This is where I will discuss (in my opinion) the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various mechs in MPBT: Solaris. With the addition of new 'Mechs to MPBT recently, and more to follow, this list is being expanded to include most, if not all, of the 'Mechs from FASA's Battletech Technical Readout 3025, as well as some other 3025-era tech 'Mechs.

Light mechs

FLE-4 Flea: The *best* thing that can be said about this 'Mech is that it lives up to it's name: an annoying pest, with very little bite to it, which can be easily squashed.

HNT-151 Hornet: Yet another bug that has found little use on Solaris, as it has weak armor and poor weapons.

LCT-1V Locust: The Locust is one of the fastest mechs in the game, and it is armored just about as heavily as the chassis will support. It's main fault is that its armor, while good for a light mech, is, essentially, paper when fighting anything with decent firepower. Your best bet when using this mech is to KEEP MOVING, and DON'T stand still!! If you can keep from getting hit a lot, you can actually do some good in the LCT-1V, especially in team fights now that they have implemented LOS rules in the game. The best use for the LCT-1V is to serve as a true recon mech, to find out just where those missing mechs of the other team are hiding, and to report back to the team leader.

LCT-1S:  This model of the Locust sacrifices what little armor protection it has for more effective close-range firepower. While the LCT-1S can now do more damage up close, due to it's one medium laser and twin SRM racks, it is more vulnerable to return fire, and so an LCT-1S pilot has to be careful not to take damage at all while on the run-up to the target. This model is best suited as a pure recon machine, avoiding combat until absolutely necessary.

LCT-1M: This is the only Locust variant that has any practical use in combat situations, as it comes with twin LRM racks that allow it to stand off and deliver fire support for it's companions. Its armor is still pitiful, however, so it is best used in the hit-and-run mode (shoot a salvo of missiles, and move to cover, peek out from the cover, find another target, shoot again, and get back behind cover). DON'T go risking yourself unecessarily in this model of  Locust, as it is NOT a close-combat mech, by any stretch of the imagination!!

LCT-1E: This is a pure laser mech, as it has 3 medium lasers and 2 small lasers, at the cost of much-needed armor. This machine is perhaps the worst of all the Locust variants, as it has pitiful armor and has severe heat problems when firing all of it's weapons. Your best bet with this thing is to stay out of sight, and hope someone blunders into your line of sight at optimum engagement range for YOU, not THEM.

STG-3R Stinger: The basic model Stinger, it has the same armament as the Locust 1V, but it is slower, and has less armor. What saves it is it's jump jets, allowing it to jump out of the line of fire in time to save itself from a possibly crushing attack. Any model Stinger would do well to avoid a direct confrontation with an enemy mech, and instead use it's jump capabilities to get behind an enemy and attack its weaker rear armor, hopefully getting in some serious damage before having to jump again and get behind the enemy before getting pasted by the angered enemy pilot.

STG-3G: This model of the Stinger is perhaps a better choice than the 3R model, as it replaces the machine guns with a second medium laser and more armor (HURRAY!!), allowing it to do more damage at a greater range than the 3R model while being able to survive battle damage better. It still has the problem that nearly all light mechs have (namely poor armor protection), but at least it can dish out some damage before dying.

WSP-1A Wasp: What can I say about the Wasp? This model of the Wasp is virtually identical to the STG-3R, except that it has an SRM-2 rack instead of twin machine guns. The armor is still a joke, and it can overheat far more quickly than the STG-3R Stinger could. This model Wasp would NOT be my first choice for a light mech :)

WSP-1D: Ditto the comments about the WSP-1A, except replace the SRM-2 rack with two small lasers and a flamer. If anything, this variant of the Wasp is even more of a joke than the 1A model is!

WSP-1K: This model of the Wasp might as well be a carbon copy of the STG-3G, except for the placement of the 2 medium lasers (the STG-3G has the lasers in the arms, while the WSP-1K has one laser in the right arm and one in the left torso).

WSP-1W: This model of the Wasp was first introduced by Wolf's Dragoons. It has the same armor as the 1A Wasp, but it replaces all of the 1A's weapons with 6 small lasers. This has been described by some as a suicide mech, as to do any damage you have to get almost on top of your target before firing. This exposes the 1W pilot to enemy fire for far too long, unless he gets lucky and surprises/ambushes his target at very close range.

