Hey  man,  I  know  it  must  seem  disappointing.  A floor model  Ares  is  decent  for  a  tank  but  in  terms  of  HP (bot  and  shield) is  second  to the Juggernaut  even  when  maxed  out. It  has  the  same  energy  as  a  Juggernaut   well:  3  star  (12),  4  star  (16),  5  star  (18).

it  is  vulnerable  to  javelins,  mortars,  side  &  rear  attacks  the  same  as  any  other  mech  except  Juggernaut.  You  have  to  consider  what  role  you  want  it  to  play  in  your  hangar.  The  role  of  a  tank  is  to  take  damage  and  let  the  assaulters  deal  it.  You  want  to  use  it  to  hold  tight  spaces,  ramps  and  corners  while  the  other  blues  reload.  When  thinking  about  what  to  spend  your  hard  earned  credits  and  a-coins  on,  please  consider  the  following:

1)  At  4  &  5  star  Ares  can  deal  its  fair  share  of  damage  and  if  you  have  picked  your  spot  carefully  you  will  be  the  spot  that  the  light  bots  will  learn  to  avoid  or  die.  

2)  The  wide  shield  helps  protect  bots  to  either  side  of  you  from  direct  fire  and  will  keep  them  alive  to  support  you  longer.  Think  guardians, panthers  and zephyrs who are super squishy at close range.

3)  Always  remember,  the  support  robots  will  cover  your  flanks,  the  assaulters  will  cover  your  advance  but  the  TANK  IS  THE  ONE  WHO  KNOCKS!  

Have  fun  with  whatever  bot  you  pick!

These are all great points, however, the Ares biggest flaw is the reset time for its ability.  With how it's set up right now the Juggernaut's shiled will reset twice as fast, if not faster than the Ares.  Even that out and I think Ares would be the better mech.  I have had times when my Ares lost its shield almost immediately, then it takes 17 seconds to get the the cooldown, follwed by another 10 seconds or so for the recharge.  With that said, the Juggernaut does not need to wait the extra 17 seconds if it loses its shiled right away.  Because of this, I believe the Juggernaut has a much larger upside than Ares.  

All true.  Would point out though that if you run in a team your Ares will also shield the MD mech who will save their heal for when your shield drops.  Like Peanut Butter & Jelly those two are a tasty combo.