Mattlas 40 (oz11053)

About this Plan

Mattlas 40. RC pattern plane for .40 power. Wingspan 1350 mm, wing area 33 dm2.

Quote: "Hello, Here is MK Mattlas 20 and 40 plans, hard to find things. AFAIK not commercially available and the manufacturer is gone long ago. Regards, Harri"

Note this is a low resolution scan, but it will print full size at 200 dpi in greyscale.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 14/03/2020: Added kit review from March 1979 RCM, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "RCM Product Test: Kato Model Aircraft MATTLAS 40.

The first comment I must make is that this is a beautiful kit but is not a kit for the new or inexperienced builder. Nor is the aircrat for the new and inexperienced flyer, so kit and flyer should match well. However, don't let my frist comment detract from the high quality of this kit and its flying performance - it's worth the effort.

This began as a simple review of a model aircraft kit and blossomed into a review of about everything associated with it such as the engine and covering material. All are 'newish' items on the model market and I feel that this Product Review column should speak to them.

Open the Mattlas kit and you'll find a delightful assortment of parts in classic Japanese fashion. The die-cutting is superb and the pieces fit together properly. Indy ITC and Kato are well-made partners for this venture. Indy is the sole importer and sells direct by mail - or drop in, they have a great place - and through franchised dealers.

Okay, you've counted all the parts and hardware and found that you'll need wheels, tank, and pushrods, but not much more. Hooked at the wing bolt set provided and concluded that I'd make my own, not because the supplied items were deficient, but because I thought that they used metric bolts and I could not find spares if they broke (perish the thought). I was wrong. They are 1/4 x 20 standard US hardware. This is an example of a simple detail that can make a kit less of a hassle for the builder. The supplied hold-down devices also bolt to the plywood sides of the fuselage to prevent pull-out on over-torque. By the way, all measurements and parts are in the metric convention so you can get metricated early. Get a metric ruler.

Let's start construction with the fuselage and at the onset you'll notice the area in which the new builder may be stymied, and that is in the lack of verbal instructions. The folded plans are very detailed and show order of assembly details with exploded drawings. If you read plans well you should have no trouble as nothing is left out.

A couple of points of interest on the fuselage should be made. The design calls for the pedestal style nose gear to be mounted to a plywood base with wood screws. I suggest the use of blind nuts and 4 x 40 hex head machine screws for added security.

Our review kit was built for fixed landing gear but the plans clearly show retract details and additional wood hardware is provided to allow for the installation.

The motor mount and firewall system builds separately from the fuselage and is then glued in place. Use care in assembly as the alignment angles of the pieces are key to the flying characteristics.

While still in the nose, I filled in the area behind the nose gear which was designed to hold the retracts. It cleans up the front end a bit. I also chose to drill though the fuselage behind the motor mounts (under the engine) and used Nylok machine screws and nuts to hold in the power plant..."

Supplementary file notes

Review.

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