Oh yes definitly. This is what I visceraly hate in eve. Some T1 hulls have their own niche/role/specialty (which can just be pretty general), like BCs, BSes. Some others are just completely outclassed by their T2 counterparts, like T1 fast frigates and interceptors for example. A lot of things are completely redondant.
Harpies and hawks are not outclassed by the merlin since the harpy and the hawk have been redesigned. But the merlin is outclassed, though, like a rifter is outclassed by a jag, wolf, etc. Same thing between a crusader and an executionner. Now, they plan to boost the executionner, so it might get better than a crusader. After that, they will probably boost the crusader because it will be the crusader that will take the obsolete role.
So in the end, some T1 hulls still retain their own purpose like a hurricane, a drake, an abaddon, whatever, and other T1 hulls are only good for noobs that can not fly the pimped T2 counterpart, or for FW pilots due to plexes limitations (they had to make sure that T2 variants are not allowed in the same complex class, which is quite telling in itself, like T1 frigs allowed but no T2 frigs because they outclass them).
I am just saying that a lot of the eve gameplay regarding tech 1/2/3 discrepancies does not make any sense to me. And they repeat the same mistakes again and again. If they really wanted a balanced and meaningful combat environnement, they would remove any concept of tech and make everything T1, each ship with a clear and precise role and niche.
