I think there' another aspect we're missing: Walmart.
It may very well be that Walmart has done their market study, and found the anticipated "want" for these larger kits never materialized. (How many sat on the shelves, vs. the mini Alphas flying off the shelves.. Cost?!) Or maybe they (Walmart) doesn't want to be associated with a kit that can lead to potentially damage if not built / flown / recovered in a positive method. And with that, and maybe Hobby Lobby as well, have changed the marketing for the PSII kists.
Yes, we want them, but what about little Timmy down the street, who flies with his dad at the local soccer field. The MDRM, while cool, and big, and overall awesome!, is expensive, big, and maybe too big for the field, not to mention requiring a new launch system, and motors that are in the $upper-teens for ONE launch..
I have a local hobby shop that had 4 of the PSII kits hanging up when they first came out. Sold for the MSRP.. Two are still there.. He moves a lot of the regular Estes stuff.. (but then again, that's all he sells)..