Not a fan of box modeling, I don't usually get the detail I am looking for. Like wayuki I begin with the basic shape of an object, extruding, welding, collapsing when needed. As for characters, I give them a standard DaVinci pose rig them and then give them their pose, I feel it makes animating them that much cleaner later in a project. Hardest thing about 3d modeling/animation is sticking to a project. As for the 3dsm vrs Maya war, why not just wait for AutoDesk Maya to come out? That should solve all your problems.
Im not back just saw this topic on google, then again I don't know.