RE: New to hobby-grade RC planes/helis
Well, trying to diagnose and cure electronics problems when you don't really know anything about electronics is a bit of a fool's errand... Sounds like something in the onboard electronics is zorched, and coupled with the other damage to the plane, would make trying to get it in the air so frustrating that you'll probably quit in disgust...
Best to put the old broken plane aside and start fresh.
If you're going to start fresh, I recommend either the Firebird Freedom or Aerobird Challenger. A problem with the other Firebird designs is that without elevator control, flying in ANY sort of wind is a recipe for a flyaway. The Freedom and Challenger both have elevator control, which will allow you to push the nose down and power your way upwind.
Even better, the Multiplex Easy Star RTF. It's a little more expensive, but it's a "hobby-grade" plane, and a nice flyer at that. It's big enough and powerful enough to handle wind. It's made of Elapor foam which is tough and bounceable, but not squishy and wiggly like EPP, and repairs easily with regular CA. It also breaks down into small components so it fits in the car.