She does play out the 'scared little girl' stereotype to begin with, but she does indeed get into the thick of the action and even takes on the enemy... unlike Arcee in Headmasters, which I don't think fought anyone or fired a shot throughout the whole series.
Nope, she certainly didn't - Glad to hear that this trend hasn't continued into Masterforce though because women/females are just as capable, if not more so, of inflicting damage.