Nice video, thanks Commander.

I haven't flown the Viper much. I prefer the Cobra as I feel I have more control over it in terms of maneuverability. Plus I prefer the class 4 hardpoints being on top of my ship rather than on the bottom. To be honest I still have the most fun flying around in the Sidewinder, but in combat it's pretty useless against any thing bigger than the Cobra. I tried battling a Viper commander once using a Sidewinder, and though I knocked out his shield quickly, I couldn't seem to make much of a dent in his hull.
The Eagle has nice fire power and better control than the sidey, but it doesn't seem to take a beating as well. The other little freighters really aren't suitable for any real combat, but I've only used them for trading so far. I'm not even interested in using the bigger ships for combat; too slow and lumbering for my style. And I don't understand the appeal of using the Anaconda in combat, other than the fact that it can be loaded out with a shed load of over-powered weapons and defense utilities. In battle I can usually take out a conda much faster than a Type 9, so I feel the Lakon has much stronger shields and hull than any of the currently available ships. Too bad it feels like driving a snail up hill in a hurricane. Waiting to see what the Asp brings to the table though.
This is all just personal opinion of course.