20 Things You Didn't Know About The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
7. The Discreet Miniature
Scaramanga’s exploding island at film's climax was a miniature created by Derek Meddings and inspired by footage of the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.
However, when James Bond first sees Scaramanga's solar energy plant, he is actually looking at another of Meddings's highly-detailed miniatures, created from Peter Murton's designs for the partial set constructed at Pinewood Studios. The filmmakers had originally only intended to use the model for the destruction of the plant, but it was so convincing that it was used to compliment the soundstage set as well.
Naturally, both the miniature and the set were destroyed in true Bondian style at the climax.