RE: Noob question on what to buy
If you're in Grapevine there are hobby shops fairly close to you that handle a lot more than Evolution engines. All of their web sites are pretty worthless for anything more than the address and store hours.
Advantage Hobbies (972) 438-9224. 535 E Shady Grove Rd, Irving, TX. I'm pretty sure this used to be Wild Bill's. I went to Wild Bill's once. It was sort of hard to find but they had quite a bit of stuff.
Mike's Hobby Shop (972) 242-4930. 1201 N I-35e, Carrollton, TX. I go there quite a bit. Good fuel prices, has a lot more car stuff than plane stuff.
Roy's Hobby Shop (817) 268-0210. 1309 Norwood Dr, Hurst, TX. Best selection of planes. Beats mail order prices on many items. My favorite hobby shop but far from Garland.