For a new flyer, starting with a scratch build is not a good idea. I'm not even sure I'd recommend a kit build for a newbie. My reasoning is as follows.

When you build a plane from a kit or scratch, you fall in love with it. It will probably take months of painstaking work. When you go to fly, the adrenaline/nerve factor can be overwhelming, which interferes with you're ability to learn to fly. Kits and scratch builds tend to be more expensive in the long run than an ARF or RTF as well.

There is a downside to the ARF/RTF market, and thats the poor quality of construction coming out of many of the shops that build them. But for a new flyer that has help from an instructor, a close inspection and a couple hours of work is usually all thats needed to correct any defects.

Once you've learned how to fly, you'll understand far more about what you want in a plane, how they're constructed, and you'll be much readier to build a kit while you're flying you're trainer. And you can probably use the engine and electronics from you're trainer in the next build, which will save you money.

Brad