You mention the size of the model but could you please tell us two other things...
1. The verticie count?
2. What type of texture bitmaps are used.

The picture you posted looks like the vertcie count is not excessive so I assume that because you started with 3ds max that your textures are probably jpeg.
If that is the case then there is your large file size problem and at the same time your low fps problem.

Experiment with different types of bitmap types. You will find that .dds textures will lower your file size and speed up the fps the most.
But you at least should use .pcx or .tga textures...

Also, if you could do as Quadraxas suggests we could test and make accurate suggestions...
Good luck.....