I think you're right, $300-400 wouldn't faze collectors or even if it did, they would shell out the cash anyway knowing how much Fort Maxes are going for on eBay.

But I think the concern for Takara would be selling to the mass market because there wouldnt be enough fans to justify their production run. To sell to the mass market, they would have try linking the guy into current TF cartoons and continuity too.

Parents would hardly be too trilled with buying a $300-400 toy for their kids.

Brave Max retailed for S$200 (AU$160), and still it didn't do too well. And at that price, Takara is probably already suffering a loss (the logistics of shipping this guy around and keeping it intact is just one of many problems; I saw Brave Maxes casefresh back in the day and 7 out of 10 boxes are damaged due to transit). Any higher and it becomes a less than viable retail product...