sandpit

noun

1. A place or pit from which sand is excavated.
2. A children’s play area consisting of a large container filled with sand.
3. A small-scale illustrative model of the theater of war in the Middle East.

   “Originally designed to illustrate Kuwait and the oil pipelines, the 'sandpit', based on maps and photographs to a scale of 1:1,000,000, was extended to include other countries.”

   “[…] the commentaries on the battle given by Peter Snow with the aid of a model of the theatre of war, known as the 'Sandpit'.”

   “[…] a conflict that did not fit so easily into the television studios, with their super-patriotic anchormen, their verbose ex-generals, their model tanks and their bloodless sandpits.”