When you think of model airplanes, chances are you think of something small. Maybe a bit bigger than your average quadcopter, maybe as big as a tenth the size of an actual fighter. That's not always the case, as evidenced by this enormous half-scale model of a Saab JAS 39 Gripen that recently flew at a model airshow.

The only thing more spectacular than its scale was its in-air breakup, which occurs at 1:49:

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Just a split second after the model's vertical stabilizer rips off in a turn, the rest of the airframe gives up the ghost in an instant, and the shattered wreckage floats to the ground. This was an RC plane so, naturally, there's no pilot to worry about, but that doesn't mean there was no cost. Moments after the breakup you can see the plane's builders absolutely devastated by the sudden carnage.

Sorry guys, but at least she went out with a bang, not a whimper.

Source: RC Media World via Reddit