If you want some good recommendations on transmitters, we have a whole thread already created listing some of the transmitters:
https://forum.flitetest.com/index.php?threads/which-transmitter-you-should-buy.37966/
And as counterintuitive as this seems, I would suggest starting at one of the last posts first; I wrote up some things to consider when buying a transmitter (and tried to keep it as non-specific as possible when it came to brands, because there are a LOT of different brands out there). The best I can suggest BEFORE you sink money into a transmitter is to consider what your goals are with the hobby. Yes, you can spend $50-$60 on a transmitter; that said, it might not have all the bells and whistles that a more expensive transmitter might have, or it might not have enough channels to fly a warbird replica/glider/quadcopter/etc. that you may want to fly. Transmitters are something that you'll have for many years, unless you have an accident, like upgrading to the "new hotness", or are a sponsored pilot.
Here are the 2 quality things (3 if you plan on building primarily foam board planes) that you want to spend money on up front if you are planning on this being a long term hobby:
Transmitter - The best I can suggest BEFORE you sink money into a transmitter is to consider what your goals are with the hobby. Yes, you can be really cheap on a transmitter; that said, it might not have all the bells and whistles that a more expensive transmitter might have, or it might not have enough channels to fly a warbird replica/glider/quadcopter/etc. that you may want to fly, or it may be a non-programmable transmitter, or it might be a used transmitter that a careless person owned and dropped, etc. Transmitters are something that you'll have for many years, unless you have an accident, like upgrading to the "new hotness", or are a sponsored pilot.
Battery charger - This is something you'll be using with regularity to charge your batteries up before you go flying. You can get some very cheap chargers (I've seen some for $15-$20), but be aware that they may not come with any charging leads, it may only be for one particular type of battery - there are different chargers, for batteries like Nickel Metal hydride (NiMH), Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Nickel Cadmium, Lithium Polymer (Lipo, which is the most common for flying), may be AC or DC only (I feel that this is VERY important; if you don't have an AC/DC charger, that means you can only charge via one method or the other. Some fields have solar charging stations that charge a battery and run off of that constantly charging battery; others may not have a charging system at all, which mean you either need to bring a portable generator, or connect to your car battery and charge off of that), or may only have a low wattage to charge batteries, thus lengthening the time it takes to bring it up to charge. Cost may be a factor, yes, but it shouldn't be the ONLY factor - especially if it means you end up buying a charger that does what you need later on, when you could have invested that money at the start on the one you really needed
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Hot Glue Gun - This may seem like a silly thing to rate up there with buying quality, but here's the reason I (and Josh Bixler, during some of his build videos) recommend it. I went and bought a Dewalt glue gun from Home Depot nearly 3 years ago for, I think $30? I still have it, and it works WONDERFULLY, pumping out the glue in a constant stream, and I've built numerous planes, plus used it for over 120 Flite Test chuck gliders for kids last year. I also bought some cheap, $5 glue guns for kids to use at the Maker Faire I was working last year. Those glue guns took FOREVER to warm up, they couldn't do a good bead of glue, they didn't stay hot (meaning that I was constantly worried that I wasn't going to be able to get glue down fast enough to bond stuff together), and I was constantly having to pull the trigger to get the glue to pump out with those cheap guns. So, yes, they work, but it can be really frustrating, ESPECIALLY if you are trying to build a big wing, like say, the Sea Duck, where you are running three 4 ft. long beads of glue to form and glue down the wing. If that glue hardens before you're ready, you may be SOL with that wing!
As for your questions about whether you should invest in the Power Packs? YES. They've taken out the guesswork of "Will that motor work with this plane? What combination of ESC do I need? What prop size is good for this motor, so I don't burn it up?" It's all been tested already, so you KNOW it will work together. They've also put it together at a reasonable price for you. It IS possible to find cheaper equipment, yes - but there's questions on whether it's of decent quality when you get the parts. It's honestly easier to just use one of those packs, IMHO.
I know, a lot of info...Hopefully it benefits you in getting started!