History Main / OnlyAModel

->[a ship off the coast of Texas illuminates]

->[an oil refinery illuminates in Seattle]

-->-- ''AustinPowers:International Man of Mystery''

* The Director's Comments in ''DieHard'' stated the bridge model was for a bridge Frank Lloyd Wright had designed but never built, and borrowed for the movie from the Wright estate as the director was a fan of the architect.

* In the ''{{Tintin}}'' album ''The Calculus Affair'', the [[HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection Bordurian military elite]] displays the effectiveness of a proposed new [[WeaponsOfMassDestruction sound weapon]] through the destruction of a "large North American city" (an {{Expy}} of [[BigApplesauce New York]]) on a TV screen to the [[KickTheDog delight of its audience]], only to reveal that they had merely used a smaller scale version to destroy a model. [[KickTheDog Everyone is disappointed]].

** Another episode where Mr. Burns has a model airplane (the "Spruce Moose") and orders Smithers to get into it, tho its clearly too small for a human to fit in.

{{Sub Trope}}s include:

* The spy film parody ''TopSecret'' has the protagonists sketch their plan to infiltrate an East German fortress by drawing a crude map in the dirt. As the description progresses, the props get increasingly elaborate until they end up with a scale model of the installation complete with working train set.

* ''{{Beetlejuice}}'' "NICE FUCKING MODEL!" * honk honk*

* In The Architect Sketch from a ''MontyPython'' episode, the model for a set of flats has collapsing floors and catches on fire. During a presentation to the clients, no less.
** Then there's the famous "It's only a model" scene during ''MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' when they first see Camelot.

* ''DoctorWho'' "Boom Town:" Margret Blaine (really an evil alien) is planning on blowing up the planet and escaping in a Tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator, which is hidden in the model of the power plant she's planning to blow up.

** In the controversial season eight episode "Homer's Enemy," Homer enters a "build a model nuclear power plant" contest for kids... and ''not only'' kicks their asses, but humiliates his antagonistic co-worker into a VillainousBreakdown and accidental suicide!

** In another episode, Homer enters a "build a model nuclear power plant" contest for kids... and kicks their ass!

* In ''BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'', the climatic battle between Batman and the Joker takes place within a model of what Gotham City might look like in the future. The Joker disguises himself by wearing a skyscraper on his head.

* In ''BlackAdder Goes Forth'' Melchett and Darling show Blackadder a model of the stretch of ground that has been captured in the latest battle. It turns out that the model is on a scale of 1:1, so the actual gain is only a few square feet. Closer examination reveals that it's not even a model -- it's ''the actual square of turf''.

* In ''BlackAdder Goes Forth'' Melchett and Darling show Blackadder a model of the stretch of ground that has been captured in the latest battle. It turns out that the model is on a scale of 1:1, so the actual gain is only a few square feet.

* In ''TheFountainhead'', people tampering with a model of a building Howard designed, to show that people aren't willing to take his work as it is.

* In ''BlackAdder Goes Forth'' Melchett and Darling show Blackadder a model of the stretch of ground that has been captured in the latest battle. It turns out that the model is on a scale of 1:1, so the actual gain is only a few square feet.
* In ''BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'', the climatic battle between Batman and the Joker takes place within a model of what Gotham City might look like in the future. The Joker disguises himself by wearing a skyscraper on his head.
* In the ''PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Hail Doofania!", Doofenshmirtz makes a scale model ([[EverythingsBetterWithPlushies made of felt]]) of his floating city, Doofania. By the end of the episode, the city has sunk and only the model remains.

* In ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Buffy Bot admires a model "City of the Future" at a science fair, but notes that she's never seen people that small.
* There's also the City of the Future in IronMan2 [[spoiler: which turns out to be some important piece of plot-related phlebotinum.]]
* ''TheSimpsons'': Mr. Burns shows off a scale model of Springfield when he's demonstrating his plan to blot out the sun.
** In another episode, Homer enters a "build a model nulear power plant" contest for kids... and kicks their ass!
** Another episode where Mr. Burns has a model airplane (the "Spruce Moose") and orders Smithers to get into it, tho its clearly too small for a human to fit in.

* SupermanReturns has a train set used this way. Lex Luthor throws part of a Kryptonian crystal in the model lake to show its effect. Made extra creepy when the camera zooms on little plastic people and you hear screams.
* In ''BattlestarGalactica'', Bill Adama worked on a model of an Age of Sail ship over the course of the show, which he ends up destroying it in a fit of rage. The destruction was an ad lib by Edward James Olmos, who didn't know the model was very expensive (after all, in RealLife someone working full time can take a couple months to build one) and in fact on loan from a museum.

* In one GastonLagaffe strip, Prunelle manages to bring in De Masmaeker to look at the scale model of their planned office building, hoping to get him to sign the contracts later. While he's showing off the admittedly impressive model, Gaston comes in with a miniaturized Gaffophone a reader sent him, and proceeds to play it. The building model proceeds to collapse instantly.
* ''DoctorWho'' "Boom Town:" Margret Blaine (really an evil alien) is planning on blowing up the planet and escaping in a Tribophysical waveform macro-kinetic extrapolator, which is hidden in the model of the power plant she's planning to blow up.

* ''Zoolander'' isn't impressed by the model for the School for Kids Who Can't Read Good. "What is this? A school for ants?"

* In TheMightyBoosh episode 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe' there appears to be a ship in the distance that may rescue our heroes from the island they're stranded on. It's only a model, as Vince proves when he reaches out and plucks it right off the horizon.

* One ''MontyPython'' episode is The Architect Sketch in which the *model* of a set of flats, has the floors collapse, and catches fire during the presentation to the clients.
** Then there's the famous "It's only a model" scene during ''MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' when they first see Camelot.

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* One ''MontyPython'' episode is The Architect Sketch in which the *model* of a set of flats, has the floors collapse, and catches fire during the presentation to the clients

* The spy film parody ''Top Secret'' has the protagonists sketch their plan to infiltrate an East German fortress by drawing a crude map in the dirt. As the description progresses, the props get increasingly elaborate until they end up with a scale model of the installation complete with working train set.

* One ''Monty Python'' episode is The Architect Sketch in which the *model* of a set of flats, has the floors collapse, and catches fire during the presentation to the clients

* In the MightyBoosh episode 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe' there appears to be a ship in the distance that may rescue our heroes from the island they're stranded on. It's only a model, as Vince proves when he reaches out and plucks it right off the horizon.

* In ''BattlestarGalactica'', Bill Adama worked on a model of an Age of Sail ship over the course of the show, which he ends up destroying it in a fit of rage. The destruction was an add lib by Edward James Olmos, who didn't know the model was an antique loaned by a museum.

* In one GastonLagaffe strip, Prunelle manages to bring in De Masmaeker to look at the scale model of their planned office building, hoping to get him to sign the contracts later. While he's showing off the admittedly impressive mmodel, Gaston comes in with a miniaturized Gaffophone a reader sent him, and proceeds to play it. The building model proceeds to collapse instantly.