Hi!
Every time a newbie ask questions about what plane to get, he/she thinks that the plane is going to kept for a long time..! -Nothing could be further from the truth!!!
A newbie will sooner or later crash and destroy his /her plane regardsless if he joins a club and gets help or flies on his own, so do not plan on doing any fancy modification stuff to it! It's not worth it!
I'm a big fan of the OS LA .40 and .46 series engines as these are perfect for a newbei,Those engines are dead relible and are light and doesn't explode in power when the newbie ads throttle (which a ball bearinged engine will do). They are also quit powerfl which means they could swing rather big props like 11x6 and 12x4, 12x5 ,which are more suitable for a high winged trainer at sea level.