The Top Gun USB looks like it's ready for business. A square, weighted, black plastic base supports the stick. The stick is modeled vaguely after real jet fighter sticks. It has a neoprene grip to keep your hand in place and is contoured. There are four buttons placed strategically on the stick for easy access. The main trigger is right by your index finger. There is a pinky button right where your pinky rests. There are two thumb buttons, one near where your thumb rests and one up top. And there is a four-way hat switch next to the top button. The stick is attached to the base securely and there is a rubber boot over where the stick and base meet to keep dust out. Overall, the Top Gun USB has a very sturdy design and looks like much more expensive joysticks.
The best part of the Top Gun USB is that it is very solidly put together. The buttons all give satisfying clicks that say "Go ahead, press me fifty thousand times, I dare you." We don't have any worries about them breaking. The stick and base are of extremely solid plastic. Dropping this bad boy on the floor and accidentally stepping on it probably will not break anything but your foot. The stick motion is smooth and feels like it can take a lot of abuse. The ultimate endurance test for joysticks is the demo model test. When a joystick is displayed as a demo model, it gets thrashed by several people a day looking for a stick to buy. Whenever we have seen Top Gun USB sticks on display, they have always been standing tall and in perfect working order even when surrounded by much more expensive sticks with broken buttons and springs.
But fortunately for some, and unfortunately for the Top Gun USB, looks and durability are not everything. The first problem we had with it was that it was just a bit too small for comfort. If your hand is just a little bit bigger than average or your fingers are just a bit longer than most, the Top Gun USB may not fit you. You'll probably find yourself gripping the stick more with your fingers than with the palm of your hand because, when your palm is touching the stick, your fingers will be out of place for the buttons. This is probably a side effect of the highly contoured design of the Top Gun USB. They modeled it very well for average hands, but only a few people have the perfect average hand. Most people who don't have such hands will not like the grip after a few hours of play. Also, it is only designed for right-hand users.