Lego do make some very weird choices in what they decide to be exclusives sometimes. I think this would have sold really well as a mass produced set. And I'd be able to get one for under $500
LEGO are newbies to SDCC Exclusives and have been getting a lot of hated feedback from fans and collectors for not only their Exclusive choices but how they handle the crazy lines and people. They've started to "slowly" come around...