Franklin stuffs cheaper, but lets face it, by todays standards it's cr&p. I should know, I own just about every single model they made. 
Carousel just needs to stop being stubborn about the issue and include a display stand. |
Although Carousel make great die-cast, I also think Franklin Mint make some models that are worthwhile for any collection - among others, their 262s are very good as are their P47s, P38s and FW190As (landing gear struts notwithstanding)
.
(Let's also not forget their stunning 1/48 Apache Longbow
.)