the PHX is a loved icon of the BT universe and i am sure that Alex had to work with restrained parameters to put his vision of the Phoenix Hawk. The first Mech to hold a weapon which so far we didn't had and also many others are supposed to have a disposable weapon ( The Battlemaster comes to mind ) so its a first and also a fail.
While Alex did a good job overall, the end result is not really good, that is hardly his fault. the actual gun should have been an option ( just like the clans with the arm actuators and hands ) to give the choice to the player, yeah might loose an energy hard point in the process but still an option.
like many clan Mechs, weapons are only in the arms, clearly meant to be played as a light Mech with the armor of a medium. About Quirks, seriously guys just ignore those, they might change at any given time, its really not something we can count on.
If I had a PHX-1, Id go for this
http://mwo.smurfy-ne...50689290218fb05
but that's just me.