Morgbug, thank you for your excellent response. I absolutely agree with almost everything you said. Almost all of it is, in fact, is in exact agreement with how I feel, just advocating a differant response. I, too, don't understand why someone would pay all the money and spend all the time to go to the con and then spend 90% of it waiting in lines for merchandise... it just doesn't seem to be what the con should be about. And maybe that type of thing is part of the reason my response to this issue is so strong.
It seems like Hasbro (and many of the other companies who have been doing this these stupid uber-exclusives for years) is starting to not care about making toys for people who like the product and Star Wars but rather attempting to do whatever they can to seem like the "hot" product, screwing over collectors and kids alike in their path without regard.
I have felt in the past that nearly everything they did was justifiable as a good business/fan/collector decision when looking at it from one viewpoint or another. But this just reeks of a short-term stunt that is bad for long term customer goodwill.
Another thing is that if these figures were some cool one-off thing I also wouldn't be anywhere near as upset about it. I would just figure they will probably be re-released at some point in a differant package, but so what. And if they aren't then at some point they will probably go low enough that I can afford them. But instead they are a vital portion of a set of figures that I have been looking forward to and have already started collecting, then had the rug ripped out from under me. So now that entire collection of concept figures feels nearly completely worthless without these so waiting until these MIGHT come down to a reasonable price is much less of an option. Waiting until they are re-released is a bad option because if it is not this year and in a single pack then the packaging will be totally differant which basically destroys much of the appeal of the sub-line in my opinion. So it is just frustrating from every angle.
I really wish I could adopt the Buddha-like attitude towards these that you advocate... I know I would be a happier person.
But instead I still find myself really leaning towards just canceling all my orders for the other figs and for the most part getting out. I would keep the orders for the vintage figs (I love this line too, although I must say many of the figures themselves look a bit less exciting this time, with Han's "special" hat and Luke's strange head, and a complete disinterest in the Leia). And I would have to order a CZ4 and Animated Boba from eBay (as I KNOW I will never see one in a store). But most of the rest I could probably do without if I wasn't trying to collect "all of them". So I could cut my expenses by 90% or so, and feel better that I wasn't supporting what I view to be vile decisions by Hasbro anywhere near as much. And I wouldn't have to support the scalpers on eBay (though in the case of R2/3PO they may deserve the extra money they will get).
Unfortunately Hasbro would still get my money for their new GI Joe line, and will likely turn that into the same thing if it is as popular as it looks like it will be. But at least right now those are pretty easy to order and achieve a full set, until Hasbro starts making poor decisions.