Shame they don't sell individual characters because I'd guess there's way more people who *can't* afford 2k, than who can.
Yep, because those who do have the money are less likely to want generic art in their game. If they have 2k for some character models, there's every chance they have 5k and can find an artist in Eastern Europe or Asia who can produce the characters exactly to their specifications and be sure other games won't be using the same art.
Additionally a lot of people who don't need 50 different versions of the same character are not going to appreciate having to buy all 50. While I could afford 2k, I'd object to paying it if I only wanted to use 2 or 3 soldiers.