@futurebird miniature racing car collector here, a scale model is a perfect (1:1 in details) model, under a different (smaller) scale of the original thing. For example, Ferrari would have a Ferrari 499P that won the Le Mans 24H in 2024 in Maranello, but I could have a 1:43 scale (shrunken 43 times, detailed, albeit non functioning) model of the original, real, car.