Editing Prototype (section)

== Scale modeling ==
<!-- This section is linked from [[4mm scale]] (and possibly other Scale modelling articles) -->
[[File:NACA Ames 7x10 Wind Tunnel - GPN-2000-001822.jpg|thumb|A scale model of an Douglas SB2D Destroyer in a wind tunnel for testing]]
In the field of [[scale model]]ing (which includes [[model railroad]]ing, vehicle modeling, [[Model aircraft#Flying model aircraft|airplane modeling]], military modeling, etc.), a prototype is the real-world basis or source for a scale model—such as the real [[EMD GP38-2]] locomotive—which is the prototype of [[Athearn]]'s (among other manufacturers) locomotive model.  Technically, any non-living object can serve as a prototype for a model, including structures, equipment, and appliances, and so on, but generally prototypes have come to mean full-size real-world vehicles including automobiles (the prototype 1957 Chevy has spawned many models), military equipment (such as M4 Shermans, a favorite among US Military modelers), railroad equipment, motor trucks, motorcycles, and space-ships (real-world such as Apollo/Saturn Vs, or the ISS).
As of 2014, basic rapid prototype machines (such as [[3D printers]]) cost about $2,000, but larger and more precise machines can cost as much as $500,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cfr.org/technology-and-science/3d-printing-challenges-opportunities-international-relations/p31709 |title=Council on Foreign Relations |access-date=2013-10-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028064336/http://www.cfr.org/technology-and-science/3d-printing-challenges-opportunities-international-relations/p31709 |archive-date=2013-10-28}}</ref>