I was given a RTF Hobbico Hobbistar MKIII as a Christmas present. A great plane, in my opinion. While it is considered a "Ready to Fly plane", it still required quite a bit of time to get it ready to fly. Keep in mind, that I was a very green newbie to RC airplanes, even though I was an avid model builder as a kid.

I think getting an RTF first will make your RC life not only easier at first, but is a great way to see how a properly built plane should look when you are ready to build a kit or purchase an ATF.

I recently finished my first kit (a Venture 60) and being able to look at my RTF trainer saved my butt over and over again when I was assembling the Venture. Being able to see how servos should be positioned or where the throttle goes or even how the engine was mounted is a HUGE help.

Plus, since I had never flown before, the RTF gave me confidence while an ATF probably would have made me worry that I assembled something wrongly.