History Main / ScaleModelDestruction

* In the ''StreetFighter'' movie, Bison dramatically introduces a model of his future {{Egopolis}}. It gets totalled later by E. Honda and Zangief fighting, trampling it Godzilla-style...

* Michael Bentine, once of ''TheGoonShow'' had a sketch about a guest on a TV show who'd spent ten years building a beautiful model of St. Paul's Cathedral out of matchsticks. Unfortunately he forgot to take the match heads off, and under the hot studio lights...

* ''BattlestarGalactica'', although interestingly they intended to avert this until Olmos... improvised, not knowing that the ship model was on loan from a ''museum''.

* Averted in the ''BackToTheFuture'' movies: In the first movie, Doc Brown demonstrates the plan to harness the lightning to get Marty back home - the electricity overcharges the model car and it speeds off into a corner and starts a fire. Marty is not exactly reassured. The third movie also has a model layout, and again, the only thing that gets wrecked is the model steam engine... the same way they plan to sacrifice the real one.

[[folder: Anime]]

[[folder: Comics ]]

* Happens in ''{{RoboCop}} II'' when the massive model of New Detroit is revealed, and the new [=RoboCop=] (containing the brain of drug kingpin Kain) is elevated in the middle of it. Then someone waves a canister of the drug he'd been peddling in front of his own face, and everything goes to heck.

* In a ''MontyPython'' sketch the model of a new hi-rise falls down and catches fire, but because the architect is a Mason he still gets the job.

[[folder: Literature ]]

* A comedic example in a ''GastonLagaffe'' strip: Prunelle is busy presenting a model of a future office building for editions Dupuis to De Mesmaeker, wanting the businessman to invest in the project. Then comes an overexcited Gaston, eager to show a gift send by some of his fans: a miniature of the [[{{Xenophone}} Gaffophone]]. Sure enough, on the first note played, the building model immediately crumbles.

* ''StarTrekFirstContact'': "You broke your little ship."

[[AC:Comics]]

[[AC:Films - Live-Action]]

* In the ''StreetFighter'' movie, Bison dramatically introduces a model of his future {{Egopolis}}. It gets totalled later by E. Honda and Zangief fighting, trampling it Godzilla-style...

[[AC:Films - Animated]]

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

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* In ''{{Moon}}'', Sam is building a town model to pass the time. When the [[spoiler: other Sam starts looking for the clone chamber]], the model gets destroyed.

* ''TheAdventuresOfTintin'': "Recap/TheCalculusAffair" shows Calculus' ultrasound device used on a model of New York.

* ''TheAdventuresOfTintin'': "The Calculus Affair" shows Calculus' ultrasound device used on a model of New York.

* In the ''StreetFighter'' movie, Bison dramatically introduces a model of his future {{Egopolis}}. It gets totalled later by E. Honda and Zangief fighting, trampling it Godzilla-style.

If a detailed 3D model shows up in {{Film}} or LiveActionTV it should be prepared for a short lifespan, or at least heavy damage. Sometimes it's a ChekovsGun, but usually it's just present throughout the story and happens to get destroyed in the course of plot, especially if one of the characters has been working on it [[LifesWorkRuined as a labor of love]]. Also, as you'll see from several of the examples, it's sometimes a excuse to show the characters in a {{Kaiju}}-esque parody of {{Godzilla}} trampling Tokyo.

* In ''One Crazy Summer'', someone in a Godzilla costume rampages over a real-estate developers model, complete with the cheesy electrical arcs found in the old monster movies.
* ''{{Beetlejuice}}'' had a model town, though it only sustained moderate damage.
* ''StarTrek: First Contact'': "You broke your little ship."

* In ''Monster Makers, Inc.'' by Laurence Yep, the protagonist works for a company that custom-makers genetically-engineered lifeforms. Their demonstration model is a foot-high replica of Godzilla that's been trained to trash a scale model of Tokyo on command.

* ''LiloAndStitch'': Stitch makes a scale model of San Francisco in Lilo's room... then thrashes it in a {{kaiju}} rampage.
* ''BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'': The climactic battle takes place on a scale model of Gotham in an abandoned fair.

* [[CompleteMonster Frollo]] destroys Quasimodo's model of Paris near the end of ''Disney/TheHunchbackofNotreDame''. As he does so, he takes a wooden figure of Esmeralda, and throws it, [[RuleOfSymbolism knocking over a wooden figure of himself in the process]].

