Walkaround - Nature Technicolour Clear Rivers in Japan No. 04 Yamame/Seema/Cherry (Masu) Trout (Oncorhynchus masou masou) and No. 05 Amago/Red-spotted Masu Trout (Oncorhynchus masou ishikawae)

This time I am putting the fourth (Yamame) and fifth (Amago) models of the set together, purely because they are sculpted identically. The difference is obviously the paint job and this way we can compare between the two in one go. On the left with the red spots is Amago and on the right is Yamame. Close ups are of Amago.

Both popular fly fishing target, the Yamame and Amago are basically two of many forms of the Masu trout. The main difference is that Amago lives an anadromous life and the Yamame is land-locked and generally more widespread. The other forms are the endemic to Japan's largest lake, Lake Biwa, called the Biwamasu, another form is the silvery Iwame, and last is the critically-endangered Formosan land-locked masu salmon, which according to studies only 400 of them left in the wild, making them one of the rarest fish in the world.

Sitting on a faux wooden base, the models are propped up to their positions by meticulously arranged "stand" of pebbles and submerged tree branch. The textures of the sculptures are meticulously made to imitate the fine scales of the actual fish, which really adds to the sense of realism and I must say that the eyes do look eerily real indeed. Both are made at 1:5 to 1:6 scale, measuring at around 7 cm long. As mentioned before, the main difference between the two is the additional smattering of red spots on the Amago model, everything else being virtually identical. This in my opinion, as finely-made as the models are, is a bit lazy from Kitan and an obvious strategy to squeeze that bit more of the collector's hard-earned cash in its quest to complete the set (suckers like me, for example   ). I would also mention that the Yamame model was found with a broken left pectoral fin towards the body of the fish, however a carefully applied bit super glue later it looked as good as new .

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Very cool--I don't have any of the Kitan fishes, oddly--I think that the main reason is that I have the Yujin versions, for the most part, and don't have the space. Plus, yeah, not a fan of repaints as re-releases.

These bases give a kind of premium looking to these figures. They're very beautiful and obviously it was better if they were not using the same mold. Thanks for your great presentation.

Very nice too :)