Hasbro keeps telling us that they "do it for the kids" yet everything they do points to "doing it for the collectors".
And that is the dilemma that Hasbro is going to have to face in a short period of time, I think. As I (sarcastically, yes, but it was all probably true) alluded to in a post I made in another thread, Hasbro only actually pays collectors any lip service in non-film years, as in those years, we are literally all that they have to keep the line afloat. During the film years, they act like we are the scum of the earth and that we don't matter a bit to the line because they are "making the toys for kids."
The cycle usually goes like this (and look back on this if you don't believe me):
2001: Power of the Jedi (collector based line, Fan's Choice is introduced)
2002: Power of the Jedi (collector based line, really obscure and much requested characters)
04/2002: Saga/AOTC line launches with stupid action features and horrible sculpting on many figures, because "kids love the action features"
2003: Saga continues with more stupid action features in Collection 1 and a collector's focus in Collection 2. By the end of the year, the action features are more or less nonexistant.
2004: Saga continues with a very collector based focus.
08/2004: Original Trilogy Collection starts; figure choices range from being kid focused to really obscure ("Cool, mom, it's the guy with the computer in his bald head, can I have it?") characters no kid would really care about. DVD release to tie into
2005: Original Trilogy Collection winds to a close with very collector-based figures from TPM, AOTC, and the Cantina
04/2005: Revenge of the Sith launches. Back to stupid action features, "these are made for kids" all over again
See the pattern? When the fickle youth abandon SW in the toy aisles completely by January, we'll see another assortment or two (unless Hasbro has already stopped making them in anticipation of this) with action features, before they are phased out and we see the obscure and collector focused figures return.
The problem is that this time Hasbro is being much more insulting with collectors. In 2002, it was "kids make up the bulk of our sales." In 2005, their attitude seems to be "if you don't open your toys, you're a moron, but here's an overpriced Clone Trooper to chew on." And in 2006 they're counting on everyone forgetting these little snide comments, but in the end scheme of things, to paraphrase one of my favorite films of all time, "When the end comes, all that will be left...is US."