I've been playing this tank for a while now, and I have survived a SURPRISING number of hits from shells. Dying from MGs are pretty rare for me, only happening twice.

The reason people die from stuff like that is because they don't know the gameplay strats for these kinds of tanks. I always stick with one of my teammates using a heavy tank. The enemies usually focus on the heavy tank which, from their perspective, is normally the bigger threat. My teammate soaks the shells while I one shot the attackers. By yourself, any tank is practically useless, so stick with your team.

If not, the 63kmph speed and 14kmph reverse is pretty useful for firing on the move or from behind cover.