The capitalistic system is working perfectly in this case. Very few people seem to want or need a heatshield, so there is no incentive for someone to develop one. Development takes lots of money and time. If the developer only anticipates selling a couple of items, the per unit cost is going to be much higher than most customers are willing to pay.

If the developer gambles that a market will develop they have to have the upfront money to produce many, then the space (and money) to keep stock on the shelf without going out of business (this is the story of the almost mythical cupholder from Tom in Roswell)

It seems that the best bets are either what Joe is doing here (research)or group buys. The research is just plain smart. The group buys allow talented inventors like Joe, Matt and others to create a desired product at a reasonable price and not go out of business.

If you really want a heat shield (and can't do it yourself) your best bet is to find a bunch of people who want them (and front the money) and then get our aftermarket guys to create it.