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It is difficult to cut through the marketing waffle and misinformation when choosing model aircraft gear. What model should I buy? What is the best model engine? Which radio gear is the best?
Many of these choices are just down to personal taste. But there are combinations which are more suitable for flying, and there are other combinations which add difficulty to this hobby.
In an attempt to be fair and at the same time provide helpful advice, here is the stuff that I have used, and in some cases that I am currently using. I have added my personal views of these items where my views are based on my use of these items.
Readers can draw their own conclusions and buy whatever they think best, obviously it must be good enough to not let you down and still be affordable.

Flying away from launch on Dublin Mountain Slopes

Planes I have flown so far in the Dublin area	Their fate so far !	Pic / Video
1 Precedent Hiboy .40 trainer + OS46LA engine	Sold 3 months later	no pic
2 Pixie Glider modified with Race 400 electric motor	dead, gear in Daisy	no pic
3 Daisy + Race 400, later with aileron wing upgrade and 480 motor	much battered - still flying hundreds of flights on this
4 Mini Daisy 3 + PU050 motor	flying	no pic
5 Yard Bee + Race 400 motor	flying	no pic
6 Joy Hand Launch Thermalling Glider	much battered	video clip (not my Joy)
7 AeroNaut Twinspeedy + 2 x Race 400 motors	This was hot. After a mid-air collision it's dead, gear now in new model
8 Messerschmidtt me-163 Komet	dead, gear in new model	no pic
9 Sport Wing - almost unobtainable now, no engine required, a great flyer	flying extreme amounts with this - hundreds of successful flights to date
10 Dry Egg Delta + S400	Hot little aerobatic thing. - due for repairs
11 AeroNaut Skyraider + Race 400 geared 3.0:1, timed	Just repaired and beginning the second 50 flights! My Skyraider goes on and on.
12 Alphajet (profile fuselage) + timed Speed 400 4.8V "hot" version+ Schwerdtfeger 65mm impeller	repaired, ready to fly again, the cheapest electric jet that can fly well.
13 Mustang Reno Racer + Actro C5 brushless outrunner	Flying the brushless Actro is fine from the field, and it slope soars well in the hills too
14 BAe Hawk "Red Arrows" + Kontronik 400 brushless + Minifan 480 impeller	dead, gear in new model - took off with ailerons reversed one day, and that was the end of a beautiful jet
15 Easy Street + Actro C8 brushless outrunner	Prone to wingstall. Dead, gear moved into a new model	no pic
16 Rodel Styro Cessna + timed Race 400 geared 3:1	flying and teaching my son to fly with this model which is very lively for a 400 highwing plane
17 Raptor + Mega 22.20.3E + 8 x GP1100	3D funfly - this has turned out a great glow to electric conversion
18 Rodel CAP21 + MVVS 50	running in engine soon to fly

New models almost built or waiting for maiden test flight .......
AeroNaut DH100 Vampire Jet + Kontronik Fun 500.19	replaced my Hawk with this
Aeronaut A-10 Tankbuster + 2 x Kontronik Fun 500.19	Last few bugs to eliminate and the fly.
Elektro Akrobat + Kontronik Tango 45-08	this is very cool	no pic yet
Voodoo + Mega 16.15.3	flying but real scary ! fast

Radios I have used
Sanwa 4 channel analogue	My first aircraft radio, pretty basic but it did the job! It was nice, like most Sanwa it wasn't flashy looking, but it was reliable, did the job. One day I dropped it, (can't blame Sanwa for that ! ) and broke it irrepairably. The next day I bought a neckstrap for use with my future radios!
Futaba 6 channel analogue	I tried this out for a week on a recommendation, didn't like it and moved up to my next radio after a fortnight.. The Futaba servo wires feel cheaper than they used to and the backup gear was turning out pricey. Also I developed a grudge against the servo plugs that are modified by Futaba so other makes won't fit in them unless you take a scalpel to them. I would not accept being "boxed in " in my future choice of gear, because of having existing older gear that would turn out to be not compatible. Maybe someday if Futaba stop this practise I will try their stuff out again, but why should I bother as I have since discovered JR ?
Sanwa (Airtronics) RD 6000 6 channel	My first computer radio was a return to Sanwa. Six channels. Nice step up. Very well marketed. It had lots of features. Unfortunately, only after I got it did I find out there was better computer radios. I did like it while I had it, but seemed to grow out of it quickly. I used it a lot with the excellent Hitec servos. And the Sanwa gear is totally compatible with JR so I had no problems moving up to my next radio. I still use some Sanwa receivers with my JR gear.
Graupner JR MC16-20 8 channel	When I sold my RD 6000, I got this 8 channel JR radio, in the "flat case" European style. Wow! Far more powerful battery, double the duration. Switches where I want them on the case, not where the maker thinks they should be. And the "L" bar system that always holds the radio flat from your neckstrap with no need for a transmitter tray. No more US-Japanese style transmitters for me from here on.
Graupner JR MC-24 12 channel	A flying pal asked me to buy my MC-16/20 from me, and it gave me an opportunity to move up. I saved up and got an MC24 12 ch computer radio. It does everything, and is particularly good with subtle wing and tail channel mixers. Talks to all receiver makes. (Will even talk to me if I fit earphones) Talks to micro receivers at ranges that other radios can't reach. The 3000 mAh battery inside goes for ages, and can be recharged in an hour.
Graupner JR MC-12 7 channel	When my son was learning to fly he needed a new radio, so I tried this one for a while, and also the same technology in the lighter US-Japanese style case (the MX-12) . The MC-12 did everything I and he needed, and I liked the flat European style with the switches where I placed them. I missed the "L-bar" supports that higher Graupner-JR radios have but do not come with MC-12. The MC-12 would make a very nice heli flier radio though. All the features needed and quite cost effective. But it was for my son to make the choice and he picked the MX-12. which has the flight simulater/buddy plug pre-fitted, whereas it is an extra with MC-12.
Graupner JR MX-12 6 channel	Bought 2006 when Alastair had got to the advanced learner stage, and was getting his second model, so the model memories in a computer radio could be used to save the settings for multiple planes. The JR MX-12 from Europe is slightly different than the UK version of the same. We chose the MX-12 version because it has a better battery with longer life, faster charger, and the menu systems are more friendly to use in the European version. It is a nice piece of kit, and weighs less than my radio, while still using the excellent JR technology. The receivers in particular are very good.

