This fact has actually affected my buying behavior. I don't generally buy in the hopes of making a profit down the road, but I'll buy figures I only kind of want if I'm fairly confident they will appreciate later. That way, there is no real risk, and only potential reward for buying a figure I might not end up liking. I did that with Ghost Rider recently. I don't care for some of the decisions they made with him, but I do like others, and Marvel characters are money with HT. So, I'll get him, pose him, and enjoy him. Then decide if it's really worth the $250 or not after he's in hand for awhile. If not, I'll probably sit on him for awhile longer then sell him for $400 or whatever the going rate will be, and use the profits. . .to buy another figure that I might or might not want to keep. . .(fairly easy to predict with HT figures these days). . .
Drawback to this is--more often than not, when a Hot Toys figure is in-hand, I start liking it and ultimately keep it. So, maybe it isn't the best strategy after all.
Once the (superior) Hot Toys versions are released? No. The RAH figures are only worth what they are b/c they are all Metal Gear fans have, IMO.i have the RAH of MGS3 and 4 in the 1st edition, they my be more than what i paid then but wil they in the future?