My kit has finally arrived! Can't blame Zabo it has been sitting in Heathrow for over two weeks. The kit looks great and all of the supplied parts look good. I ordered the complete kit including FPV so am not expecting any surprises unless my receiver is the issue.
Hopefully I will be able to...
Sounds like you are taking the right approach. You might find some good information here http://www.rcgroups.com/multirotor-beginner-940/
You should be able to get your first larger craft in the air for around $500 no need to waste money. I would suggest investing in a good transmitter such as...
Not knowing where in the world you are it is difficult to recommend suppliers but something like this http://www.droneshop.biz/multirotors/self-build-kits/spider-fpv-apm2-6-gps-f450-quadcopter-self-build-kit.html would give you a good start. A 450 frame is big enough to carry a Gopro plus...
The camera and transmitter that you are suggesting are for 5.8Ghz and would not be usable with any smartphone that I know of. Some people have used WiFi cameras to send pictures to smartphones but latency is too much for fpv flying. A simple 5.8Ghz receiver and a cheap reversing monitor from...
Sounds like you need prop mounts designed for the CW & CCW action of quads. Not sure exactly what size you will need for your motors but they will be something like this http://rctimer.com/product-1251.html
Depending on how far you want to take it, you might be better looking at the Pixhawk. APM is no longer being developed as the hardware has run out of steam.