"Delta3" makes some good points. The price difference between a low-end engine and a top-of-the-line isn't all that much. The higher quality engine will endure your mis-tuning while you're learning, and then will last you for many, many hours of enjoyable flying without constant tinkering. A radio with all the bells and whistles will make setting up your plane MUCH easier, and you can fine tune it to your flying skills later on. Once you use exponential, EPA, servo reversing and a few other features, you'll wonder how you could do it without them. Again, the cost isn't that much more than an "economy" model.