RE: so im pretty new to the r/c world. any tips
I don't want to introduce another "buzzkill," but if you have never flown an R/C plane before, a warbird is generally not a good choice. I don't know anything about the particular plane you've purchased; I'm simply saying that warbirds are usually difficult for beginners to fly. Experience in full size planes has some benefit but not as much as you think.
A flight time of 15 minutes is pretty typical for R/C planes. A lithium polymer battery will give you either more flight time or higher performance (maybe both). The excellent power density of lipos has been a tremendous boon to electric flight. For the same capacity, lipos are much lighter than NiMH batteries.
If you get a lipo battery, you will also need a lipo battery charger. The charger that comes with the plane is probably not suitable for lipos. Proper charging and care is critical for lipos, whereas NiMH are more forgiving of abuse.
- Jeff