I started off flying .25 planes back in the day. I have since switched to .46's and wouldnt go back, most .25 planes are way to twitchy. I had a house of balsa p51 with a .25 in it, which was extremely exciting but a huge handful. As far as engines go, I wouldnt recomend any OS LA engines because they use bushings instead of bearings. Go with the AX or an engine from another company.