Hi Rixter2, congratulations on discovering this fantastic hobby! I just started flying last year for the first time, and I can't believe what a blast it is!
If you're mostly interested in flying (rather than building/assembling) for right now, you should consider a Ready-to-Fly (RTF) glow-powered trainer package from Hobbico, Hangar 9, Thunder Tiger, or Tower Hobbies. The planes come almost totally pre-assembled with radio equipment and servos pre-installed, and you can get in the air very quickly. If you choose an (ARF) trainer, it may require as much as 8 to 10 hours of assembly and ground trim (CG balancing, etc.) before you'll be ready to start breaking in the engine.
There are a couple of ARF Trainers available that are "glueless assembly," meaning that they go together very quickly simply by screwing together the body parts and adding the motor and radio equipment. The Thunder Tiger Tiger Trainer .40 MkII and the Global RCM Trainer are two such trainer ARFs. If you don't mind spending some time mixing epoxy and cutting away iron-on covering with an exacto knife to make glue joints, building a traditional ARF trainer isn't that difficult. If you have the help or advice of an experienced RC pilot, this may be a fun option if you would prefer to put a little extra "sweat equity" into your first plane.
As for engines, GMS engines are different from Thunder Tiger engines. In my experience (I own two O.S. Max engines, 1 GMS engine, and 1 Magnum engine), most RC engines will run powerfully and reliably after a few tanks of fuel (5 to 10) are run through them. The difference between an inexpensive engine (GMS or Magnum) and a pricier motor (O.S. Max or Thunder Tiger) is quality of fit. My O.S. engines just run and run without issue. My Magnum and GMS engines have more of a tendency for things like muffler screws or carburator screws to work loose while flying. My O.S. engines are also quieter and smoother running than my Magnum or GMS engine.
I have a GMS .47 engine on my Goldberg Tiger 2, and it's absolutely terrific from a flying standpoint. It's very powerful and reliable, I just need to check it more often to make sure nothing is working loose on it. My Magnum .52A XLS is still being broken in, but I've already had to order a set of replacement muffler bolts for it. It's going to be a powerful and great running engine, but I have to work a little harder to keep everything screwed together. Having a muffler or carburator work loose while flying can either kill an engine or cause you to lose throttle control while flying. It's nice to save money, but having a quieter, smoother engine that actually stays screwed together while flying is worth spending a little bit extra. Thunder Tiger is a nice compromise between budget engines and top-priced models. The TT Pro series model engines are very reasonably priced and are very well engineered.
If you want to put an ARF training package together, I'd recommend the following items:
JR Sport 6-Channel Radio System
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Shop/ByC...dID=JSP16000**
Global RCM Trainer
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXWH71&P=0
Thunder Tiger Pro .46 engine
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKF97&P=0
You'd need to pick up a couple of odds and ends like fuel, starter, glow starter, prop, spinner, and glowplug; but this would be a really nice starter package.
You'd have a high-quality Trainer ARF that wouldn't require much assembly other than installing the radio and engine. The radio would be a 6-channel computer radio with 10-model memory and all of the most popular computer mixing functions for whatever else you might want to fly. The Thunder Tiger Pro .46 would be a great, smooth, reliable engine you could run on many different models for years to come.
You could spend less, but if you really want to keep your options open for future flying I think the little bit extra invested would be well worth it. Feel free to post any further questions you might have, I'm sure folks here would be more than happy to offer friendly advice.