Hmmmm .... let's see ...
1) Decent climb rate (75% fuel - no ordinance)
2) Decent roll rate
3) 4 x .50 cals with 1720 rounds
4) Drops like a rock from altitude (can bounce LA-7s, P-51s, run09s, and run90s if timed right)
5) Excellent turner ... flaps, when real slow, works very well.
6) Ruggedness. This is not uber. In RL is was a very rugged plane.
If you are a BnZer, then this plane is not for you. Once you "boom", you can "zoom" but you will probably have to get right back into the action ... extending is not an option with top speed under 300mph. Best bet is try to extend low and with its turning ability, you can spoil any single bouncer. I have quite a few proximity kills spoiling the "greedy" cherry-pickers.
Any plane with .50 cals and a convergence that works for you is an extremly deadly combination .. especially with a 1720 round loadout. Killing with .50 cals is very different than killing with cannons. The amount of .50 cal ammo allows you to lay out the "lead rope" and when done correctly, you can slice off wings with ease, or lay the "rope" from engine to tail and watch the explosion. If you try to use a "cannon" killing mentality with the .50 cals, you will not get many kills.
Once you point the nose down on the FM2, it will drop very fast and will reach 400mph in a short amount of time and still have very good handling at that speed.
I have yet to outturn a good Zeke or Spit pilot ... operative word here is "good". I will leave the others to wonder. Once a good FM2 pilot is on your 6, unless you are a master "stick-stirrer" you can consider yourself dead.
Yes this plane is rugged, as it was in RL. I have found a couple of weaknesses it has when it takes hits, but I can't divulge them here.