I wouldn't call it an axe to grind, more a case of once bitten twice shy. I had over $2000 in preordered Chronicle items. The only one I couldn't recover my preorder on was the cryo can. Then, I come across a can being sold by a brand new company, and find they are staffed with someone who was in a leadership position at Chronicle, now producing a replica of the same prop. You've read my post as an accusation. I actually wanted to say a lot more, but instead I simply posted what I found and what my experience was, in an attempt to avoid it looking like an accusation while hopefully getting some sort of response. I guess that failed.
I've been a member of this forum for a long time, even though it says "new member". I don't know how being here since 2011 is new, but I lurk and don't post often as my focus was in statues. But I've been here a long time. I'm not just some guy off the street trying to stir up trouble.
In any case, you have to understand I don't know your company, and I've never bought from you. I'm trying to figure out if you are as you say, a completely different one that has brought in staff from Chronicle (perfectly fine), or a rebranded Chronicle (in which I would never do business with again). It was a sacrifice I had made to save for the preorders with Chronicle I had, and nearly losing all of that save for my continual efforts to recover what I did, would have been absolutely crushing to me. So yes, to see that name associated with your business via a high level employee gives me reservations because of my experience with that company. That said, I was hoping someone would reply with a defense, so perhaps to your surprise your response does help a lot. And I know for a fact I'm not the only one who had this fear, so I'm happy to be the one to put their blood in the water if it can settle the matter for myself and others.
I get the impression you think I'm a troll trying to start rumors, or part of some cohort of competitors trying to stop you from growing. But, in fact I'm a potential customer that had an order page on Sideshow's site on the last page of the checkout, who simply was worried I would be repeating history, and started doing some Google searches to see if there was any connection. And while I've really, really wanted a cryo can for so many years now, if it were to turn out to be the case that I was giving another dime to some relaunch of Chronicle for an item I already purchased and never received, that would have been a bridge too far for me. I'm sure you can understand that.
I guess that it offends you so much to be questioned in association to Chronicle means you have as bad a taste in your mouth from them as I do. We may not be so far apart here after all. Thanks for addressing my post.