Just to add to answer number 1: I'm not sure why the word "figure" was used in this context, since the term "model figure" is usually used to either refer to a person who has admirable or exceptional qualities worth copying (or emulating), or to describe the ('perfect') shape of a woman's body. Otherwise, the word 'model' can be used as an adjective to describe something that is a kind of prototype, or something that is built for demonstration--model car, model house, model computer, and so on.