[Punisher454]

In max there is a feature which will automatically reduce the model to a wireframe or I think even simple bounding boxes while manipulating the view. Once your camera translation id finished it will re-draw the model.
In max You can also use lower poly proxy models while working on complex scenes (like your battlestar) then at render time all the proxy's will be replaced with the high res versions. Its a feature I have rarely used, since my models are not nearly as detailed as this battlestar is.
Good luck, I hope this workflow adjustment does not impeded your progress too much.