Agreed. "The Hobbit" film(s) are irrelevant to the LOTR line.
Planning done for the LOTR line characters was questionable.
-Ringwraiths would have been the "Stormtroopers" of the LOTR line. Multiple purchases would have been guaranteed.
-Pip and Merry were no-brainers with the new Hobbit bodies already developed.
-Gimli would have simply used a modified Hobbit body for slight height addition.
-Saruman would have been a simple figure to develop. Rather uncomplicated outfit and no armor, weapons, accessories needed, except for perhaps a Palantir and base, which could have been sold either separately as a dio or included as the exclusive piece (similar to Indy's Idol pedestal.)
Anything else would have been gravy.
Yup, i thought the whole purpose of making a new body was to make more then just 2 figures using it.
Gimli might have just used thick boots to give him height and no other real change to the body.
I'm bummed about it but it is what it is. maybe somebody else will pick it up or maybe sideshow will around hobbit time. one of the things people seem to forget is stuff like star wars with the healthy 12" line has a lot of collectors that grew up with star wars. now i've been a fan since i was real little because of the books but a lot of the people out there that were introduced to lotr through the films as children aren't old enough yet to go out and by these $100 figures.
my fear with the hobbit is that there is no way the line will last long enough for all the dawrves