Originally posted by dbow
The Avistar looks like a good plane as well, but Tower does not currently have it in an ARF. Someone posted earlier that the Avistar will soon be available as an ARF.
I mentioned that the Midwest Aerostar is just now becoming available as an ARF. The Hobbico Avistar is only available as an ARF. It's never been a kit.
I looked at the Sig LT-40 which seems to be the most suggested trainer for a beginner on this forum, however I feel that the Tower and Hobbico kits have better support. I was able to download the instructions for both the Tower Trainer and the Superstar and look them over before buying.
One of the things you'll find as you progress in the hobby is that the very best support comes from your fellow modelers. One of the reasons the LT-40 is so often recommended is that many, many of the modelers here have had great experiences with it, as both instructors and learners.
The other thing you'll find is that some products really
need a company's support system. I'm not saying that great customer support is always the result of problematic products, but that's sometimes the case. Sig used to have one of the best support staffs in the business with their modeler's hotline. Their products are almost universally praised within the hobby.