Not all W5’s are. Poor aluminum and castings are the draw back if you go to far. Looked like you were calling out all W heads to me.
IMO, in a sense you were because they are iron heads and by that metric, to heavy to use.
Major porting needed? No.
Like most any head. Then again, any head can be ported for more power. What’s big power to you?
The MP templates can be used by a beginner and reach 300 cfm.