Before lookign at the Slow Stick try looking at the Mountain Models Magpie from Mountain Models.com. This is a model that will easily grow with your skills and will handle much more wind then the Slo V or Slow Stick.

I started on a ParkZone J3 cub but quickly moved to the Slo v for a slightly slower flying model so I could learn control better. I then went back to the Cub then purchased a Stryker. I Only had to do one repair on my V which was a creased tail feather. The Stryker was completely rebuilt due to two different servo failures. the Cub has been completely rebuilt due to a receiver glitch which smoked the receiver.

I for one am done with RTF models which use propriety radio gear (ParkZone/HobbyZone etc).