My .02 worth.... I have 2 alpha's, they move right along. You may have seen a new one, one that didn't have 40 or more flights on it. Nothing wrong with the easy either, and you are right to wonder about who flies what radio. If the majority of the people fly the futaba, go ahead and use that. You may make a different choice later, but starting out, what you are learning is specific to just flying, not your "style" or whatever. They all do pretty much the same thing when you are starting out, later on you may make some changes depending on what you have learned with hands on, and the people that you learn with. There is no poor choice among the options you've detailed. Just have fun, keep your eyes open, and be safe.