I'm a huge fan of O.S. and LRP both. Agree to disagree I guess The O.S. engines are generally not as fast as most Italian mills are for sure, but easier to tune in my experience. Though it has been years since I had an Italian mill so I'm sure much has changed. The LRP I have is wicked and easy to tune at the same time. I have about 2.5 gallons or so through it and it's still got a strong pinch at TDC and shows no signs of excessive wear. Is it slower than a Nova? Most likely, but it's a great basher engine and I'd wager that it's not far off in performance to a comparable Italian .28. It has torque all day and yet revs up like a small block. Not to mention I haven't touched the needles since last year and it still runs the same, very tolerant to temperature and humidity changes. The only downfall to it is that it is very fuel hungry. Anyways, if I where looking for a drop in I think I'd have to give that Nova a try. For the price it's definitely worth a shot, and it has to be better than the TRX engines are. Not much is worse than TRX engines, that's for sure! The last one I had was a 2.5R and it was a piece of junk.

+1 for Futaba here. I run a 3PRKA in my T Maxx and I love it. My closest RC buddy runs a Spektrum DX4S and it too has been flawless. Cant go wrong with either brand IMO. For budget, check out Flysky. I use an FS-GT2E in my Tamiya Lunchbox and it has been great. I like it more that the TQ radio my 1/16 Revo has.

As for plugs, check out Ebay. I buy mine (McCoy standard #8) there when I don't want to drive to the LHS.