I may be rusty as sin, but I flew a LOT of midwar planes. I enjoyed C2s to no end, I loved P-40s, I enjoyed P-39s. I was found often flying 109Es and Fs in the LWA.
I can say without any doubt whatsoever that the 152 is uber compared to anything you could classify as "midwar" -- and holds its own 1v1 against most other planes in the game. That's across all types of engagement, and at all alts. It's not "the best" but it's definitely on the top end of the spectrum. Much like a Spit14, nobody takes the time to learn how to fly it properly to appreciate this. They just try to use it to run or only BnZ targets. You have to fly it halfway between a 109K and a 190D.
Other then Zoney I probably have the most time logged in the 152 these days....It's problems when fighting are it's a 190 without the roll rate but the power of a dora but not the top speed.
What I mean it doesn't roll like an A5 can so it struggles a bit there and often leads to the 152 flat spin most experience in it. It has the power of the dora so like the dora or K4(or any 109) it can hang on it's prop well which opens up some performance in vertical scissors....not as much as a dora or P51D though (P51 has the added flaps which make it more formidable)
I don't remember how Moot flew it (people have told me he turned with Spit 16s which doesn't make sense unless he was flat out cheating) but I imagine he was using a mix of it's ability to accelerate quickly in a dive with its ability to hang on its prop to fight vs planes turning...which makes it look like he's "turn fighting" but really he's E fighting.
An example of that is in this film from 40-120....what your seeing is almost a rolling scissors but a very elongated one on my end which is causing him to lose energy giving me the ability to go vertical against him....this is the situation I try to press in all engagements in the 152....a time where my opponent energy state is near mine where he has enough to think he will climb with me but underestimates the speed I gained in a very shallow quick dive (also what I do on BRDs)
[youtube]https://youtu.be/6pWCVcZOANE[youtube]
Point I'll leave is this...Probably the best match up for the TA152 in a low alt fight is the P47D11 (early war plane)....about 20K it gets its real handle to it. I'm better in a 152 then most...but I'll lose 10 out of 10 under 20K vs myself in a P51D just because the P51 can fight in a more All around manner, it's characteristics of high speed handling, flaps, uber rudder allow it to do so.
