Some things I noticed: the model 200 had a significantly higher thrust at takeoff (~37.5 klbs) than it's maximum thrust in level flight (~28.1 klbs). The same is true for for many VTOL/STOVL designs like including the VFW VAK 191, Mirage III-V, Do 31, Yak-38 and Yak-141. Meanwhile the F-35B and Harrier both have the same max thrust at takeoff and level flight (Harrier because they don't have an AB, F-35 because its fan happens to add about the same thrust as its AB). I am not sure if/how much that helps in STO, but it does mean CTO and VTOL are a lot nearer. (edit1: I should say "installed thrust", obviously actual thrust differs depending on flight conditions) (edit4: I am fucking stupid, the Harrier had the water injection thingy which increased thrust by 50% for 90 seconds)
Additionally I don't quite buy the the "the lift engines are dead weight, therefore the F-35 lift fan is better" argument. RR/Allision were designing lift engines with a 20:1 TW back in the 70s. The lift fan system also weights a shitton ("dead weight"), very possibly more than lift engines would. The lift fan probably has other advantages, e.g. better fuel economy in VTOL or better lifecycle cost. edit3: D'oh, the lift system has also a cooler exhaust and doesn't melt carrier decks as easily.
And lastly, the F135 has a very low bypass ratio, which means that if you think about the whole engine system, the F-35B goes from a "high" bypass design in VTOL to a low bypass design in level flight. Meanwhile the Model 200 would go from low bypass at VTOL to "high" bypass at level flight. Not sure that meany anything though, never mind what it means.
Edit2: on another note, the 30klbs MTOW figure is obvious bullshit imho unless you are in a high and hot scenario. The harrier does that, with a significantly lower thrust and as a smaller plane.