First off, as a novice, I'd go straight out of the box with the notable addition of adding rigging. That being said, I'd go with their Sopwith Pup, either edition, as it almost falls together. The Albatros kits can be a bit finicky when it comes to fitting the fuselage bulkheads, as the tolerances are so tight, so I'd do a Pup first to get the hang of things.
Cheers,
Chris