Articulated Rainbow Trout

Update: keychain versions added on Plate 2 of each print profile!   Rainbow trout are a member of the salmon family distinguished by dark green, pink, and white coloration with black spots. Originally native to to the Pacific basin, including eastern Russia, the Aleutian islands, Alaska, western Canada, and the west coast of the United stated, they have been introduced to many other waterways worldwide. In the US in the 1800's a government stocking program started stocking these prized game fish in lakes, rivers, and streams across the country. For this reason, rainbow trout are typically the first trout caught by young anglers (myself included).  Rainbow trout come in many forms and subspecies. steelhead are a type that will live out at sea but return to the streams they were born in to spawn. Redbands are subspecies set apart by the vibrant red coloration of their lateral line. Palamino, golden, or banana trout are gold in color but still keep their pink lateral line. This subspecies originated from a single color mutation discovered in a West Virginia hatchery in 1955 that is still propagated to this day. These cold water fish usually weigh between 1-5lbs.    This model is the newest edition to my articulated fish collection. Same interlocking scales, same assembly, same swimming motion. The fish were designed to fit on a single A1-mini plate, but can be scaled up as large as you want. These fish are colorful and for 3D printing that means there's going to be a lot of purging and filament swaps. To reduce the number of swaps, I've included a non-spotted version to eliminate an additional color change on almost every layer. Just use a thin paintbrush and black acrylic paint to paint the dots on the model after printing. Advantage: less waste, no bleeding of black into white Disadvantage: acrylic paint is water soluble so the dots could be washed off.   I hope you enjoy your new fishy friend, happy printing (and fishing)!