Anyone ever thought that it might be a smart move for PGI and the MVP model to have the whole MechBay functionality integrated gradually into the game? Let's take a step back for a moment and look at a hypothetical timeline...
1. At release the functionality will allow you to do some cosmetic (paint jobs e.g.) customization and to toy around some with modules etc. Other than that you are mostly tied to some fixed Mech variants provided by PGI.
2. On the event of "expansion one", the IS starts on the "upgrading Mechs" business more in depth, menaing that also you can have some limited access to XAC and UAC tech and some specilaized ammunition types and the like. Still cannot turn your Locust into a Marauder, but... baby steps.
3. Expansion 2, darn it, the clans have shown up! Now here goes the customization frenzy another step, you might have gotten that sexah Clan MedPls laser (god knows how...) and now you can mount it!
4. Expansion 3, look at that, not only does the occasional lucky bast*** get hold of a salvaged Clan Mech chassis by now, no, the IS finally start looking into OmiMech technology as well. And if you got the necessary moolah/connections/social standing/sexual seduction skills, you might be one of the first to get one and play the "pimp you Mech" game like the pros do, now!
I, for one, could live with that! Also would mean PGI doesn't have to throw a major part of its (limited) development budget just at one facet of the whole game. Because at the end of the day, this game is to be "Mech
WarriorOnline", not "Mech
LabOnline". So priorities need to be straight!