I would still rather check whether the thing is a model class pre-emptively rather than relying on catching this `TypeError` from `issubclass`. I know, I know, "easier to ask forgiveness than permission" rather than "look before you leap", but in this case I just think this version is too implicit and hard to read - it's not immediately obvious that TypeError means "oh it was a string" - thus the need for a comment (which is often a sign that the code should be reworked instead).