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Chris Pinci

@pincipix

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The Pinci's love taking pix of Lego and occasionally dabbling in toy photography. Want to follow us on this awesome adventure?

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“Something’s Coming…”

Well... I haven’t seen nearly enough Doctor Doom on my feed lately, so I figured I’d help fix that. 😅

Yesterday’s Avengers: Doomsday trailer absolutely delivered. It instantly became my most anticipated movie of the year, and I don’t remember the last time I was this excited to buy movie tickets... five months before release. It almost feels more like buying concert or Broadway tickets than planning a trip to the movies.

Doctor Doom has always been one of my favorite Marvel villains, and seeing him finally take center stage has me counting down the days. Sure, Marvel has had a few projects that didn’t quite land for me, but every time a movie like this comes around, I find myself feeling the same excitement I had as a kid walking into the theater, wondering what I was about to experience.

That’s the feeling I’m chasing.

Here’s my tribute to the ruler of Latveria while we all wait for what’s coming next.

All hail Doom. taken in Latveria by @pincipix

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5 days ago

Every vault has a story... but not every safecracker is a villain.
Some say Gomez is breaking in.
Others would argue he’s breaking someone out.
Maybe what’s hidden behind that vault door isn’t money at all. Maybe it’s something too dangerous to leave locked away.
That’s the thing about Gomez, you never really know whose side he’s on. Mercenary. Adventurer. Treasure hunter. Hero. Criminal. Depending on who’s telling the story... he’s all of the above.
I wanted this shot to feel like you walked in halfway through the mission. Sparks flying. Tools scattered across the floor. A vault moments away from opening.
The only question left is...
What do you think is inside?
#mezco #mezcomondays #toyphotography #mezcoone12collective #toypic taken in Cleveland, Ohio by @pincipix

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6 days ago

To me, my X-Men.
I finally got caught up on X-Men ‘97, and I have to say... it might be my favorite show I’ve watched all year.
As someone who’s been an X-Men fan for as long as I can remember, this series felt like a love letter to everything that made me fall in love with these characters in the first place. It captures the heart of the animated series, but isn’t afraid to raise the stakes and tell stories that hit surprisingly hard. There were moments that genuinely caught me off guard, and I found myself counting down the days until I could watch the next episode.
Now I’m left doing what every fan is doing…Waiting, for the next episode…
Naturally, all that X-Men hype had me pulling Wolverine and Bishop off the shelf and putting them in front of the camera. These two always make for a great pairing; Logan bringing the raw aggression while Bishop stands firm, ready for whatever the future throws at him.
Sometimes that’s all the inspiration you need. Watch something incredible... then go create something.
Who’s your MVP of X-Men ‘97 so far? I don’t know if I can pick just one.
#xmen #xmen97 #marvellegends #toyphoto #toyphotography by @pincipix

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9 days ago

Bludhaven’s protector.

I’ve been making my way through Nightwing: A Knight in Bludhaven Compendium Vol. 1, and it’s been a bit of a mixed bag.

I’m really enjoying seeing Dick Grayson step out of Batman’s shadow and establish himself as his own hero. There’s something refreshing about watching him build an identity in a city that desperately needs one.

That said... I have to admit I’m struggling with a couple of things.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous, but during some of the action scenes there’s so much happening that I find myself pulling the book farther away just to understand what’s going on. And then there are the cliffhangers! I just finished a storyline that spent issue after issue asking, “Where’s Batman?”... only for the story to end without answering it before jumping into the next arc.

After a little digging, I realized it was tying into a much larger Bat-family crossover, so I was only seeing Nightwing’s piece of the puzzle. It makes sense in hindsight... but I definitely wasn’t thrilled at the time.

Even with those frustrations, one thing kept jumping off the page—the atmosphere.
The lighting, the rooftops, the mood... there are so many panels that practically beg to be recreated in toy form. This photo was inspired by that feeling more than any one specific panel. Sometimes a comic doesn’t have to be perfect to spark an idea, it just has to make you want to create.

And honestly, if a book gets me to pull a figure off the shelf and put it in front of the camera, I’d say it’s doing something right.
#nightwing #mezco #toyphoto #toypic #actionfiguresphotography taken in Blüdhaven by @pincipix

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17 days ago

Big Bad Toy Store Pile of Loot!
#bbts #pileofloot #actionfigures #toyphotography # by @pincipix

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20 days ago

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the year.

