I recently went back to basics... looking for a fresh bit of fun- where cost was no object (nowadays i got 8 digit balance).
Flew a sidewinder, and suprised/terrorized the distress beacon/LP system/Nav Beacons for a bit:
Railgun
Class 2 Cannon
K-Warrant scanner
Heat sink launcher
Mirrored surface armor
Had to fly with cargoscoop module off to not trip the breakers, but otherwise the ship had excellent heat and wpn bank performance.
And I was a terror in it (even if I do say so myself)! While the speed and shield strength are not up to the standards of the bigger ships, it handles like a dream, and is capable of some seriously nauseating maneuvers, once you put a pilot in it with some experience, and knows how to push its envelope. I even greyed-out to G-effects once or twice. Its agility made it effortless to pitch up/down the little amount to land railgun-cannon-railgun hits even mid loop (something a Cobra would lumber at due to its interia)
And one thing I noticed going back to the basic: its shield regen was FAST. whether damaged, or trying to reset, the shields restored faster than any other ship. although this may be due to its overall strength, its still a good bonus in drawn out combat.
I didnt stay in it long, though. I Had tons of fun, but in the end, its cargo capacity and low damage output (even as equipped) made it limited. -Example: Railgun and class2 cannon could not drop NPC Type 9 shields, or knock out its cargo hatch before it jumps away. Its just too beefy, and my raw DPS is just not up to the job in the time allotted.
But Sidewinders will always be fun, and effective in skilled hands. It is a good indicator that a ships performance has more to do with the pilots skill operating it than is due to the vehicle stats itself (just ask the viper pilot I killed in my sidey). and they are a BLAST when flown in a group of all sideys: then they are much like TIE fighters, buzzing and swarming to the dismay of anyone under their focus
