I made my transition from gliders to powered flight with a Goldberg Cub about 10 years ago. Being a full scale pilot and having some RC sailplane experience, the transition was do-able, but the inevitable crash came after about 10 flights. Even with glider experience I think the question is not if you will crash but when. Personally after driving an expensive four stroke into the back seat of a formerly very nice looking but now re-kitted J-3, I decided a dedicated trainer was a good idea.

The scale/semiscale Cub/Taylorcraft as an initial aircraft has some merit as cub models have low wing loading and do in fact fly on the wing a bit more than most powered R/C models. However, the step up in speed and control response is a little large and unless you have an instructor and buddy box, I hear crunchy noises in your future. A clipped wing may also add to your woes as it won't be the same "floater" that the full span aircraft would be.

My second powered aircraft was a Great Planes Trainer 40. (not a PT-40) Nice plane, flew very nice and tracked very well but for an initial powered aircraft (and no instructor) it was a bit fast with it's semetrical wing and I was not real comfortable with it. It was hung from the ceiling in tempory storage after one successful but rather tense and un-fun flight.

The next "basic trainer" was a Duraplane Trainer 40. It would in my opinion be the best choice for a first powered plane if no instructor is available as it allows you to adjust to flying a faster aircraft with higher wing loading, inverted flight etc, without worrying about the inevitable hard landing or out and out crash. They are also cheap (about $60) to buy and will build in a very short time. My Duraplane flew very well and is currently getting a rebuild of sorts prior to assisting me in getting back into powered R/C flight and in assiting my son in learning R/C flight.

Hobbico makes a simliar plane (Sturdy Birdy) in a .25 size that should fly nearly as well as the Duraplane and also comes with conventional gear, so it would aide your eventual transition to your Taylorcraft. Personally though I have not found taildraggers to be that hard to fly if the fuselage is relatively long and the main gear are properly aligned to help them self correct and track straight.

Roll response/aileron control will also be an issue. If you used a single stick 2-3 channel transmitter with your glider, or flew in mode 2 with a four plus channel transmitter, your thumb will have the general idea about roll=turn. But if you flew with the rudder on the other stick you will have a whole lot more to learn about aileron flight on top of the faster roll rates and an aileron trainer would be a very good idea.

A simulator like Great Planes RealFlight G2 is also a great idea. The lite version can be bought for around $130 and will help establish the eye-motor loop, control inputs and responses required for a successful solo without risking a real plane. It seems a little spendy on the surface, but is cheaper in the long run than trashing an aircraft and possibly a radio and engine. It will also give you a little more confidence when it comes to the flying the real thing.