Welcome to the forum here Marc.
Plenty of experience and advice where no single answer is particularly right or wrong but just a variation.
Even with the cost of a Tamiya product is much higher than all the rest, there's a reason for it. It's called quality. Plus, YOU can control the build from the very start. Whether it's an out of the box build or a total modification/upgrade build you will know the tank from the first little bolt to the finish coat of paint. Plus you can get the EXACT radio for it starting at around $80 to a multichannel radio costing hundreds. It's YOUR choice there too.
I think RTR's are fantastic and without them I believe there would be a small amount of us around here but if you're into building & assembling AND... you want your tank to act and respond much like the real thing, do yourself a favor that on at least ONE tank in your brigade make it a Tamiya.
If you have any questions on how, where, or when feel free to ask me anytime. I have built many Tamiya tanks, converted HL brands into Tamiya compatible (which is a few of my projects right now) battlefield-ready-fighters to just plain drive around tanks.
Jeff