If I’m being honest, I haven’t posted as much as I originally hoped. But looking back through these images, I don’t really see a lack of progress, I see growth. I feel like I’ve spent less time chasing quantity and more time refining my photography, my lighting, and my editing. For me, that’s a trade-off I’m happy to make.

June wasn’t my busiest month behind the camera, but it was a productive one behind the computer. I’ve been slowly working through my backlog of edits, and it’s exciting to see so many finished shots finally coming together. There’s still plenty waiting in the wings, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of them over the coming months.

One thing I do want to improve during the second half of the year has nothing to do with taking photos; it’s being more present in this amazing community.

One of my favorite parts of this hobby is seeing what everyone else creates. There is so much talent in the toy photography community, and I genuinely enjoy celebrating it. I always want to leave thoughtful comments, share work that inspires me, and support the people who continually motivate me to get better. Unfortunately, life has made that harder than I’d like lately, and too often a quick “like” has replaced the conversations I’d rather be having.
So that’s one of my goals for the rest of the year: to spend more time engaging with the creators who make this community such a fun place to be. The encouragement, conversations, friendships, and inspiration are a huge part of why I love this hobby.

As always, thank you to everyone who has followed along, left a comment, shared a photo, or simply stopped by to look at my work. Your support never goes unnoticed, and I’m excited to see what the second half of the year has in store.
Here’s to more photos, more collaborations, and more time spent enjoying this incredible community. taken in Cleveland, Ohio by @pincipix

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24 days ago

When the monthly theme wheel landed on “NOIR,” I couldn’t help but laugh.

I had literally posted Spider-Noir just a few days earlier... so that idea was officially off the table.

My first instinct was to pull out Mezco’s Dick Tracy or one of the Gangsters figures, but then I finished reading Batman: A Death in the Family – Deluxe Edition. Tucked away in the collection was A Lonely Place of Dying, and one particular image of Two-Face immediately stopped me in my tracks. That was it. I had my concept.

When most of us think of noir, we picture stark black-and-white photography, deep shadows, and dramatic lighting. I absolutely wanted to honor that aesthetic, so I shot a traditional monochrome version...

...but then I started wondering:

What happens if you keep the noir lighting, the heavy contrast, and the mood... but leave the color?

Instead of stripping everything away, I leaned into opposing temperatures, the warm amber glow from Harvey Dent’s unscarred side and the cold blue light consuming Two-Face. It almost felt like the lighting itself was fighting the same battle that’s constantly raging in his mind.

In the end, I couldn’t decide which version I liked more, so... you get both.

Sometimes the best part of these monthly collaborations isn’t the finished photo, it’s letting a single word push you into trying something you probably wouldn’t have attempted otherwise.

So... which one tells the story better?
 Classic black & white? Or the color version with split lighting?
I’d genuinely love to hear which one speaks to you.
 If you’ve ever wanted a chill, no-pressure space to share your shots, get feedback, and join in on some fun monthly themes, we’d love to have you! Hit up any one of us if you’re curious, we’re always excited to welcome new faces to the crew!

_________________________________
Constributors
@stan_qbrick
@mind.of.a.different.kind
@intergalactic_raptor
@rezsokempny
@lunatoyca
@frame_the_toys
@dewbacked
@ackiskamera
@toddhofherr
@garyburke
@ts_toybox
@chava.fernando
@jujuofadown
#mezco #batman #toyphotography #actionfigure #toypic taken in Gotham City by @pincipix

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a month ago

And suddenly... the lights went out.

One of the things I love most about reading comics is stumbling across a panel that makes me stop and think, “I need to photograph that.”

Lately, I’ve been making my way through The New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis. I’m only a couple of trades into the run, but the artwork has been absolutely incredible and packed with inspiration. The opening Breakout arc in particular has so many memorable moments, and this shot is my attempt at recreating one of them.

I always find it fascinating how comic art and toy photography overlap. Comic artists have to tell a story in a single frame, using lighting, composition, and emotion to sell the moment. Toy photography asks the same question:

How do you make a piece of plastic feel alive?

For this one, I leaned hard into the glowing energy effects, the dramatic framing, and that sense of chaos that’s all over the pages of Breakout. It’s nowhere near a 1:1 recreation, but hopefully it captures some of the same electricity that jumped off the page at me.
And honestly? That’s one of my favorite parts of this hobby, reading something amazing and then trying to translate that feeling into a photo.

