Live Server Italian HTs discussion

So, the new italian heavies have hit the Live Server and now everyone can get a taste of them. How have been your impressions about them so far? Do they live up to the expectations that WG's trailer set up for them?

In my case, I skipped straight to the Tier X (because of stacks of Blueprints and Free Xp from tournaments) and so far I'm not impressed. I heard all the talk about the Rhino having bad DPM and gun handling, subpar armor and mobility, and lots of other stuff.

The DPM is indeed bad, so you have to play like an single shot and save the shells in the magazine to finish off lone tanks or take opportunity shots from a safe distance, because after that you gonna be reloading for a looong time. Thing is, intraclip reload of 4 seconds really hurts clipping potential, so the opportunities for finishing off someone are very sparse. Couple that with bad gun handling and bad dispersion on the move and while moving the turret for a lackluster experience.

Armor is indeed subpard, but the worst thing is shape of the turret makes the whole sides of the gun a huge weakspot. You gotta face incoming fire in a straight 90° angle, because anyone shooting you from couple degrees to the sides are getting free shots at your turret. And if you are facing multiple enemies, you are getting penned by anyone except the guy exactly in front of your sights.

But to me, the worst thing is the bad mobility. Top speed of 40 and a p/w ratio of 15 really hurts the tank. You are going to arrive late to the party and be one of the last to leave (before you get killed), meaning you are going to miss the chance to get in a good position to make up for the drawbacks of the tank.

I think the true fix for the Rhino is not so much increasing the DPM, but giving it better mobility, like a Obj. 277. That would make it a really interesting tank to play and compensate for its weaker points, because it will give you the opportunity to choose your engagements and have a better chance at making an impact in the battle. Otherwise, this tank is going to have the same fate as the Britsh LTs, with a trailer that doesn't match the reality of the tank at all, and no one who plays them. And if that's the case, then why bother to release new tank lines?