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Originally Posted by tbzep
It makes me think that since they were smaller and cheaper to fly, they were built more often instead of being left in the packaging. Additionally, they were likely flown a lot more often with single standard motors compared to clustering. With lots of flights comes rocket eating trees, thermals, and damage, especially since you could stuff a C6-x in them. They might not have been stable with a C6, so they either crashed, or hit escape velocity.
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That's pretty much been my best conclusion on why there are so few of 1/100 scales, and why there are so many of the 1/45th scale (and 1/100 scale Saturns, both V and 1b).
I think some decent number of modelers, after receiving the somewhat complex scale Saturn V's, 1b's, and 1/45 Little Joe II kits, realized the kits were beyond their means, either right out of the box (no building attempted), OR after starting a few steps and concluding they were not up to the task or just did not want to take the time to build the model. Hence, one sees these many years later, partially finished or never even started kits on eBay.
On the other hand (as you mention), the small and easier 1/100 scale Little Joe II could be decently built by many modelers, and flown the heck out of, crashed, lost, what have you. And so, fewer left to be found in estates, attics, etc.
All that said, one would still think more would show up these days. Many, many more Centuri Astro-1's and Estes Alphas (old school versions to boot) show up on eBay than does that 1/100 scale Little Joe II. I have two, one to build and one to keep, and it has taken me about 15 years to find those two, the most recent being just a couple weeks ago.
Earl