You've gotten fairly good info so far.

Th O.S. engines... Yes they are good, but not the only good choice, especially for a beginner. I personally don't like the LA series, and the FX series is expensive. for your first engine the Magnum XL or Thunder Tiger Pro series engines are fine. Better power than the OS LA, and less cost than the FX.

With the trend in cost of radio systems having flattened out... It isn't a bad idea to get a low priced 6 channel system as the first radio. I advise beginners to not get a computer radio unless they know thier instructor has the same model radio, allowing the computer settings to be duplicated when on the buddy cord. (the computer settings are bypassed by the buddy cord system). thus, the Tower System 3000 (which is a Futaba radio...last year's model) 6 ch is what I recommend the most. (inexpensive, decent features, good quality.) A simple 6 ch like this is adequate for several years.

visit my site : http://www.geocities.com/fredhh/FHH_Homepage.html I've got a beginner's guide that may be helpful. Also, a link to Mr Sullivan's site, which I think has some of the best info on the web.