Rebal or Rhino ???

Dan you are the same weight as me I have both Kites, I have a 14m 07 rebel and a 07 10m rhino. Both are great kites. i ride a 138 underground and also have a 148 underground for really light winds.
The rebel is a great klite, is is slower than a rhino and therefore you can use a slower board speed and still get the best out of this kite. I can go upwind as well as the best of them on this kite. I have used this kite from about 12knots to around 30 knots. At 30 knots it was pulling me off my edge but i still had good control over the kite. This why I bought the Rhino. The 10m rhino has a good low end and pulls more like a 12m rebel. I recently had the Rhino out in 25 - 30 knots on the 138 and it was awesome It is much faster than the Rebel good bar feel and you just park the kite and it sits there. Boost like crazy and hangtime is really good. The rebel also jumps really well but is slow to turn. I see that they have improved this with the 08 14m. The rebel is the first choice for wave but in saying that i was riding toward the rhino and able to keep the pressure in the lines in a good wind. But i have not tried it in the surf yet.
I think this quiver is ideal it gives me a huge wind range and lots of options to choose from. But I have bought a 555 Nobile 145 so that I can ride the rhino in lighter winds.Both kites relaunch piece of cake, The rhino has a 2 pump system and yes you have to pump up each rib on the rebel. No big deal though and a good way to warm up before a ses. Both kites have total depower and this makes handling them a breeze. I self launch and self land mine regularly and again this is a piece of cake.
I had the option to buy a Rhino 14m recently but I intend to stick to my Rebel but I like the sound of the changes they have made to the 08 version. If you want to chat abit more about it let me know and we can arrange a phone call. Before the idiots and pimps get hold of this thread.
My recomendation to you would be the Rebel if you want the best in surf 12m at your weight would work but 14m will give you a much bigger wind range. The 12 rhino would be a 1 kite option but it won't perform in the surf as well as the rebel. I think the 08 has the 2 pump system, but don't let the pumping up deter you from getting this kite, you will love it. The Rhino is not for beginners and you have to fly it fast to get the best out of it ,but you would be able to handle this kite no sweat with the amount of experience you have.

Got a 12m Rebel and a 12m Rhino. Weight around 90kg.
I find the rebel turns like a tiger, but has low bottom end and medium boost. It is exceptional in waves and is good for unhooking as it wont kill you like the rhino.
The rhino is a jumping machine bottom end is the same as the 14m vegas. It depends what size u want.

Felt like getting involved in this discussion...
Few things:

- Dan, the reason why the Rebel has individual inflation points is to keep its price down... (you did notice the difference between the Rebel's and the Rhino's RRP... The two pump system and 3 more struts for the Rhino are part of the reason...)
I've flown octopus systems (single inflation point) as well as 2 pump systems, and the time they save you while pumping up your kite (which is about 60 seconds faster than a kite with individual inflation point, if), is taken away at the end of your session when you sit on your struts to have them fully emptied to pack up your kite.
I fix A LOT of kites...
I LOVE the individual inflation point, believe me!!! Fixing a single strut takes about 10mn. Fixing a strut on an octopus system can easily take an hour.
A damage on a strut on a individual inflation point kite can be fixed from the beach and get you back on the water within a quarter of an hour. A damage on a strut on a single inflation kite ruins your whole afternoon. -if not much longer...-
I'm no pro "individual inflation point". I think both system work and have their pros and cons.
At the end f the day, I owe a Rhino 07 (2 pump)and a Rebel 08 (individual), and no matter which one I'm putting up, I'm always the first one on the water!!!

- The rhino 07 has a two pump system. One inflation point for all the struts, and another one for the leading edge.

- The Rebel and the Rhino both have the "North touch" and do feel similar on this regard. That's certainly why you may have got confused reading the reviews... However, they're very different kites. To make a long story very short, the Rebel 07 is gentle, forgiving and sweet (that kite basically never touches the water, no matter what you do), The Rhino 07 is grunty, boosty and will make you pay for your mistakes (and you will get it wet if you don't speak to it nicely!).

- Finally, to answer your original question, I reckon what you should get is actually a Rebel 08.
The Rebel 08 has stepped up considerably from the 07. It's got more spice, it's somewhere between the Rebel 07 and the Rhino 07.
Its low end is great (I was out today on my 12m 08, and when everybody else had to get in because it was dropping off, I was still going upwind. My 12m now covers over a 20 knots wind range!), and is now similar to the grunt of the rhino 07 on its low end.
I haven't flown any other kite that equals its turning speed (and this was the determinating point in my purchase: to me, nothing beats this kite in waves, it's just pure delight!).
The new relaunch bungies make it even easier to get the kite out of the water (not that it ever was hard!), the new Cam batten are more durable, have more flex and seem to be doing their job even better, with added stability and incredible tolerance to gusty wind.
The boost is still ridiculous (and I love having a kite that can boost big without me having to dislocated my knees! )and the depower huge (the kite hasn't lost in its "never ending top end " (as I call it). There were pics to 20 knots today, I didn't even touch the depower!). I haven't had the chance to see my top end with the Rebel 08, but I know I was holding on my 12m 07 up to 30knots (comfortably a few knots below, but I know I've never pumped up my 9m unless it was 25 plus...). Important to mention, I'm some 40 kilos less than you ... And I have a bad knee that likes to collapse (so as much as I love to go hard, I can't always).
I'm an experienced rider (I think), and love the Rhino for its grunt, its agressiveness, its boost and I love the Rebel because this kite just makes everything easy. Basically, when I want to be loaded and boost high, I go Rhino (hence the 9m), and when I want to enjoy rather than holding on and try confidently new moves, I take the Rebel: this kite makes me feel comfortable all the way. No brainer.
A 14m Rebel 08 would be a great compromise between the Rhino 07 and the Rebel 07. It offers boost and light wind grunt, and it has this forgiveness (you really can get away with a lot of mistakes with the Rebel!) that would really benefit your learning curve. Me think...