IMO here... dont bother with the electric... by the time you get the battery pack... the gear box the speed controll and the motor you coulda bought a glow engine and been 10X happier...

get the kadet LT 25 (or the lt 40 depends how much space you have to play with) its a easy building plane thats sturdy... VERY sturdy... and total if you get a cheap radio you not looking at that much money here... maybe 300-350 but the electrics gonna be about the same once you get all the radio for that too... burnt nitro is just a nice way to start the morning though...

and yes... i would recomend a trainer at the risk of invoking rjm1982 's wrath...

also if you go to the clubs some 1 there may be willing to sell you their handmydown plane with radio cheap esp if you dont have ne grand expectations of flying ne thing with retracts soon