COM-2D Commando:  This mech has some good points and some bad points. The good points are that it has tolerable armor (for a light mech) and good close-range firepower for it's weight. Its bad points are no jump jets, and an over-dependence on missile weapons. It also suffers from severe heat probs when firing all of it's weapons, which can cause numerous heat shutdowns if the pilot doesn't watch his heat buildup carefully.

COM-3A Commando: This Commando reduces it's armor to replace the SRM-4 with an SRM-6, and it also adds a flamer, which considerably weakens it's chances for survival.

JVN-10N Javelin: The forgotten older brother of the JVN-10F, this mech has fallen by the wayside in favor of it's younger brother, for two reasons: it has less armor than it's brother, and it is totally dependent on missile weapons, which are not as effective as beam and projectile weapons due to missile spread.

JVN-10F: Formerly one of the most popular light 'Mechs used on Solaris, it has several things to recommend it: exceptional armor for a light mech, and a devastating battery of 4 medium lasers that can do serious damage to just about any mech it can get into engagement range of. It's only flaw is a serious overheating problem when repeatedly firing all of its lasers at once. When used properly, it can take out mechs that are grossly larger and better-protected than itself.

SDR-5V Spider: This mech is a speed demon with one big problem: pitiful armor for a 30-ton mech. Due to it's poor armor, a Spider pilot must use his speed and jump jets to good effect, or sufer the consequences of poor piloting combined with poor armor.

SDR-5D: This model of the Spider replaces one medium laser with two flamers. If anyone pilots this version of the Spider by choice, they must be either a very good pilot, a very brave pilot, or a very foolish pilot.

SDR-5K: This version of the Spider replaces one medium laser with two machine guns. It was originally intended as an anti-infantry mech, which is why it probably sees even less service on Solaris than the SDR-5D model.

UM-R60 UrbanMech: This is perhaps the most ridiculed mech in the game. It's flaws are well known: it is almost impossibly slow, it's jump jets might as well be called hop jets, and it's weapons are loacted on it's vulnerable arms. If used properly, however, you can often surprise an opponent and do some serious damage before you start losing parts of your mech (once, I managed to ambush a Javelin by hiding behind an enormous mountain (neither of us could see the other at the start of the fight) and waiting for him to come around the mountain. I got very lucky, in that he appeared on my LEFT side, and not my RIGHT side. This saved my autocannon from the brunt of his first shot, which removed my left arm, taking with it my small laser. I turned and fired, removing most of the armor on his right torso. I then started jinking like a madman, trying to throw off his aim. It must have worked, as his second alpha missed me, and I was able to get off a second shot into his right torso, removing it and two of his lasers. This must have rattled him a bit, as his third shot only grazed me. I was able to get off a third shot, this time hitting his CT turning it yellow. He must have been getting desperate at this point (What? I'm losing to an UrbanMech? Help!!), as his next shot missed me completely. I got off another shot into his CT, destroying his engine and winning the fight. The driver of the Javelin was NOT a newbie, and he did know what he was doing. It was a combination of luck and skill that allowed me to win, and I do NOT want to try that again!!)

UM-R60L UrbanMech: This model of the urbie replaces the AC/10 with an AC/20, and drops some armor to compensate. This version is a nasty close-quarters 'Mech, for all of it's 5 shots with the AC/20, at which point it becomes a 30-ton paperweight on the battlefield.

VLK-QA/-QD Valkyrie: I am listing these two mechs together, as they are, in fact, the same mech as they appear in the game. In the board game the -QD Valkyrie is a Star League tech mech.
If used properly, the Valkyrie can be a nasty surprise to an opponent. Just use your LRM rack properly, and don't get too close to your opponent until you have to.

FS9-H Firestarter: This 'Mech can surprise folks with it's 2 medium lasers, 4 flamers, and 2 MG's, but it's armor leaves it open to getting creamed if the pilot isn't careful. Using terrain and jump jets properly, it can deliver a fair amount of damage, as long as you don't go and try to take out heavies and assaults :).

JR7-D Jenner: This mech, possibly tied with the Javelin as the most popular light mech on Solaris, trades armor for speed and firepower. A single Alpha strike from a Jenner can devastate just about any light mech in existence, and can do amazing damage against medium and heavy mechs when used in conjunction with a jump. Against assault mechs, it's best bet for survival is stealth and speed used together to get behind the assaults, to strike against the weaker rear armor of the big boys.

