when we had Microsoft Flight Simulator (I don’t remember which, was around when ME was out) on CD. Didn’t really like that one, but it was great for Star Wars X-Wing and Rouge Squadron.

There might be an old box of cables that never got tossed that has it somewhere. I might look for it to see if it’s the same as this picture.

[–] TachyonTele_Esq@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago

That's wicked cool. And with 3d printing you could probably fix that up nicely

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If anyone has one and wants to take it apart, 3/32 hex head screws, and they're all different lengths! Wait to sober up...

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago

oops the 8 screws on the flat top are decorative, there are four Philips underneath covered by rubber bumpers.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

I had this and it was awesome… I'm certain this is the second stick I have played ith the most hehehehehe

[–] HumanOnEarth@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Awesome find, but.....

.....am I the only one who sees ET?

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

Damn, now I see it too. Maybe Johnny 5?

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's incredible.

It must've been really expensive back in the day with that much detail put into the mould. And the switches look so chunky and purposeful. And "heavy", you say? 😍

I hope its guts are good and have good sensitivity. I'd daily drive this thing in Elite Dangerous lol.

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

See my previous find:

https://lemmy.ca/post/42198040

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Ah, yes. Iconic. I had one of these growing up. When I was finally an adult and looked into upgrading, they were still being sold 🤣

Bulletproof, awesome button count and layout, and having a built-in HOTAS on top of that for its price made it a legend. A lot of kids were able to get into flight sims because of that stick cramming all the good stuff in at a parent-friendly budget.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

There's a mish-mash of PS2, PC, and DB-15 connectors on there

Sounds like that could be a hassle if it needs all that for a joystick. Maybe it was also part of a HOTAS and acts as the connecting hub for all the controllers, so you might get away with not plugging everything since you don't have those.

Having a metal plate at the base is like level 0 of a decent joystick imo.. Even my X52, which basically cheaps out on all features, has that. Can't imagine how unstable it would be with a plastic part instead

Edit : holy hell it looks like all these connections are actually for the joystick itself. Does it have a throttle ?

[–] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

Well to be fair those keyboard connections are just a pass-through. I'm guessing you just need to hook in to one of the two types.