History Main / OnlyAModel

* The Director's Comments in ''Film/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 season eight episode "Homer's Enemy," Homer enters a "build a model nuclear power plant" contest for kids... and ''not only'' kicks their asses[[hottip:*:Homer's copy of the existing plant but with stripes added beat Martin's ''functioning'' model for a better one because Burns hates being told everything he's done isn't already perfect]], but humiliates his antagonistic co-worker into a VillainousBreakdown and accidental suicide!

* Ref. The Architect Sketch from a ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' episode, the model for a set of flats has collapsing floors and catches on fire. During a presentation to the clients, no less. (above)
** This was actually topioal satire: in 1969 in London, a tower block called Ronan Point was so shoddily designed and built that it collapsed in ''exactly'' this way, with loss of life. Freemasonry was suspected as the reason why the London council approved this design, by ''that'' architect, using ''that'' construction firm. nothing was ever proven, but a year or two later, a construction company executive involved in the Ronan Point disaster was convicted and jailed for bribing councillors in a different part of Britain. Several local councillors were also jailed for corruption and misusing public finances.

* ''TheGoodies''. Spoofed in "The Lost Island of Munga", which opens with a model longboat floating in the water while [[TheNarrator Graeme's voice narrates]] how a crew of Vikings were blown off course by a mighty storm.

-->''RevealShot shows Graeme is actually reading out loud from a book while sitting in the bath.''

-->''RevealShot shows Graeme is actually reading out loud from a book while sitting in the bath]''

* In ''Literature'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.

[[quoteright:330:[[TheFountainhead http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dominique_admires_a_building_model_3454.jpg]]]]

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

* The climax of ''HotFuzz'' is in a model of the town (including an infamous weaponizing of it).
* In the live-action ''[[TheFlintstones Flintstones]]'' movie, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Cliff Vandercave]] shows off a model of a new house-manufacturing machine to the company board. Everyone is impressed, except for Fred, who points out that the house the model made is much too small for anyone to live in.

* ''{{Zoolander}}''. Mugatu unveils a model for the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good (And Who Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too). Derek Zoolander isn't impressed... [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because he doesn't realize it's a model]].

'''Zoolander:''' I don't wanna hear your excuses! The center has to be at least... ''three times'' bigger than this!

* On ''AustinPowers'', Number Two says the trope quote, which includes the fact that one of Megacorp's enterprises is a factory that builds models of factories.

* 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.

---> '''Monarch''': ...What??
---> '''Dr. Girlfriend''': That model was ''supposed'' to be a ''surprise!''
---> '''Monarch''' [sheepishly]: ...I peeked?

* In ''TheVentureBrothers'' Christmas special, the Monarch displays a scale model of the Venture compound as he gleefully outlines his plan to destroy Dr. Venture on Christmas Eve. Dr. Girlfriend is visibly ticked off.

** Another episode where Mr. Burns has a model airplane (the "Spruce Moose") and orders Smithers to get into it. Smithers assumes he's joking, the model being about the size of a basketball, but then Burns pulls out a gun.

** Actually lampshaded by Marty McFly in the third film, as he's heard this explanation before ("Yeah I know, Doc, it's not to scale. It's okay, Doc.")

* On ''AustinPowers'', Number Two says that one of Megacorp's enterprises is a factory that builds models of factories.

* 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. An episode of the tv series opens with the apparent explosion of an entire Gotham neighborhood, only for it to be revealed as a model, with the BigBad of the episode detailing his plans to make it really happen.

-->''Zoolander:''' ''[incredulous]'' What is this? \\

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

* ''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.

* 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 highly-detailed scale model of the installation complete with working train set.

* In ''ThisIsSpinalTap'', Ian is very impressed with the model for the band's Stonehenge prop...until he finds out that it actually ''is'' the prop, thanks to Nigel's diagram featuring the shorthand for inches rather than feet.

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

* In ''TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' Haqua tries to summarize the events of her introductory arc with a miniature model of the school and animated dolls. It ends up with the figurines of Keima and Haqua engaging in… questionable activities.

* ''[[TheLoveBug Herbie Rides Again]]'' begins with a showing of a model of the future Hawk Plaza. After the reception, workers pull the model out, revealing a model of ''the one house not yet demolished'' underneath.

* 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.
* 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.

->'''Number Two:''' And a factory in Chicago that makes miniature models of factories.

Name comes from a line in ''MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.

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

* In ''{{This Is Spinal Tap}}'', Ian is very impressed with the model for the band's Stonehenge prop...until he finds out that it actually ''is'' the prop, thanks to Nigel's diagram featuring the shorthand for inches rather than feet.

* In The Architect Sketch from a ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' episode, the model for a set of flats has collapsing floors and catches on fire. During a presentation to the clients, no less.

* 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. An episode of the tv series opens with the apparent explosion of an entire Gotham neighborhood, only for it to be revealed as a model, with the BigBad of the episode detailing his plans to make it really happen.

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* In ''TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' Haqua tries to summarize the events of her introductory arc with a miniature model of the school and animated dolls. It ends up with the figurines of Keima and Haqua engaging in… [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean questionable activities]].

* There's also the City of the Future in ''[[Film/IronMan Iron Man 2]]'' [[spoiler: which turns out to be some important piece of plot-related phlebotinum.]]
* {{Goldfinger}} had a very impressive scale model of Fort Knox and its surroundings.

* In the ''BackToTheFuture'' series, Doc Brown explains a couple of his plans using a model of the city (apologizing that it's "not to scale").