What it is
The RigMetal Flagship is the top cockpit from a small US maker out of Washington state, and it is built on 40x160mm aluminium profile with 10mm thick mounting plates for the pedal deck, wheel-plate assembly and uprights. RigMetal describes it as its strongest rig, made with thicker components and extra fasteners so the frame will not flex, and the spec backs that up: the 40x160mm base extrusion is the heaviest gauge in the range, a clear step above the lighter Plus. It ships as a chassis at $799 / £631, in stock at the time of writing, with no seat, wheelbase, pedals or monitor included. Frame dimensions are 130cm long, 68cm wide and 76cm high.
Who it’s for
You are the right buyer if you are in North America, you want an aluminium-profile rig that will carry a strong direct-drive base without twisting, and you would rather not wait out the multi-week shipping and customs lottery that comes with ordering from Europe. RigMetal ships fast domestically, and the Flagship is the one in its range with enough height adjustment to put you in a proper GT seating position rather than the more upright formula stance the cheaper rigs default to.
You are the wrong buyer if you want hand-holding. RigMetal is effectively a one-person business with slow support and no returns, so you are buying a well-specified kit you assemble and tune yourself. If you mostly run a belt or gear base, or you want a folding stand you can stow, this is more frame than you need.
In use
The headline is rigidity. The 10mm wheel-deck plate and the 40x160mm uprights are heavy, and the published spec plus owner feedback on RigMetal’s own product page point the same way: a frame that stays planted with no perceptible flex at the wheel mount under load. The wheel assembly carries continuous height, tilt and reach adjustment, so dialling the wheel angle to something that feels like a real car is straightforward rather than a compromise.
The Flagship exists partly to solve a problem with the cheaper Plus. On the Plus the pedal deck sits you in a formula-style position out of the box, knees high, and there is no easy way to lift the seat or drop the pedals into a GT stance. The Flagship answers that with thicker uprights, a taller base and height-adjustable feet, which is exactly why RigMetal steers buyers who want a GT position towards this rig rather than the Plus. Build is standard aluminium-profile work: hex drivers, a tape measure and a square, assemble loose, check the rig is true on all four corners, then tighten down so the gussets pull everything square. Plan on a few hours for the first build.
What to watch out for
Two things. First, support and returns. RigMetal is up front that once you buy you are largely on your own, the help is a gated Facebook group rather than a phone line, and there are no returns, so confirm your wheelbase bolt pattern against RigMetal’s published wheel-plate dimensions before you order. Second, the documentation. Assembly instructions are a work in progress, the hardware bags are not individually labelled, and there is no master parts list, so budget time to sort and check fixings before you start.
It is also a full cockpit, not a folding stand, at 130 by 68cm on the floor. Plan the footprint before it arrives, not after.
Where it sits in 2026
At $799 / £631 the Flagship sits above RigMetal’s own Basic and Plus and lands in the same bracket as European flagships like the Sim-Lab P1-X Pro and the Trak Racer TR160S, but with US shipping and no customs to add on top. Against the Advanced SimRacing ASR-6, the other strong North American profile option, RigMetal trades polish and customer service for raw value and a heavier wheel deck. If you are in the US, you want a rigid 40x160mm frame that will carry a serious DD base, and you are comfortable building and supporting it yourself, the Flagship makes a strong case. If you want a hand held through the process or the option to send it back, pay more elsewhere.