Yeah, exclusives are not only a means of appeasing retail, they're also a means of getting the "odd" out to the public. Some of the reasoning as to what's odd or not eludes me (I would think a Wedge figure would be as popular as Gold Leader, if not moreso, but whatever), but at least a "new" wedge comes of it.
That price stings though... I am at a loss why Wedge isn't a figure Hasbro wants at retail though.