JR7-F Jenner: This model of the Jenner drops the SRM-4 and it's ammo for more armor, which has quickly made it a favorite among light pilots on Solaris, as it can take two PPC hits to a leg without losing the leg. Needless to say, I like this Jenner a lot :).

PNT-9R Panther: This mech has some severe drawbacks to it's use on Solaris: it is relatively slow for a light mech, and while it has an effective main gun, it's backup firepower leaves something to be desired. In close quarters, where it can ambush an opponent at close range, its combination of jump capability and decent firepower can do serious damage before the opposing mech starts pounding away while the Panther pilot waits for what seems like an eternity for his PPC to recharge and his SRM rack to reload.

Medium mechs

ASN-21 Assassin: This mech seems to be a mech in search of a mission. It has relatively few weapons, but it has one LRM rack, alowing it to serve as a light fire support mech. It's close-range weaponry would be respectable on a 20-ton mech, but is is a 40-ton mech. It is fast, and can jump, but a better trade-off for the designers would have been to slow it down a little and give it either more armor, or better firepower. It is a bit heavy for the recon role, but a bit light for close combat. All in all, this mech has it's uses, but it needs help to survive.

CDA-2A Cicada: This mech could be described as a Locust on steroids. It has the same speed and armor protection as the LCT-1V Locust, with twice the weight and twice the firepower. If the designers had reduced the speed just a little, they could have given it much better armor and more firepower. As it is, it suffers from the same problems as the Locust, and it should be used in much the same manner.

WTH-1 Whitworth: Often called the Witless (or Worthless), the Whitworth suffers from several drawbacks: it is unable to fire all of its weapons without going into severe overheating problems, and it is painfully slow at times. But it can be used effectively as a fire support mech, which is what it was designed for. It also has good armor for a 40-ton mech, which enables it to stand up to some abuse before being destroyed.

BJ-1 Blackjack: This mech has quickly gained a reputation on Solaris as a "coward's mech", due to it's ability to hang back and thump away at you with it's twin AC/2's every 2.5 seconds. A smart BJ driver avoids closing with his target until he has done considerable damage with his AC's, at which time he rushes his victim and fires his 4 medium lasers into the most seriously damaged part of his victims mech, quite often destroying that part of the target (and if the BJ driver was hitting the CT, this often spells doom for his target). The proper method for dealing with a Blackjack driver is to force him to get close enough to you so that you can start hitting him with your weapons. Hill country can be the bane of a Blackjack pilot. Use it against the BJ driver!

PXH-1 Phoenix Hawk: This mech was designed as a medium recon mech, and it can be the bane of many a lighter mech, due to it's large laser, jump jets, and good armor protection. It suffers badly when used against heavier mechs, however, due to the fact that just about any mech that is heavier than it has far more firepower and armor available. Use the large laser and jump jets to snipe at larger mechs from behind hills until they get close, then jump behind them and try to get at their rear armor.

VND-1AA Vindicator: The designers of this mech tried to fit it to too many battlefield tasks, with only mediocre results. It has decent long-range firepower and good armor, but it is slow, and has poor close-range firepower. The only saving grace of the Vindicator is that it has enough heat sinks to keep up a decent rate of fire before shutting down.

CN9-A Centurion: This mech has some truly nasty long to medium range firepower for a medium mech, but it suffers from being slow, and having poor close-range firepower, as well as a shortage of heat sinks for it's available firepower, and one rear-firing medium laser, which detracts from it's forward firing firepower.

CN9-AH: This model of the Centurion has ferocious close-in firepower, but it gives up its medium lasers, and is dependent on weapons with ammo that can run out or be lost.

CN9-AL: This model of the Centurion replaces the AC/10 of the basic model with a large laser and a small laser, and 4 heat sinks, as well as more armor. This version of the Centurion is best used as a sniper mech.

ENF-4R Enforcer: The  Enforcer is not a bad mech, it just isn't a good mech. It has decent mid- to long-range firepower, but it is to dependent on it's AC/10, which can only fire 10 rounds before running out of ammo. It is then forced to rely on a single large laser to protect itself, which isn't much when you consider what it may have to face off against. It does have jump jets, though, which helps it to survive a little while longer then it otherwise might.

