Buy what you like.  You will not get a consensus on the "best".  Everybody has his/her favorite.

Agreed - each company has features that are appreciated by different people.  Dragon has an extensive line and good detail, but I've found that in many cases the weapons don't sit as they should (for instance, rifle stocks not going under arms); this, however, may not be a big deal with those who customize their figures.  Tamiya's detail isn't as sharp and their line is smaller, but weapons sit well.  Sometimes a company's quality and method will differ from kit to kit - for example, Academy's Foreign Legion (good detail, minimal parts) and IDF Soldiers (many parts, heads that look the same and are somewhat cartoonish).  If you have questions abut a certain kit, post it - It's likely someone on here has built it or knows about it.  

Dragon...

It seems the best plastic figures are sculpted in Russia. Zvezda is one who is producing (in my humble opinion) the most realistic injected molded figures at least from seeing their newest releases.

As a rule most swap out the face sculpts for resin ones while salvaging the easier to work with plastic bodies. It makes sense as a excellent face can save a mediocre figure.

. I have a lot of DML figure sets and although I've only built a few I like them very much. With hornet heads, scratch built enhancements and limbs mixed and matched to make specific poses they can turn out excellent.

Thanks for the comments guys. It sounds like alot of people like the Dragon figures. I never even thought of Zveda. Nothing worse than a dead on vehicle build with a cartoonish figure next to it.

I like the action poses of a number of Masterbox figures. Can anybody vouch for the level of realism and detail of these figures?

I kinda like Megan Fox's or Christina Hendrick's figures, but they're a very limited run. 

dirkpitt77

I kinda like Megan Fox's or Christina Hendrick's figures, but they're a very limited run. 

Lol

The Masterbox and MiniArt figures aren't quite as nice as the newer Dragon ones but they're pretty darn solid. I doubt you'll be disappointed if you pick some up.

somefella

Thanks for the comments guys. It sounds like alot of people like the Dragon figures. I never even thought of Zveda. Nothing worse than a dead on vehicle build with a cartoonish figure next to it.

I like the action poses of a number of Masterbox figures. Can anybody vouch for the level of realism and detail of these figures?

I have two sets of Master Box figures.  One came with the Cyber Hobby "Orange Box" Sherman Firefly Vc, the "British Paratroopers, WWII" set.  All the heads have different expressions, some with facial hair, some without.  There are some very faint mold lines running down where the front "crease" of the pants would be.  The level of detail is (in my opinion) a step or two above the Dragon/DML "Gen 2" molds.  The packs are solid (no hollow back) but allow for the curvature of the figure to fit without any gaps.  Even the dead rabbit on the civilian hunter (trust me) has some very nice detail.  Here's a shot of the box art:

Just my 2c.  I have tons of figures I've managed to collect over the years, I just don't have the guts to actually DO them.  Gotta change that.

Thanks guys, I've heard that the Masterbox figures were comparable to Dragon. That helps narrow it down for me. I think I will get a set of each to compare for myself. It sounds like they are both solid from what you've said.