SeattleFlyer,

I too love warbirds! I built a couple of profile C/L kits as a kid with my Dad. My first build as an adult was a GP Super Sportster 60. This kit though not a warbird was a lot for me to build. I took my time and the results where great. I think when deciding to build your "first" kit you need to read the manual online and then reflected on what you think your capable of.

If you have some previous modeling skills then a kit that takes a little more than building a box might be ok. There are a lot of good kits, but the big question is other than building it, what are you going to do with it. If your heart is in warbirds then build a kit that will get you closer to that goal.

The plane should be a tail-dragger that is fast (speed wise) with a little heavier wing loading. If you go with a quick plane, warbirds aren't quick. You should learn to fly a low wing that not designed to turn on a dime.

Good choices (chime in anyone who has others) might be:
Super Sportster
Rapture
King Kobra
Skyshark Fantasy
Ultra Sport

Remember, that these planes are a push for a second. They are not as forgiving as a Tiger or Four*. I learned to fly on my Dad's Kadet and my first kit was a Super Sportster. She was at the time a handful! Eight flights and "Look at me, I'm inverted! -- I'm spinning -- I'm ... up, up, up .... Oh #&@%!#. She is back together (almost as much time as the original build) and another 50 or so flights and she's not a handful anymore.

I also have an uproar. Man this is a fun plane to fly, but she will not give you a lot of warbird skills. She fly's at about 60 mph, can go nearly unlimited in the vertical and spin a nearly 120 Rpms (if you don't starve her of fuel). But this plane is so quick, you can get into it quick but right out of it quick too! This big issue that you have to learn for warbirds is you tend to try to stay out of trouble, but once there, nothing is quick about a warbird (scale, semi-scale). I also have a Yak-3 from RedStar RC. Build and Kit were assume but even though I can handle just about anything the Super Sportster or my Uproar can through at me, my Yak-3 has 7 flights: 1 tip stall on landing, one dead stick 20 feet short, a loose engine and a bad CG (read me post on this one), 1 nose slide on landing, 1 landing long -- ate a few weeds, and 1 landing that I powered the plane back to the pits -- had to re-bend the landing gear.

Good luck on your selection and build. Start a post so we can follow along. Besides, if your taking picture after each build session, it forces you to keep your bench clean (LOL).