LCT-1E Locust - Fast, as armored as can be expected for its size, and packing decent all-energy firepower; otherwise identical to the MCY-98 Mercury, but the Locust has better armor distribution.
MON-67 Mongoose - Fast, heavily armored for its size, and it carries a respectable energy-weapon loadout.
JVN-10F Javelin - Four MLs make for a deadly barrage, and it has the heat sinks to handle it, the jump jets to put them on the target, and the armor to slug it out.
JR7-F Jenner - Essentially a JVN-10F Javelin, it lacks sufficient heat sinks but carries more armor.
WTH-1S Whitworth - Slow but thickly armored and jumping, it can handle plenty of heat and can dish out a hefty punishment in close; especially in numbers, it can hold its own against larger mechs.
BJ-1DB Blackjack - Carries only energy weapons and the heat sinks to use them; plenty of protection and jump jets plus good ranged fire make this a winner.
HBK-4G/H/J/P/N/SP - Not a dud in the bunch. Every 3025 Hunchback is an excellent mech in its own right; all have plenty of armor and a variety of powerful weapons and the heat sinks to handle them. Some are better suited to certain situations - the G, P, and SP are up close only, while the H, J, and N cover all ranges - but they're all excellent designs.
WVR-6M Wolverine - Mobile, armored, and well armed. Heat is a problem, but that's why it jumps. The Whitworth and Blackjack have equal or better firepower, but the extra speed of the Wolverine give it a needed edge.
TDR-5SS Thunderbolt - A versatile firepower mix in a heavily protected frame; ample heat sinks to play with; the standard TDR-5S comes in a close second, but loses because it has MGs and an SRM2, though it is superior to the TDR-5SS at long range combat. The TDR-5SE is a mini-Guillotine/Grasshopper, with better long-range guns.
GRH-3M Grasshopper - Equaled only by the Guillotine, this mech is by far the more heavily armored of the two but lacks the vicious close-in firepower provided by the Guillotine's SRM6.
GLT-4L Guillotine - Mobile and well protected, with plenty of heat sinks and an impressive energy-based array of weapons; tied for the best overall stock 3025 mech with the Grasshopper.
FLS-7K Flashman - Good armor covers a mech with an all-energy weapon array, and its 23 heat sinks keep it in battle long after other mechs have stopped firing to cool down. Excellent overall, and if it jumped, it would easily meet or beat the Guillotine and Grasshopper. As it is, it's only a hair off of first place, if that much.
AWS-8Q Awesome - Fearsome and hard to kill; a limited choice of weapons, but always deadly.
STK-4N Stalker - Big, slow, and massively armored; 26 heat sinks and plenty of guns at all ranges make for a fierce barrage of lasers and missiles; use all the LRM ammo early, and this thing is unstoppable.
BNC-3S Banshee - Plenty of guns and lots of armor, befitting its assault classification. It's tempting to overburn, but heat management makes this a deadly contender.
AS7-D Atlas - Not to be toyed with. The AC20 alone is reason to run from it (or stay at 10+ range), but its backup weapons, ample heat sinks, and 304 armor points place the AS7-D among the greatest threats on the 3025 battlefield. Still, it relies on one big weapon, and is otherwise somewhat undergunned for its size.
Matt's favorite FASA 'Mechs: 3050/2750
MON-66 Mongoose - The premier ground scout mech. Decent guns, no XLs, lots of armor, and electronics.
SDR-7M Spider - Pesky and annoying. Almost no armor, but those two MPLs, especially in wolfpacks, can do major damage without taking return fire as the enemy concentrates on more threatening targets.
WLF-2 Wolfhound - Armored and without vulnerabilties. A ground-pounder, but among the most reliable and versatile light mechs - you really can't go wrong with it on open terrain. Cheap, too.
PHX-3K Phoenix Hawk - If you jump 6 and fire everything, you face a shutdown roll at 14 heat; otherwise, this is a multirole heavy harasser par excellence. It clocks in just ahead of the PHX-3S, which has much lower heat and adds MASC.
WVR-7K Wolverine - Easily the best medium mech of its day and size. The triple pulses and twin SRM6s are deadly, and under normal conditions it cannot overheat. Mobility, armor, guns... Almost perfect. The WVR-7M is a close second, though its lower armor and higher heat can be a problem, though MASC and long-range guns help alleviate this somewhat.
TDR-9S Thunderbolt - The T-Bolt comes of age. Difficult to take down and with heat sinks a-plenty for its wide range of guns, this is a groundling that's hard to beat. The TDR-7M is a very close second, and better-suited to long-range fights.
MAD-5D Marauder - The best of the 3050 MADs. Jumping, fully armored, with very good heat dissipation. It can't fire everything at once, but that matters little with the pulses and SSRM going strong. In unfamilier terrain or against new opponents, or both, non-jumpers are often at a tactical disadvantage, as are mechs with single-range weapons. The MAD-5D solves both those problems. It isn't the only one to do so, but it does it very well, inside maximum armor protection. If you don't know the terrain or the enemy (two big "no-no"s, thank you, Sun Tzu), you can at least know yourself and your mech, and what they can and can't do, and in this case the choice should reflect the ability to deal with any situation - the MAD-5D.
BLR-3M Battlemaster - With the BLR-1G's heat problems fixed, this is a perennial contender, a versatile mech that can handle almost anything. The leg armor is low, so watch out for kickers.
BNC-5S Banshee - The overhaul of the decade, this is a deadly machine at all ranges, while remaining respectably fast. If only it didn't have XL engines with all that explosive stuff on board, with below-max armor... Still, it's hard to beat on a given day.
AS7-S Atlas - If this had CASE, it would be a truly fearsome monster, but as is, it's still immensely destructive. Double Heat Sinks hide many sins, and that AC20 caps off some otherwise banal firepower.