OK I have a basic knowledge of flying from a while ago....have practiced on a flight simulator...now the big question...which model to go with??!

It's between the Hobbico NexSTAR and the Hobbico Hobbistar 60

NexSTAR has the flat bottom wing design which is great for a trainer...slow landing speeds, etc.

Hobbistar has a more powerful engine with a semi-symmetrical wing design, little more sensitive I know, but it can also probably cut thru the wind with the more powerful engine

I have flown the NexSTAR and like it...and according to the manual you can remove the AFS, Flaps and those anti roll pieces on the wing...basically turning it into a "normal" trainer after that, just will have the flat bottom wing

So I would like to hear everyone's opinion on what to do here

Thanks!!!

Hobbistar 60 and an instructor at a local club.

OK Can you explain why you woud pick this model? Thank you so much for your time

The model is bigger, that makes it easier to see and a bit more stable, especially in the wind.
With the Hobbistar you are also not buying a bunch of useless stuff that comes with the nexstar. Don't get me wrong, the Nexstar is a fine trainer but IMO the Hobbistar is the better of the two choices.

OK...the model has only a 3" larger wingspan...so I don't think that's really gonna make a huge difference

Useless stuff being the AFS system? When I test flew one it really did work though...but it seemed at a high altitude that the plane just gotta "hung" there and always wanted to steer right?

Have you personally flown the HObbistar? How are take-offs and landings?

Yes the AFS is useless, It will hold you back from learning and I have seen it cause problems with trimming the airplane.
Most people here will tell you the first thing to do when getting a Nexstar is disconnect the AFS.
I have not flown the Hobbistar but a club member learned on one this year. It is a floater, it takes off in a short distance and lands slowly.
Yes the wing is 3" longer, the wing surface is 166 sq. in. more and it weighs about 1-1/2 lbs more.
I have flown the Nexstar, Airvista and Brightstar as far as Hobbico airplanes go and all are good flying airplanes. (the Brightstar and airvista are discontinued models.

Bigger is bigger, that simply can't be argued. It's got a bigger wing, bigger engine and a longer fuselage. It's also heavier and flies more stable and is easier to see. The Hobbistar also doesn't come with a bucket of useless gadgets that you can waste money on. It also is easier to fly because it has less dihedral and rolls better and generally responds better.
I've flown both and instructed using both. Students have seemed to prefer the Hobbistar as do I. I found landings more predictable/controlable with the Hobbistar.

OK That answered the landing and taking off question

As for dihedral...I thought more=stable less=better aerobatics??

According to Tower Hobbies both models are the exact same price RTF... Wonder y the hobbistar costs the same but with less "gadgets"? I know the engine is larger...the radio is a little better, but it only comes with 4 servos anyway....so what's the deal with having a larger channel transmitter? Is there somethjing you can add?

I do have another question as well...but please post your opinions still on the choice between the two models....

Is there a flight sim that has the hobbistar as a model to fly? Real Flight doesn't have it on there....but is there another model that flies almost identical to it?

Not much you can add to the Hobbistar but when people get into this hobby they look to the future and more channels on your radio means future airplanes can have stuff like flaps or retractable landing gear.
The electronics, engine and radio equipment can be put in another airplane in the future if you want.

Bigger plane costs more
Bigger/better engine costs more
Better radio costs more
Radio has more capabilities for future planes
Appropriate plane in simulator? Just about any trainer configuration. They all fly close to the same on the sim and IMO the sim has limited value anyway. FLY your plane, it's the best way to learn.