The teasing was not a good idea... Not to **** on Adam over it, but IMHO just wasn't a smart thing to do given collectors and their generally ****** attitudes. I'd have just revealed it and let the cards fall where they may. Maybe forewarn the sites, put them under a gag order, let it happen like that and play out that way. Selling repaints at today's prices is tough and I get that. People have it in their heads that repaint should equate to cheaper, and that's just not reality.
The reality is that the costs are in the paint, the labor putting it together, etc. These, sold via a small online retailer (Again, like above, this ain't Wall-Mart), and they're still chiming in at the current retail price/per on 3.75" figures of some quality.
So with all that said, this is about right... From that perspective. Labor stings in China. If Hasbro moves its operations to India or Vietnam, like they've done with some of their lines (MLP, etc.), you may see things change back to lower prices and high quality combined. But that's just not the environment they're working in currently.
And again, to each their own. I say if you're out, you're out, and that's your choice. I don't hold judgment on you. Everyone has their threshold on this stuff. There's a breaking point for everything, and it's different for everyone. Perceived value is a HUGE factor, and it's one that varies from person to person depending on tons of issues Hasbro can't possibly gauge. This was made "for us", and if it fails, it fails. If it succeeds we'll see more I'd assume.