modding with passion: a family affair with pino mods
For many, pinball is a lifelong obsession, but for the father-son duo behind Pino Mods, the journey into the heart of the machine began in a surprisingly modern era. From their home base in France, Lionel and Yoann Poli have quickly become staples in the international modding community, blending high-tech 3D printing with a deep respect for the "soul" of the game. In our latest interview, we sat down with Lionel and Yoann to discuss their origin story, their design philosophy, and the unique challenges of shipping French creativity to the world.
The beginnings- Jurassic Park Heliblade
Every great modder has a "spark" moment. For the Polis, it was the arrival of a Stern Jurassic Park. While the machine was a masterpiece, Lionel noticed a static detail that just didn't sit right: the fixed helicopter blade.
“When we bought the Jurassic Park machine, we saw the blade... it's a fixed metal cutter. It's fixed. We saw that on a Premium version, there is movement on this heliblade. So we tried to do that.” - Lionel
That desire to bring realism and movement to a static playfield launched their first product. Yoann, a software engineer by trade, brought the technical muscle to the table, using 3D printing to turn his father’s vision into a spinning reality.
"The first thing is we want the four-blade helicopter to actually spin on the playfield... The goal was to add more realism and movement to the game." — Yoann
Pino's first mod, the Jurassic Park Helicopter Blade adds a feature from the Prem/LE to the Pro version
The Art of the Blank Page
Pino Mods doesn’t just iterate; they innovate. Whether it’s the massive "Shark" from Jaws or the intricate "Geiger Counter" for James Bond, Yoann finds his greatest joy in starting from nothing.
“For me, I would like to say my favorite one is the shark from Jaws. It's very cool because, again, we create from a completely blank page and we created everything... it represents a real evolution of my skill on 3D. — Yoann ”
However, creating a beautiful mod is only half the battle. Lionel is quick to point out that a mod must "make sense" within the world of the machine. If a toy is already available on the market, they’ll use it to save customers money—but if the quality isn't there, they build it from scratch.
Yoann's favorite mod, the Jaws Hanging Shark
The miniature Geiger Counter for James Bond (above) provides excellent detail and realism.
The Jurassic Park Pteranodon (left) is a great example of a pre-made toy by Pino Mods
Quality Above All
The conversation took a serious turn when discussing the "alligator clip" culture of early modding. At Mezel Mods, we’ve always pushed for professional-grade connections, and Pino Mods is in total lock-step with that philosophy. They design their mods to be "plug-and-play" with specific connectors that ensure the machine remains as pristine as the day it left the factory.
“Things we made always [are] mods that you can remove without any modification of your pinball. It's very important to us. So every time I made [a] connector, every time I made specific parts... if you don't want this, you can remove it and your machine is like the original one." — Lionel
The International Challenge
Being a maker in France while serving a predominantly U.S. market (nearly 80% of their customers!) brings its own set of hurdles—from fluctuating shipping costs to the complexities of international tariffs. Yet, despite the distance, the Polis find the U.S. community to be their greatest source of inspiration and feedback.
"The good thing with Americans is... they always challenge. Why it's a good mod? Why it's not a good one? We always have feedback and it's very, very useful for us. We don't have this exchange in France."
— Lionel
Left- Yoann (top) and Lionel (bottom) during interview with Kristin from Mezel Mods
Above- Yoann and Lionel with their Pinball Machine collection
Want to see the Poli family's handiwork in person? Pino Mods products are available directly through the Mezel Mods shop, making it easy to add these game-enhancing mods to your collection. Check out our full selection in the Pino Mods shop at Mezel Mods and bring a little French flair to you game.
