While these arguments are valid, there can be a case made for the Ho-Ri Production sitting higher than the Jagdtiger or Ferdinand due to mobility, and the Jagdpanther sits too low anyways. As opposed to the German things, a better comparison would be vehicles like the Soviet Object 268(6.7), the French AMX-50 Foch(7.3), the American T28(6.3)/T95(7.0), and the British Tortoise(6.7).
The conclusion is at the very bottom so you can just skip the middle part if you’re not interested in comparisons.
As it stands right now, the Obj.268(6.7) is just better than the Ho-Ri Production in basically every way, with a better gun, similar mobility, better armor layout(thickness and placement), roof dshka, better reverse, with the only lacking part in reload due to the 152mm gun on it. And it sits at 6.7.
The AMX-50 Foch(7.3) is funnily enough closer to the Ho-Ri in performance, since while it shares a similarly untouchable sloped UFP they both have large weakspots, although I’d argue the Foch has an easier-hit weakspot that can’t really be hidden or juked via wiggling. Foch also has better speed and a better gun, although the 120mm solid shot is well, solid shot so it has better pen but arguably worst post-pen. However, its generally considered to kind of be underperforming at 7.3, from what I can tell.
T28(6.3)/T95(7.0) is harder to compare, since they’re so slow. Both of them have far better frontal armor, and side/rear in the case of the T95, a better gun with similar reload and post-pen but better pen, and roof .50cals, but far less mobility. So, I’d say they’re abuot equal, the T95 to the Ho-Ri Prod and the T28 to the Proto, although the Ho-Ri in both cases is a far easier nut to crack.
The British Tortoise(6.7), while being a slightly underperforming 6.7, is still a good bit better than the Ho-Ri Prototype due to having more armor (152mm all-around vs Proto’s 120 cheek/150 center/250 mantlet and 75mm LFP) and an arguably better gun with far better pen but debatably worse post-pen. If its kind of bad at 6.7, one only needs to imagine how the Ho-Ri Proto, also at 6.7, does with worse firepower and armor.
Conclusion: The Ho-Ri Production(along with the AMX-50 Foch imo) probably should drop down to 7.0, since thats where the vehicles most similar to it tend to be. The Ho-Ri Prototype should go back to 6.3. It was fine there, it was no Ferdinand since even Sherman 76mms and T-34-85 85mms can pen that 120mm cheek plate frontally. Plus, the T28 with a similar premium status and being debatably better is also at 6.3 and does fine.
This doesn’t even consider things like the T32, IS-3, IS-4M, Maus, T-54/55, and the aforementioned German TDs which the Ho-Ri can barely, or just can’t touch in a frontal engagement.