Engines I have used
OS 46 LA	Famous make. Easy to start. Will run even if you do everything wrong. Unfortunately not much power. End of story since it's power that keeps a heavy plane off the ground ! I sold it about 6 weeks after I got it and didn't follow advice from the ads again.
Race 400 (Aero-Naut) brushed motor	These motors cost Eur 8.50. Flies all planes of weight 500-800 grams just nicely. No tuning problems. And if fitted with a gearbox it flies planes up to 1Kg, for 15-20 minute flights. What more is there to say. The best workhorse in RC flight. The Race 400 in the many planes I flew and still fly with it was the beginning of my waking up to the advantages of electric flight.
Irvine 25	More powerful than OS in my opinion. Heavier than OS. Tough as an old boot. Even used it in a boat! Can't say any bad and got great service from this even though I used 25-35% nitro fuel which constitutes abuse. But an MVVS has more power, has ballraces, and costs less, so I moved up from Irvine (excellent engine) to MVVS (even better still) later. This is not a criticism of Irvine which I like a lot.
MVVS 2-stroke	First I was told to get OS, it was smooth but I was disappointed with power. The plane sometimes didn't make it off the grass before the end of the runway! Then I found Irvine was more powerful and flew an Irvine 46. That was better. Later I discovered that MVVS is more powerful than Irvine and cost less. The fact that MVVS was ballraced and Irvine wasn't convinced me, so for 2 stroke it's MVVS for me. I use the MVVS on Straight (0% nitro) fuel or 5% nitro fuel as this is more than enough power for flying. Having said that, for many models I prefer electric, it's cleaner and does jets and indoor which glowfuel can't..
Saito 4 stroke	My 4 stroke of choice is based on experience with other peoples planes. I have tuned 4 strokes made by RCV, Saito, OS, Thunder Tiger and SC for pals, and the Saitos are a work of art, light and powerful, a cut above the rest. But I don't have one for myself yet. Give me time! My problem is that brushless electric does very well what 4 stroke does well, and I like brushless too.
Kontronik brushless	My choice of brushless motor where ultimate power is needed. Kontronik motors make far east brushless clones look silly because it gives significantly power. In some cases - double the power of the cheap rubbish.
Mega brushless	Not being made of money I use Mega for most other electric brushless models. Mega motors are a middle price, but the performance is top notch - only a shade behind Kontronik and superior to the other makes. An interesting thing about Mega is that they seem to be conservatively labelled, they can produce more power than advertised.
Actro brushless outrunner	For big outrunners this is the one. It is far more efficient than cheap outrunners and generates more power than they do. An Actro might be 90% efficient and a cheap outrunner 75% efficient. So the Actro makes 10% heat but the far eastern clone makes 25% heat, this means you can put 2.5 times the power of the cheapie through your Actro for the same wear and tear. A clone can throw off magnets and demagnetize permanently under loads that an Actro, Kontronik or Mega handle easily at half throttle.
Actro C / Mega RC compact brushless outrunner	For smaller outrunners I stick with both Actro C and Mega RC. They have not let me down, even though I fly at a very high power level compared to other electric fliers. When I spoke with both their designers, anything they said at the time has been later proved to me to be correct. Even when they went against the commonly accepted wisdom according to the main other make, they were right. These are the toughest of the small outrunners I have used.

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