>>23452958
And it wasn't even cheaper either. This in-universe article written 146 U.C. says that miniaturized suits were expensive enough that there's another market for refurbished machines and replicas of older ones. Shrinking the plastic models in real life had varois downsides like being more difficult to make and it looks like in-universe the whole point about saving costs in a relatively peaceful time before the Corssbone Vanguard attacked went the opposite of their intended goal.