Warfare & Tactics

Well you have two options, and really it comes down to weapon systems, not ships.

Hybrids vs missiles.

The current meta for small gang / solo is most certainly cruisers. To that end you are looking at the gallente lineup of the thorax, vigilant, demios, and navy exq.

All of those ships really struggle with projection. Before the TE nerf Shield thorax / demios / vigilant were playable. However post TE nerf, they have become unplayable. All of those ships have turned into super close range blaster boats, and have really lost their ability to kite (even at the edge or linked scram / Web) Because they are now forced to brawl, their use in small gang / solo PvP is really limited, and it would be my suggestion to stay away.

Normally I would suggest grabbing a talos- because a talos is one of the best solo / small ships in the game, even after the TE nerf. However because you specifically mentioned FW, i would hesitate reccomending the Talos for you- simply because it can only fit into large plex. Now i am not saying that you can't get some GF's on the outside to med / small plexes, but you certainly will be presented with less ways to make isk. However unlike caldari, the gallente have a much nicer lineup once you have more SP. Caldari are shoe horned into the caracal / Navy Osprey / RLM tengu for the moment.

So we are left with caldari. They have with out a doubt, the best solo / small gang T1 cruiser in the caracl. Fit with RLM's you are going to have an easy time dealing with the frig and dessi infested lands of FW, and you can enter the all important medium plex. Caracal will offer you a great platorm of speed, tank, and dps when flown correctly. Because of its ability to kite- you are also going to have more luck fighting the FW blobs that come your way. Out side of the caracal, caldari ships are suffering for the most part. Missiles in general are pretty **** outside of RLM platforms + Cruise missiles. The other caldari cruiser the moa- is a complete joke of a ship and falls into a worse category than the shield rax ext.

If you can spend that little bit extra, the osprey navy issue is most likely going to be the best you can do these days with a solo / small gang caldari hull. Its extreamly fast, and with its plethora of mid slots can really be customised to do what you want. Using RLM's this ship is also a really good addition to the caracal.

If you would ask me: What are the best solo / small gang ships available for the current pod pilot i would anser this:

Scythe Fleet issue, dual prop RLM
Omen navy issue pulse kiting fit

Hope this helps.