Cost is relative. If they sell less of the AT TE then they have to compute their revenue to expense for their profit. I would wonder what the profit spread on the AT TE mold vs the SA Mold is. I bet that it is minimial (which is relative dpending on how many they make). I know that I am only going to get 1 or 2 now, and leave it at that (since I have some customs I made I like, and the JTA figures which are ok). So the question comes down to would Hasbro have made more money making the SA Clone vs the AT TE clone? I don't know what their margins are so I cannot answer that. I would guess that they would have sold more SA Clones then the AT TE. Then again, most Star Wars Fans buy whatever is put out which is what I think the bottom line issue here is.