Kevin,

Several above have mentioned the 'extra stuff' that'll eat you alive. A few observations from my own experiences as a new hobbyist:

1) Electric Starters. Bah. .40-.60 class 2-stroke engines simply don't need them. Sure, they're 'cool' or whatever, but there's absolutely no reason a simple 3/4" wooden dowel won't flip start a small 2-stroke with no issues. There's $30-$50 you can save for later, when your .70 4 stroke (or some such thing) requires an electric starter.

2) Power panel. Umm...why? Ok, sure, lots of bells and whistles and such, and easy 'ports' to plug stuff in. But, let's be honest...charge the plane and TX overnight before you go flying, and you're fine. If you fly several times, might want to take a simple reliable voltmeter to the field, and make sure your plane's battery has sufficient voltage (which will depend on size/type of battery). Power panels are, really, simply a convienience that can again be saved for later. there's another $20.

3) Field Box. IMO, new hobbyists (and old too) waste more money on these contraptions than any other piece of equipment. There are DOZENS of threads on the web with plans for building your own at far less than half the cost of a retail unit. Even better (imo) is the Stanley portable 'double decker' tool box. Available at Wal Mart for <$30 it holds more than any field box, is more easily transportable due to having wheels, and can be easily cut/hacked/modified/drilled/etc to mount all sorts of later goodies, like fuel pumps, power panels, plane racks, etc, should you want these items. Call this another $20 savings or so.

4) Fuel pumps. Yeah, the nice electric ones are just that...nice. but come ON, are we really so lazy as to begrudge our hobby the Herculean effort of pumping a whole 12 OUNCES of fuel with our BARE HANDS?? (Ok, sorry...a bit dramatic...but you get my point.) Simple, effective hand pumps can be had for as little as $10)

Certainly there are SOME field items you absolutely need. Glow drivers, fuel, extra gliw plugs, etc. As you fly a few times, you'll start to learn what you consider essential vs. nice to have.

The point is, learn what all of these various pieces of equipment do for you, how truly 'necessary' they are to get the plane up and flying, and then look around for alternatives. You'll find, I believe, that many of the pieces of equipment supposedly 'required' for a new hobbyist either A) have less expensive hardware/discount store alternatives or B) simply aren't "necessary".

HTH!