History Main / ReplacedWithReplica

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'', Twilight's crown (which was part of the Elements of Harmony, the "most powerful force in Equestria") was replaced by a cheap-looking duplicate from an alternate universe where it was a Fall Formal Crown.

** Played with in ''Film/DiamondsAreForever''. When he goes to Blofeld's oil rig base, James Bond takes along a cassette tape of martial music in the hope of switching it with the computer tape Blofeld uses to control his KillSat. He successfully switches them, but [[TwoRightsMakeAWrong while trying to help Bond, Tiffany Case switches them back]]. Luckily Bond has a StormingTheCastle backup plan.

** In ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' this saves Bond's life when he's caught in a DeathTrap that, for once, he can't get out of. Bond is posing as a diamond smuggler, but [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once he delivers the diamonds to the next courier]], he's knocked unconscious and shoved into a coffin to be burned alive in a funeral incinerator. Just when it looks like Bond's goose is cooked, the furnace is switched off and the coffin opened by the outraged villains who accuse him of delivering 'paste' diamonds to them. The real ones were brought into the country by Q.

** In ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'' this saves Bond's life when he's caught in a DeathTrap that, for once, he can't get out of. Bond is posing as a diamond smuggler, but [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once he delivers the diamonds to the next courier]], he's knocked unconscious and shoved into a coffin to be burned alive in a funeral incinerator. Just when it looks like Bond's goose is cooked, the furnace is switched off and the coffin opened by the outraged villains who accuse him of delivering 'paste' diamonds to them.

* The Wiki/SCPFoundation pulls this when they discover a notable piece of media has anomalous properties. Rene Magritte's SpookyPainting ''"The Portrait"'' in New York is a non-anomalous replica, because the real one, [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-099 SCP-099]], causes viewers to think TheWallsHaveEyes.

* In ''Film/{{Ronin}}'', the briefcase that has the MacGuffin was replaced by Gregor with a similar one, except that it was meant to be detonated after a certain period of time. Sam was able to get rid of it after he noticed paint smears on his hands when he held the case.

* ''Series/LeverageRedemption'': The first episode has the team [[FramingTheGuiltyParty framing]] TheMark for insurance fraud. This plan involves swapping out nine pieces of art he had donated with fakes and then destroying one of them.

A common tactic of TheCon, and TheTrickster, and its many subtropes. It's also TruthInTelevision, as similar tricks are actually used by [[EspionageTropes spies]] and [[StageMagician stage magicians]].

* In the ''Series/NCIS'' BigBlackout episode, it eventually transpires that the bad guys' real plot is to swap a network server with a compromised copy so they can monitor military internet traffic. The city-wide blackout is to cover the outage during the changeover.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'': The main villain Arius wants to gain the power of a demon named Argosax and needs four sacred relics called the Arcana to do it. One of these items is a small coin which [[spoiler:Dante swaps out with his own coin. As a result, Arius fails to attain Argosax's power and is easily bested by the devil hunter.]]

* In ''Film/TheConIsOn'', Harry and Peter's plan to steal Jackie's priceless ring involves replacing it with a replica. However, during Jackie's stormy breakup with Gabriel, she pulls the ring off and drops it in Harry's wineglass. Later, while attempting to escape, Harry throws what she thinks is the replica ring to distract Irina and her goons. It is only when she gets to the airport that realises that she is holding the replica; having thrown the real ring away in the darkness.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'': The main villain Arius wants to gain the power of a demon named Argosax and needs four sacred relics called the Arcana to do it. One of these items is a small coin which Dante swaps out with his own coin. As a result, Arius fails to attain Argosax's power and is easily bested by the devil hunter.

'''This is a SpoileredRotten trope, so beware of unmarked spoilers!'''

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': In "[[Recap/LeverageS01E06TheStorkJob The Stork Job]]", the Leverage crew replaces the arms dealers' weapons with movie props, which they only figure out when they try to shoot Parker.

* ''Film/ThePinkPanther2'': [[spoiler:The film's climax reveals that the Pink Panther that was stolen and then destroyed by Sonia is actually a replica Clouseau had swapped out with the original in order to protect it from the Tornado. The reveal that the Tornado is an expert in the quality of gems is what makes Clouseau realize that he was not responsible for the theft as he would have been able to recognize the replica Pink Panther as a fake.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'': In "Take Two," which has the 'Busters consulting on a movie about their exploits, at one point accidentally grab replicas of their proton packs... [[OhCrap just as a ghost starts to attack the production.]]

* ''Series/LeverageRedemption'': The first episode has the team [[FramingTheGuiltyParty framing]] TheMark for insurance fraud. This plan involves swapping out nine pieces of art he had donated with fakes and then destroying one of them.

* The final heist of ''Film/OceansTwelve'' involves a fast shuffle to steal a Faberge egg and replace it with a replica (in one attempt a hologram) before the Night Fox

* ''Series/MASH'' [[InvertedTrope Inverts this]] in one episode. Kilnger, in yet another of his Section-8 ploys, dresses up as a fakir and douses himself in gasoline... or so he leads everyone else to believe... claiming that if he can't get his Section 8, he'll immolate himself. Inside the jerry cans is just water. Potter gets wise to the ruse fairly quick and has the cans switched with actual gasoline.

* ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' did this one time in a story when he and his family foiled a bunch of criminals by replacing valuable items in the Rich Mansion with worthless replicas so that the criminals wouldn't be able to cash in on their haul when they trade the "valuables" in at the local dealer of stolen goods.
* In the ''ComicBook/JohanAndPeewit'' story "The Smurfs And The Magic Flute", Peewit tries and fails to swap out one of Franchise/TheSmurfs' magic flutes with a fake one.

** In the ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'' episode [[Recap/LupinIIIS2E12 "The Sleight before Christmas"]], Lupin intends to steal an aged bottle of Bordeaux (which the French government means to give to the US President as a gift). He successfully nabs to bottle straight from Inspector Zenigata's hands, and leaves in its place a bottle of "really cheap crap" with an identical label. [[spoiler:Ironically, the President and his family aren't wine-savvy at all, and enjoy the "cheap crap" just fine. Lupin and his gang, watching the Presidential dinner on TV, laugh at his ignorance before drinking the real Bordeaux themselves--then spit it out in disgust, as the century-old wine has fermented into vinegar.]]