Considering the alternatives why should anyone really care if a decades-old kit is re-released?

I guess it all comes down to price. If it's cheap enough and the buyer doesn't care about accuracy so long as it looks like what the box claims it is, then it will sell to someone. Just not me (have a Sturmmörser already), nor apparently you.

People do and believe weird things that are really difficult to comprehend. It's the nature of marketing that someone will provide a cheaper, simpler and easier alternative and it will sell. And like why are they taking the backwards step of band track? Someone thought it'd be a selling point to some market who finds link and length fiddly. And Italeri makes money. And people will buy and build and maybe even post a thread here of their proud accomplishment in constructing a 40 year old kit. And it won't even look too bad on the shelf.