The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
Do we have something for when a spring or screw pops out or a cog rolls away when a machine breaks, without the eye?
"Cog rolls away when a machine breaks" may be covered by (or at least is related to) Free Wheel.
^^^ Erm, no? The examples I'm thinking of aren't played for any sort of drama. They're purely a gag, or done just to show that the robot is dead.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure PurenessI could see this standing alone. Related to Cue the Falling Object.
I think Eye Scream can fit as an example, but this could be a sub-trope.
Vi: Well, it's not like we're getting attacked by a giant wasp spider guardian! | Leif: Never combine those words ever again.The trope could be made broader, like any spring popping up to indicate wreckage.
^ Yeah, true.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness^^3rding.
Also adding Explosive Instrumentation to Cue the Falling Object and Free Wheel as common overlapping tropes.
Key thing for this one is parts that should be on the inside popping/falling out as a "this is definitely broken" indicator.
There's a couple sound effects that tend to go with the visual, a wobbling jaw harp-type "sproing" being a popular one in cartoons. A sound like a can of coins or a mechanical alarm clock being shaken are also common.
Observation: the more parts sticking out and the more sound it makes, the worse the damage.
The red button is sticking out on a spring? The Gadgeteer Genius should have it working again in five minutes. The device makes a rattling sound and the antenna falls over to dangle by a couple wires. Make that ten minutes.
Edited by Scorpion4514thed. Yeah, it's definitely a thing if we don't have it on its own. "Minor external damage is directly proportional to major internal damage" has gotta be something like one of the laws of comedy and cartoon physics.
This has become broader than I originally intended it to, so while I agree it's definitely a thing, someone else may be more suited than me to make a TLP draft.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
A robot gets busted, and to show just how much damage was done, their broken eye pops out on a spring.