I also started flying with an AXE Cp back in March of this year. I got to where I could hover in all orientations and fly lazy figure 8's with it totally stock. In July I upgraded to a T-Rex 450 SE V2 with a Gy401/9650, HS-65mgs, and a DX7. I went all out up front because I knew that I would end up upgrading to the best eventually so it would be cheaper just to start out with it in the first place.

Anyway, I primarily chose the T-Rex because of its popularity and the simple fact that my LHS stocks just about every part for it. The heli guy at my LHS also flys a T-Rex and was very helpful during the entire process. He even gave it the once over after I built it to make sure everything looked good before I took it out for the maiden flight. With that being said I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the T-Rex models SA, Se, V2 or the Thunder Tiger Mini Titan E325, or the RCT Diablo. Just remember that that the kit you buy will probably be less than half of your total build cost. I spent around $1,000 for my complete setup and the heli kit was $420.