That's the business model now, isn't it? Get your money's worth out of the tooling investment. How many times has Hasbro re-released that VC140 Stormtrooper sculpt? I think it's at least 6 times, and it's also the basis for the new VC231 Stormtrooper (along with some improvements), as well as the E-WEB version. I fully expect to see more Stormtroopers based on VC231 in the near future, too.
And it's a shame too. It's made the offerings pretty boring. Nearly everything is a double-dip, or ripe for future double dipping.
Clones, Stormtroopers, Mandos, the Jedi Order 3-Pack, even the Tank Driver has Migs and Din versions... the Bespin Guards,... all the 4-Packs are cool, but all are based on selling you the same thing twice. Then there's always Carbonized or Retro Prototype or they slap a new head on something and call it Photoreal.. You know the OWK Vader is coming in ANH and ROTJ versions...
It feels like quality items that are just going to exist in one form make up like 20% of what's released. I get it, but it's meant far fewer good characters are getting made.