This is the problem with argument at hand here. Your use of the word "fans". Adult Fans are not TLG's target audience kids are. Kids aren't going to care that much if something is represented exactly like the source material. Kids aren't going to care if a tiny print is left off. The perspective of an AFOL can be very different from the perspective of a kid.
But there is more to it than that. Coming up with a new piece isn't just designing it over the weekend and throwing it in the set. They have to make sure it is strong enough so that it won't break after normal use. They have to make sure that leaving it in a very warm or very cold environment won't cause it to crack or split. Alot is required, not to mention the price needed to produce it. I have a passing interest for the game and the sets look fine to me. As said above, out of the five, or however many we got, licence Ideas set, this is the only one that appears to have expanded into a theme, so we're lucky at that.