The last several years have seen a number of successful applications of continuum elasticity theory to the study of virus mechanics. Continuum modeling has been particularly effective in connection with atomic force microscopy nanoindentation experiment for understanding and predicting material properties of viral shells (capsids), and may hold promise for illuminating the physics of capsid assembly as well. I will consider the question of the limitations of continuum modeling of capsids, and discuss some examples of how conventional continuum theory is being extended or "stretched" to study multiscale features linked to the inherently discrete character of these molecular assemblies.