A little miffed at the lack of commentary, but oh well. I had went home and have had heavily tested this build and have found it to be very effective for what it does. Pinpoint accuracy and when it works, the UAC/5 is a complete fit as a complementary weapon for its 2 PPC's. I've refined the build as such;
The SHD-5M would seem to be the ideal variant for a 2PPC+AC5 poptart. Both energy hardpoints in one arm let you skimp on armor in the other. Personally, I'd go with a regular AC5 and use the ton and slot saved for another DHS to keep those PPCs churning. Also, spread the JJs when possible so they can't all be critted out of one cored torso. I've run 2 PPC on fewer than 14 DHS; once one has doubled basics, this should put out plenty of poke damage. The downfalls to watch out for would be how thin the armor is, and how little non-PPC DPS you have to fall back on if you're charged and high on heat or low on distance. I'm borderline on if this is a good or excellent build. It uses all the slots and a weight efficient engine, and even gets cute with a shield arm, but the act of pop-sniping is usually employed against the heavier end of the enemy forces. Even using pop-tart tactics and front heavy armor, this mech has very little wiggle room between being fresh, cored, and downed.
I really don't agree with your choice to swap an UAC5 for an AC5 tfun, yes UACs have jam rate but as long as you're poking that shouldn't hurt too much, and UAC5s still have double the burst. That's not worth trading in for just 1 DHS. The OP looks like a really great build, gonna test it out now with my new XL255.
I'm simultaneously fascinated and horrified. Edit: It's not for me. I totally get it, but it's not my style. My best match (out of 4) had 0 kills 175 damage. ;_;
i didn't see this thread, but this was my first take on the 5M. And it you know what, it's a fun one to play. A gauss gun would fit here better, but oh well.
