Show me few replays with AVRE killing blobs, tanks and winning games - you hardly find any.
Now show me replays with ST winning games - there are plenty of them.
Penals are great on urban maps and they can easily deal with any garrision.
Their only problem is survability and lack of scalling. I mean, they have nice % for accuracy but in late game agasint vetted axis' infantry they die like fiels.
All they need is maybe better starting rec.acc. and vet 2 -29% rec. acc. Do this and they will become serious threat.
And again, stop taling about buffing long range. You have cons for long range.
Penals are close/mid range units (why would I pick flamethrowerer for long range inf?) just make them able to close gap between enemy so they don't lose 3 models on approach.
A Puma won´t handle a Bofors though. And within the mark you have a Puma there usually is a Mortar emplacement + Bofors out already.
I don't rememeber any compains from you when, in the game you uploaded, that bofors is too weka. You took down upgraded bofors in like a minute or two? Unless for you it's a reasonable time to kill emplacement
I don't even think penals need big changes. They just need better mid-long range accuracy.
Accuracy means nothing if they die like flies.
They already get +60% accuracy.
All they need is vet 2 -29% rec.acc. bonus to better survability to close range to close/mid.