What is The advantage of rapid prototype model?

To get something in your hands quickly that you can see and touch. Sometimes it's hard to judge scale by looking at computer renderings. Getting something in your hands really puts things in to perspective. From there you may want to thicken or thin out certain features or you may find some other flaws you did not see in CAD. IE: Many times prototypes are made simply to do a quick fit check, that is make sure the parts fits into something else correctly. Taking this small step could save thousands of dollars that might otherwise be wasted on tooling costs association with creating a mold and manufacturing incorrect parts.