I agree it demonstrates the loyalty of the HT customer base. Maybe they're growing fast enough to replace any customers they have turned off by leaking rubber. We all agree rubber (while it looks good) doesn't have great longevity. But, if this starts to creep in on their reputation, and it think it has enough to keep this coming up as a concern with every new rubber bodied figure, it could start to trend that growth downward as it becomes an expectation of their broader market.
I think my boss put it well the other day when he said "good business image isn't that hard. You simply have to always do what is right". When you're looking at sales and aggressive marketing projections, it's easy to focus on costs and profits. And, losing customers isn't always as easy as marketing types like to believe. Look at Dominos, who has reinvented themselves and had a great reception for it. I don't think HT wants to be in their shoes due to awesome looking, yet poorly crafted figures. One can only get by on their laurels for so long.
So, I believe they have been working on this issue and will continue to do so rather than ignore it cause their stuff sells, thus they get the benefit of the doubt.