Yes, they have done several variants over the years with TFs - most recently with the FOC Jazz and Prime figures. But they have yet to do the "swap" style of variant, like we've seen recently with MU and ROML/6" movie figs.

But they didn't say that. You should probably re-read the press release again. They said you could "recreate the excitement" of ASM2 with the 3.75" figures.

The only ASM2 line that gets its articulation talked up a lot in that PR is the 6" series, and even then they don't mention recreating scenes or poses from the film.

I'm not sure where you're going with this. The 3.75" toys from the first film weren't very articulated (with one exception), while the 6" toys from then were quite articulated. With ASM2, they seem to be doing the same exact thing with their 3.75" and 6" offerings.

And it's not like Hasbro has never reused a toy mold before. ;)