I would definitely hold off on flying the Thunderbolt for a year. That's one of my favorite planes too, and I wouldn't want to wreck it either. I made the mistake of getting a Great Planes Super Sportster 40 right after my trainer. That plane's way too hot for a novice pilot just like your Thunderbolt will be for you.
After I crashed the Sportster (I'll be able to repair it thank god!), I got a Great Planes Easy Sport Arf and put the OS Max .46 FX that I had in my trainer into it. I've never been happier! The plane is quick enough to teach you some things, but it's slow enough for a novice to be able to bring it back. I have crashed it a few times, but I've always been able to repair it and get it back into the air. The extra weight hasn't hurt it yet. The Easy Sport is a shoulder wing plane, but that's just as good as a low wing in some ways I think. I modified the arf to be a tail dragger instead of a trike, and I'm happy with that as well. I have replaced that aluminum wire landing gear with a good strong aluminum landing gear set since I took the picture below. I made it into a tail dragger because most planes have tail gear, so I figured I'd better learn how to fly a tail dragger sooner or later.
I just got a SIF Four Star 60 arf with an Evo 61 engine for my third plane. I'm putting it together now and can hardly wait to get it out there. The point is, I'm taking steps on the learning curve before I jump into my red hot Sportster. That plane is just to fast and quick for a novice. When I master the Four Star 60, then I'll repair my Super Sportster and attempt to fly it again, hopefully I'll be ready enough by then to learn how to handle that kind of speed. Then after the Sportster? I'm thinking a Kyosho Thunderbolt 40, or the Kyosho Messersmitt 40 or even an Ultimate 120 by World Models. That depends on how I feel then.
Great Planes Easy Sport 40 Mark II arf