Have you ever read a comic and immediately thought, “I need this as a figure” or “I need to recreate that panel”?
#electro #spiderman #toyphoto #marvellegends #toyphotogrphy taken in Cleveland, Ohio by @pincipix

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a month ago

Sometimes the figures you don’t plan on collecting end up becoming your favorites.

When the Infinite Legions line was first announced, I told myself there was absolutely no way I was diving in. Between Mythic Legions, Cosmic Legions, and Figura Obscura, I already had more than enough plastic to keep me busy. I definitely didn’t need a fourth line.

Then I saw this guy in person at LegionsCon last year.

And the FOMO hit hard.

I skipped the preorder, convinced myself I could live without him… and then spent the next several months regretting that decision. So when the opportunity came up to add him to the collection, I jumped on it.

And wow… this figure is AWESOME.

The sculpt, the proportions, the articulation, everything just clicks for me. There’s something about the design that scratches the same itch as classic video game heroes. Honestly, every time I look at him I get major Mega Man meets sci-fi bounty hunter vibes, and I’m completely here for it.

This is only my first photo of him, but it definitely won’t be the last. I have a feeling this guy is going to see a lot of time in front of the lens.

Anyone else try to resist a toy line only to completely cave later? Or is that just me?
#infinitelegions #fourhorsemenstudios #toyphoto #toypiccommunity #toyphtography taken in New York, New York by @pincipix

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a month ago

Some movies just hit at the right time.

When Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was announced, I honestly didn’t know much about Optimus Primal or the Beast Wars side of Transformers. My nostalgia has always been rooted in the original Autobots and Decepticons, so I went into the movie with pretty few expectations.

But man, I had a blast with it.

Maybe it was the 90s setting. Maybe it was the simpler story that didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. Or maybe it was just fun seeing a Transformers movie that felt like it remembered these giant robots were supposed to be cool. Whatever the reason, Rise of the Beasts ended up becoming my second favorite Transformers film, right behind the original 2007 movie.

That excitement is what inspired this shot. This is my first Yolopark figure, and while I still think the MDLX line is tough to beat when it comes to overall quality, Optimus Primal absolutely looks the part. The mechanical detail, the silhouette, and the sheer presence of the figure made him a lot of fun to get in front of the lens.
#transformers #riseofthebeasts #optimusprimal #toyphoto #toyphotogrphy taken in Cleveland, Ohio by @pincipix

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2 months ago

A man without fear still bleeds.

I recently finished reading the Devil’s Reign Omnibus, and I absolutely loved it. The event itself was fantastic, and while I’m still not sure how I feel about Marvel’s reading order in the omnibus, it ended up creating an interesting experience. Part of me wishes the tie-ins had been woven directly into the main story, but it was also fun seeing the larger picture unfold afterward and realizing everything that had been happening behind the scenes.

What made it even better was reading it after watching Daredevil: Born Again. Seeing some of the themes, characters, and conflicts connect across different stories made me appreciate the event even more. Needless to say, I’m already counting down the days until the next season.

For this shot, I wanted to capture a side of Daredevil that often gets overlooked. Not the acrobat. Not the hero standing triumphantly on a rooftop. Just Matt Murdock at his lowest point—battered, exhausted, and struggling to get back to his feet. Because that’s always been what makes Daredevil such a compelling character. No matter how many times life knocks him down, he finds a way to stand back up.

And honestly, that’s the part of the character that keeps me coming back.

What is your favorite Daredevil story? Born Again, The Man Without Fear, Devil’s Reign, or something else?  #daredevil #mattmurdock #devilsreign #marvelcomics #toyphotogrphy taken in New York, New York by @pincipix

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2 months ago

The way of the sword is not just combat… it’s discipline.

I’m currently making my way through Volume 2 of the IDW TMNT run, and honestly, it has been an absolute blast. The balance between the action, character moments, and world building has completely pulled me back into full-on Turtle mode lately. Then Mezco went ahead and dropped those Mirage TMNT figures last week and suddenly my TMNT hype level went through the roof.

This shot was inspired by that recent Turtle obsession, mixed with some love for the animated movie version of Leo. Even though the articulation on this figure can be a little rough to work with at times, there’s still something about the design that I really enjoy. It captures that focused, battle-ready version of Leonardo perfectly.

Now I just need to finish Volume 2 so I can finally dive into Batman/TMNT story.
#tmnt #turtletuesday #batmantmnt #toyphoto #toyphotogrphy taken in New York, New York by @pincipix

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2 months ago