I don't see why people are so confused as to why HT would make these.
That's like wondering why any companies even make statues at all.
It's a different genre in this collecting world we live in. Some people find it appealing while others don't. It also targets those with a lower budget looking into getting a high quality looking piece of something they want, in this case, the Mark 42.
Not everyone has $250+ to spend on a poseable figure and maybe they're fine with getting a statue that can swap between two poses for a $150 price tag.
The majority of us here are obviously more into MMS but that doesn't mean everyone in the world has too as well.
They know their Iron Man line brings in money so they're trying to target a different group. Those of us that are waiting for the MMS version can simply look forward to those, no reason in bashing or questioning why HT is making these.