As a self taugh streetflyer, I may have a different view on this topic...
But I dont.
Along the lines of
Montague &
Johnmpa, I belive you can gain tons of valuable experience and instinct with a foamie, but with THE RIGHT FOAMIE. Get a foamie that reflects how the Nexstar will fly, not some 3dextreem thing. The GWS E-Starter is good for basics, and the GWS Formosa will give a more Nexstar flight.
Consider the foamie a educational tool, not a hobby toy. You are not there to see if you can loop or hover, Run the Pattern. Practice strait takeoffs, just takeoff- pattern- land a bunch of times. Run one charge down just working on takeoffs, who cares if the landing was rough in the lawn. Then take the gear off and run a charge down working on the landings. Both help you get used to correcting, identifying the plane orientation at range, and inbound/outbound orientation.
Use the foamie as a learning tool, not a toy. Think up a "lesson plan" for the day and practice things that will apply to the Nexstar. Hovering is not flying.
I scratch built a plane, a twin... took off, did ok for 1.5 minutes.... one dumbthumb later I was picking up balsa confetti. Got a tame foamie & learned to fly: Fly, Crash, epoxy & propshaft, Fly. When I was down to just "bad landings", I got a real plane.... and a whole bunch of props.... lots & lots of props
