I don't see people clamoring for these military sets like we see many SW collectors asking for playsets. Granted those sets where nice, but they weren't based on anything from a movie and could be made up without thought to accuracy/comparison to a movie.
That's because you aren't in the circles of people that are INTO these toys... Believe me, they're being begged for, and it's the same basic "I'll pay 3 billion if they do it right" mantra too...
But first, the reply was based on what CHEWIE said, "we haven't seen this played out in reality to know that it would happen either way", (paraphrasing), which clearly we have in a current, and incredibly popular toy line that routinely DOES promote "big ticket" (at least by Hasbro's standards) toys... $40 and $50 are common sights is my point, but even these sets didn't sell, and this line's bread and butter (as most line's are) is its basic figure line-up ultimately.
As far as them being based on anything... Well, this line's popularity spurred from films such as Saving Private Ryan, or Band of Brothers... So there's some film basis for these items too, as I know for a fact some of the Series 2 sets (at least) were sculpted with impressions from the films, and their accuracy/detail clearly surpasses anything Hasbro ever did.
As I said though, these are everything everyone here has said they want in a SW playset, but they're for a different toy line is all... One though that's got equally ravenous fans, and a toy line that supports no less than THREE major companies producing figures, vehicles, and such for it too... So it's impossible to say that military 1:18 toys don't have the popularity thing going for them. Secondary prices are INSANE on some things, with upwards of 250% increases (or more) in value too, depending on the items. Modern SW can't say that for the most part.
It's just an example playing devil's advocate is all though. CHEWIE said there wasn't a premise and I'm showing there is, and it's to a similar (adult/disposable income) market, and it's in similar styling to what's requested (hyper realistic, detailed, semi-complex, etc.). Like others have said, I'm all for playsets, and I shelled out the bucks for the above playsets... All of them, and only ONE I waited on clearance for, and that was the fountain as I'm not overly fond of it myself. Otherwise I paid the full $40 for the two larger sets and full price on the other set.
To me, it helps root the precedent that Hasbro sticks by, but that's me... It's a toy line where guys routinely shell out $40, $50, $60, and even $80+, for stuff... We don't do that in Star Wars, at least not at one time, so I dunno... I really do begin to believe Hasbro's stance on the whole playset thing after a while. Was the Theed Generator set REALLY that bad? I didn't think it was, actually, and as a display for Maul/Obi/Jinn, it's not bad, but it flopped... I dunno guys.