Hobbico Nexstar

I am a newbie to R/C flying. I have seen some postings, positive and
negative, about the hobbico nexstar and thought I would post my experience
for anyone that may be interested. I will try to keep this short. I
purchased the Hobbico from a local hobby shop on the recommendation from the
owner. Not knowing much and seeing the kit was complete from transmitter to
flight simulator it sounded like a good buy. The hobbyshop owner, in his
role as educator to a newbie, prescribed some tasks for me to complete prior
to learning how to start the engine and subsequently flying. He had me
remove the engine and apply additional epoxy to the firewall, then he had me
apply locktight to all screws on the engine, from the mounting bracket to
the muffler. He also had me apply copper sealant to the exhaust manifold.
I was glad I did this, not only for the learning experience, but the screws
were not all tight, so much for flying out of the box. The owner also had
me apply some clear coat silicon around the landing gear to keep the exhaust
from entering the fuselage and to epoxy the tail to the plane. The engine
is stated to be broken in at the factory, the hobbyshop owner had me run it
as if I were breaking it in myself, just for the learning experience. All
this done and with some time on the simulator, it was time for the first
lesson. The owner trimmed the plane, the elevator had to be moved a notch
from the recommended setting but not much else in the way of trim. The plane
appeared to handle well with my limited knowledge. The owner indicated that
he was impressed with the way the plane handled. I managed to finish the
lesson and the plane went home in one piece. I don't believe the plane is
as 'out of the box' as the company indicates. I do however believe it to be
a great training plane, very forgiving with the AFS turned to about 30%.
The wind was kicking up to about 20-30mph and the plane handled well, didn't
crash. The simulator software if very helpful for learning the use of the
transmitter and reactions but not with depth perception. It is like hitting
golf balls at a driving range then actually playing on a golf course, two
entirely different experiences. I would recommend to any newbie that he/she
get sound lessons in a structured manner. I learned to ski by myself and
have since mastered all the wrong ways to do things.