What makes a good Medium Melee mech.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Probably because of the compressed 360 view that many early novels constantly described mechs as having thanks to their cockpit displays.  There's also no penalties for firing on a target in your rear arc as long as it's not a secondary target.

[Kit deSummersville]

That's something i've often wondered about.  Most every other game system, has some sort of bonus from attacking from the rear/flank.  I wonder, why mini games such as Btech don't.

A lot of that helps account for lesser armor/greater vulnerability in the back while the actual armor values do that for you in BattleTech.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

Yeah having one's back already gives you the advantage to shoot down the target's weak spot. With the advanced sensors on the most units it is suggested that there is no true blind spot on the battlefield of Battletech. As long as you did aware the presence of the enemy unit, though(read = as you know ambushers does have the advantage for the pointblank shots). You cannot make the physical attacks as the pointblank shots, if I remember correctly, but it does gives some advantage for the shootings.

[shopsmart]

Not sure if mentioned but a hatchet can use punch chart at penalty.  Also quasimoto is a 55 tsm Punch beast.  Only down side is...  Xl engine.

[PuppyLikesLaserPointers]

You can with a hatchet or the most other melee weapons, but it adds an another +4 on the to-hit modifier. I don't think that it is a good way to aim for the punch table.