* Subverted (or averted?) in ''HotFuzz'', which otherwise [[{{Troperrific}} plays as many tropes straight as possible]]. The model village [[CheckhovsGun is mentioned]] early in the film, but while there is an epic punch-up there, no significant destruction occurs.

* Averted in the ''BackToTheFuture'' movies: In the first movie, Doc Brown demonstrates the plan to harness the lightning to get Marty back home - the electricity overcharges the model car and it speeds off into a corner and starts a fire. Marty is not exactly reassured. The third movie also has a model layout, and again, the only thing that gets wrecked is the model train.

* ''TheSimpsons'': Mr. Burns's model of Springfield, as he stomps over it like Godzilla in his "cartoonish {{supervillain}}y".

* Ex-[[TheGoonShow Goon]] MichaelBentine once had a sketch about a guest on a TV show who'd spent ten years building a beautiful model of St. Paul's Cathedral out of matchsticks. Unfortunately he forgot to take the match heads off, and under the hot studio lights...

->TakeThat, Bowlorama! Take that, convenience mart! Take that, nuclear power plant...oh, fiddlesticks.

If a detailed 3d model shows up in {{Film}} or LiveActionTV it should be prepared for a short lifespan, or at least heavy damage. Sometimes it's a ChekovsGun, but usually it's just present throughout the story and happens to get destroyed in the course of plot, especially if one of the characters has been working on it as a labor of love.

* [[TheAdventuresOfTintin The Calculus Affair]] shows Calculus' ultrasound device used on a model of New York.

* BeetleJuice had a model town, though it only sustained moderate damage.
* StarTrek: First Contact. "You broke your little ship."

* In {{Moon}}, Sam is building a town model to pass the time. When the [[spoiler: other Sam starts looking for the clone chamber]], the model gets destroyed.
* In the ''StreetFighter'' movie, Bison dramatically introduces a model of his future {{Egopolis}}. It gets totaled later by E. Honda and Zangief fighting, trampling it Godzilla-style.
* Happens in {{RoboCop}} II when the massive model of New Detroit is revealed, and the new [=RoboCop=] (containing the brain of drug kingpin Kain) is elevated in the middle of it. Then someone waves a canister of the drug he'd been peddling in front of his own face, and everything goes to heck.

* In a MontyPython sketch the model of a new hi-rise falls down and catches fire, but because the architect is a Mason he still gets the job.
* Subverted (or averted?) in ''HotFuzz'', which otherwise [[{{Troperrific}} plays as many tropes straight as possible]]. The model village [[ChekhovsGun is mentioned]] early in the film, but while there is an epic punch-up there, no significant destruction occurs.

* Averted in the ''BackToTheFuture'' movies; the only thing that gets wrecked is the model train.
* LexLuthor's model town in ''SupermanReturns''.

* BattlestarGalactica, although interestingly they intended to avert this until Olmos... improvised, not knowing that the ship model was on loan from a ''museum''.

* In PrisonBreak, a major plot point throughout the first season is the Taj Mahal scale model that the warden is building for his wife for their anniversary. The roof is on the verge on collapsing and he has ceased work for the moment. He hears that one of the new prisoners (Michael Schofield, protagonist) is a structural engineer and asks for his help. Schofield initially declines to help, but later needs a favor and gets it by helping the warden. They work on it all season, but it still gets destroyed.
* In an episode of [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST 3K]] Joel builds a scale model of Monticello out of toothpicks. Then he allows Tom And Crow to destroy it, since he knows that's what they'll do the moment he turns his back, anyway.

* ''TheSimpsons'': Mr. Burns's model of Springfield, as he stomps over it like Godzilla in his cartoonish super-villainy.
->TakeThat, Bowlorama! Take that, convenience mart! Take that, nuclear power plan...oh, fiddlesticks.
* [[CompleteMonster Frollo]] destroys Quasimodo's model of Paris near the end of ''Disney/TheHunchbackofNotreDame''. As he does so, he takes a wooden figure of Esmeralda, and throws it, knocking over a wooden figure of himself in the process.

Examples:

* [[CompleteMonster Frollo]] destroys Quasimodo's model of Paris near the end of ''Disney/TheHunchbackofNotreDame''. As he does so, he takes a wooden figure of Esmeralda, and throws it, knocking over a wooden figure of himself in the process.

->TakeThat, Bowlorama! Take that, convenience mart! Take that, nuclear power plan...oh, fiddlesticks.