Newb,
Of your size choices you really need to consider getting a 4*60. Those motor sizes are TOO much for a 40 size plane. Yes, I know what you are going to say, you want a plane that can start you training for 3D and you want "unlimited" vertical. IMHO flying a plane with an over sized motor takes a lot of work and a great need to know how to fly the plane. Power is nice, but can get you trouble in a big hurry too. For a 4*40 I would consider from a 46 to 56 2-stroke, or a 52 to 70 4-stroke.

I'm sure there are those that are going to argue with me, and I don't deny that you can put a huge motor in this plane. But I'm also taking into consideration that this is going to be his second plane and will still be learning a lot of the basics of flying with it. A strong motor here would be good, overpowering would be bad in this instance.

That's my 02¢ worth.