That's a good plane for a next step to larger planes. You can't beat Multiplex foam for durability.
If you want to jump into a larger conventional plane
the Eflite Apprentice.is a very good plane. It will grow with you as your skills improve and not be cast aside when you outgrow it. It comes with a Spektrum 2.4 radio that you can use with other planes. Eventually you can upgrade to a better radio with model memories, programmable, etc... as your fleet grows and put all of your planes on one radio.
The Phoenix simulator is a good one.