You could consider using a pro 3D modeling program like XSI Mod Tool. At the moment, it's free for game model export. It comes with links to some good video tutorials built in, and you can find many more on the web.
XSI Mod Tool download page

You can do all your modeling and animation in XSI, export in .fbx format, then simply import it into MED, and save it as a .mdl.