HBK-4G Hunchback: The classic Hunchie, this mech has some severe shortcomings: it has to get close to be effective, and it only has 2 medium lasers and a small laser as back up for it's AC/20. Remove the right torso of the 4G Hunchie, and it is left with 1 medium laser and 1 small laser to "defend" itself, which is why it is VERY rarely seen in combat on Solaris.

HBK-4H: This model of the Hunchie downgrades the AC/20 to an AC/10, and adds 2 more medium lasers, giving it both a longer-ranged weapon and more backup guns. While it still has problems with heat, it is much more effective than the 4G model.

HBK-4J: Perhaps the most popular of the Hunchies on Solaris, this model has twin LRM-10 racks in place of the AC/20, which enable it to hammer an opponent from long range while staying out of close combat until an opponent has been severly damaged, then it can close in for the kill. When used in conjunction with other mechs that are faster than it, the 4J Hunchback can make an opponents life miserable. It's only drawback is one endemic to the entire HBK series of mechs: too much of it's firepower is concentrated in one location, which can cause problems if the enemy targets that location and removes it.

HBK-4N: This Hunchie has an AC/5, 2 LRM-5 racks, and 4 medium lasers, which gives it a decent long-range punch, but not as effective a long-range punch as the 4J model. This version is more of a "harrassment fire" mech, used to keep an enemy off-balance while it's teammates close in for the kill.

HBK-4SP: One of the nastiest close-quarters mechs around, the 4SP Hunchie is armed with 2 SRM-6 racks and 4 medium lasers, which can deliver a devastating blow at close range, which is also it's drawback: it HAS to get in close to be effective, which is why a smart opponent keeps out of close range, and engages the SP with whatever long-range weapons he has. The SP can be a nightmare to face in hill country, where it can sit in ambush, just waiting for some unwary opponent to stumble into its sights.

TBT-5N Trebuchet: The basic version of the Trebuchet (sometimes called the Trenchbucket or Trashbucket) is a long-range bombardment mech, and it should avoid close combat at all costs, as it's armor is not very good, and it's close-range weapons are there simply to keep an enemy honest. It is also limited by having only 8 reloads for each missile rack, which means a Trebuchet pilot must use his ammo with care, or run out at a critical point in the battle.

TBT-5S: This is a variant of the Trebuchet that replaces the LRM racks with SRM racks and heat sinks. While it then becomes an effective close-range fighter, it now needs to use cover at all costs, to avoid getting destroyed before getting into engagement range.

TBT-5J: This model of the Trebuchet removes the left arm LRM rack, and adds 5 jump jets. This version should be used in the "jump-shoot" mode, hiding behind some obstacle until an enemy appears, then jumping and shooting the opponent from above.

DV-6M Dervish: This mech can be used effectively, if it's driver realizes that he should not go rushing at his opponent and trying to get close enough to fire an Alpha strike. Instead, a Dervish pilot should use his LRM's to batter an opponent from long range first, then get in close and finish him off.

GRF-1N Griffin: This mech can be very dangerous, if used properly. It is NOT a Wolverine, and should NOT be used in the same manner! This mech should be used as a support mech in team fights, and as a sniper in duels, as it has no close range weapons at all. It has some overheating problems, which can be avoided by not firing TIC's.

GRF-1S Griffin: This model removes the PPC and LRM-10 rack, and replaces them with a large laser, 2 medium lasers, and an LRM-5 rack. This version of the Griffin is a better close-range fighter, but it should still use it's long-range guns to soften up an opponent first, before getting in close.

SHD-2H Shadow Hawk: Many of the comments about the GRF-1N could also be applied to the 2H Shadow Hawk. While the 2H Shadow Hawk does have some close-range weapons, it gets them at the expense of better long-range firepower. The 2H Shadow Hawk can be used in a number of roles, but it best suited to serving as a fast medium recon mech and as a support mech for recon units/missions.

WVR-6R Wolverine: This model of the Wolvie is very raely seen, as it has a limited amount of firepower when compared to the other variants of the Wolverine. It is alos less well-armored than the other Wolverine variants.

WVR-6K: This version of the Wolverine removes the jump jets, and adds more armor, making it perhaps the best-armored medium mech on Solaris. It also replaces the AC/5 of the 6R model with a large laser, a medium laser, and a small laser, drastically improving the damage potential of this model.

WVR-6M: This model retains the jump jets, but replaces the AC/5 with a large laser and a medium laser, and adds armor as well. This version of the Wolverine is perhaps the most common variant seen on Solaris, for obvious reasons.

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