Continental breakup above an anomalously hot mantle may lead to the development of volcanic margins. Volcanic margins are characterized by (1) thick seaward dipping lava flow sequences, (2) central intrusive complexes associated with dyke swarms parallel to the coast, and (3) high seismic velocity bodies in the lower crust attributable to magma underplating. A conceptual model for volcanic margins development has recently been proposed based on onshore studies of the Greenland margins and the British Tertiary Igneous Province. It is proposed that the long-lived central intrusions are genetically linked to underlying persistent zones of mantle fusion. These localized melting domains (or soft spots), equivalent to small mantle diapirs, may locally soften the extending continental lithosphere. The low-viscosity diapirs would (1) localize tectonic strain and (2) feed the volcanic margin with magma. Thus such soft spots can control the along-strike magmatic and tectonic segmentation of volcanic margins. Recent geophysical investigations appear to show that the along-strike structure of volcanic passive margins is compatible with such a segmentation process. Here we present a set of scaled experiments designed to study how such localized rheological heterogeneities in the sub-Moho mantle may have a mechanical effect on continental breakup. Four-layer models were constructed using sand and silicone putties to represent the brittle and ductile layers of both crust and mantle. The soft spots are simulated by low-viscosity silicone putty emplaced within the brittle material. At the scale of the entire breakup zone, the soft spots display an oceanic-type strength profile defining low-strength zones where continental breakup is initiated. The rift orientation and segmentation are strongly controlled by the distribution of the low-viscosity heterogeneities, rather than by the direction of regional extension. The experiments are compared with the geometry and segmentation of the onshore part of the Greenland volcanic margins.