[Punisher454]

If you have max 2011 (I think maybe 2010 also) it has incorporated "CAT" the character animation toolkit. It was a thirdparty character animation tool, now part of max. I think it will do most of what bones pro will.
So far my very limited character modeling experience has taught me That good edgeloops are VERY VERY important for good deformations. Problem areas are the shoulders/armpits, elbows, hips/buttocks/crotch and knees.
Character modeling is the hardest, but i can tell youre a bold modeler and seem to be improving very fast. I'm sure you already know but you can find real nice human reference images at 3d.sk.