Originally posted by nirvana
Wouldn't you think the added weight from the ammo, as well as the guns, would lead to reduced manouverability though, Krusty?
Nirvana, I think it might a little, but consider aircraft like the Fw190 with wing gun options, the C202 with wing gun options... The performance loss is not prohibitively bad, unless you're at extreme altitude.
The IIBs were introduced because the Mk1s weren't able to quickly kill bombers in the BOB. The IIBs were still unable (adding 50% 303 caliber MGs is still just more 303 caliber rifles). The next design was the IIC, much more capable of taking down bombers with Hispanos. The IIB was a transitional craft, a short-life-span development. The IIBs left in service as the IICs came out were shifted to ground attack. They were called "HurriBombers" or some such. They dashed across the channel, dropped bombs, or strafed things, then dashed back home. Don't need much manuverability for that -- I'm guessing most kept the MGs for strafing (pure speculation here) because when you're jabo you don't need to be nimble.
As another note: There was a IIB in Warbirds, or AW, or some previous game. Folks that remember it claim it was still very manuverable.
My reckoning: If you take one of the most manuverable planes in the game and add more weight, you're still getting a VERY nimble plane (if not "one of the most nimble in the game") -- it's still relatively able to outturn most in the plane set
I'm all for the IIB being added. It just didn't play a big part. It was a minor variant that had production stopped rather quickly. I don't expect to see it any time soon.
