Overview
The E-flite EC-1500 Twin 1.5m PNP is a groundbreaking aircraft that offers a uniquely versatile flying experience for intermediate to experienced RC pilots in the UK. This multi-motor model carries the aesthetic echoes of full-scale civil and military cargo transport aircraft whilst delivering an incredible range of capabilities that no other single aircraft can match. The EC-1500 features a revolutionary design optimised for capability, versatility, and pure flying enjoyment, effectively serving as many different aeroplanes in one.
Whether you're interested in scale-like slow flying, sport flying, or even aggressive 3D aerobatic manoeuvres, the EC-1500's exceptionally broad flight envelope encompasses everything you could want from a twin-motor brushless RC aircraft. With its 1.5-metre wingspan, composite-reinforced EPO construction, and factory-installed power system, this is an aircraft designed for pilots who demand versatility and performance without compromise. The PNP (Plug-N-Play) configuration means you get a fully assembled airframe with motors, ESCs, and servos already installed, allowing you to get airborne quickly once you've added your receiver, transmitter, and battery.
For UK RC enthusiasts seeking a high-performance twin-motor electric aircraft, the EC-1500 represents the pinnacle of modern design philosophy. Its unique combination of features—from the functional cargo door for creative payload drops to optional floats for water operation—makes it perfect for pilots who want one aircraft that can truly do it all.
Key Features
- Unique ground-breaking design — The EC-1500 features a design optimised from the ground up for capability and versatility, making it capable of slow and scale-like flying, sport flying, and even aggressive 3D aerobatics all in the same flight, something no other aircraft in its class can achieve.
- 3S and 4S compatible power systems — The factory-installed twin brushless power system is compatible with both 3S and 4S LiPo batteries, delivering excellent performance with 3S whilst offering the power to hover and unlimited vertical capability when you upgrade to 4S without any modifications or upgrades required.
- Custom 5-blade counter-rotating propellers — The specially designed five-blade counter-rotating propellers are optimised for the unique power characteristics of the twin motor setup, providing superior thrust efficiency and smooth, balanced flight characteristics across the entire flight envelope.
- Updated design bolt-to-the-motor prop adapters — The improved propeller adapters bolt directly to the motors with an updated design that makes installation easier and significantly more secure than traditional methods, reducing the risk of propeller slip during aggressive manoeuvres.
- 40-amp Spektrum Avian Dual Smart Lite ESC — This advanced electronic speed controller provides real-time telemetry data including battery voltage and ESC temperature, allowing you to monitor vital system information during flight via compatible Spektrum receivers and AirWare-equipped transmitters, plus it features differential thrust and motor reversing capabilities for special ground handling manoeuvres.
- Eight factory-installed servos — The EC-1500 comes with eight metal-geared servos already installed, including units on all control surfaces and the functional cargo door, ensuring precise control authority and durability throughout the aircraft's service life.
- Oversized control surfaces with double-bevelled hinge lines — The generously proportioned control surfaces feature precisely engineered double-bevelled hinge lines that provide enhanced aerobatic authority and smooth control response, enabling everything from gentle scale-like manoeuvers to aggressive 3D flying.
- Selectable-size ailerons and bi-directional flaps — The functional flaps can travel both ways, and you can choose how large the ailerons are by installing the included joiners in different configurations, enabling optional crow and full-span aileron/flaperon/spoileron setups depending on your receiver and transmitter channel count.
- Operational servo-controlled cargo door — A fully functional cargo door with a 65 x 107mm opening and approximately 140 cubic inches of cargo bay volume allows you to carry and airdrop creative payloads, from parachute figures to candy and other lightweight items, adding a unique dimension to your flying experience.
- Precise ball-link linkages with pocket or CA hinges — All control surfaces are fitted with ball-link equipped linkages and precision hinges, ensuring exact control response and long-lasting durability even with heavy aerobatic use.
- Factory-installed LED lighting system — Realistic-looking LED landing, navigation, and simulated strobe lights are factory-installed and powered directly from your flight battery, allowing you to safely fly from dawn until dusk with authentic scale lighting effects.
- Magnetically secured nose cone for camera mounting — The nose cone can be easily removed without tools to install a GoPro Hero or similar action camera, allowing you to record high-definition aerial footage whilst flying, with the magnet providing secure retention during aerobatic manoeuvres.
- Separate FPV camera mounting position — In addition to the main nose camera mount, there's a dedicated First-Person View camera mounting position on the large top hatch, enabling immersive FPV flying when equipped with suitable FPV gear (sold separately).
- Large top hatch with generous battery bay — The oversized hatch and battery compartment accommodates 3S 3200mAh through 4S 6400mAh LiPo batteries, providing flexibility in your power system choices without requiring fuselage modifications.
- Versatile landing gear options — The EC-1500 can operate from paved, grass, and dirt surfaces using its standard landing gear, from snow using the included optional-use skis, or from large ponds and lakes using optional float sets (sold separately), making it genuinely amphibious when equipped.
- Fully painted scale-inspired finish — The aircraft comes in a fully painted grey finish with included decal sheets featuring Ohio Air National Guard, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and other military markings, allowing you to personalise your aircraft to your preferred livery.
- No-glue quick assembly — The two-piece wing features an innovative hands-free connection system secured by thumbscrews, requiring no glue or tools for final assembly or field disassembly, getting your aircraft ready to fly in less than one hour.
- Large, lightweight, durable EPO construction — Despite its 1.5-metre wingspan and substantial proportions, the EC-1500 remains lightweight thanks to its composite-reinforced EPO airframe, which offers excellent durability for sport and aerobatic flying without excessive weight.
Technical Performance
The EC-1500 Twin 1.5m PNP is powered by two Spektrum brushless outrunner motors rated at 3720 kilovolt (650Kv) with 14-pole construction, delivering impressive power output from a compact, efficient design. These motors are matched to a Spektrum Avian Dual 40-amp Smart Lite ESC that provides dual motor control with independent speed regulation, differential thrust capability, and motor reversing functionality for advanced ground handling and special aerobatic manoeuvres. The aircraft weighs approximately 2755 grammes (97.2 ounces) with a recommended battery installed, giving it excellent power-to-weight ratio for its size. With a wingspan of 1527 millimetres (60.12 inches) and fuselage length of 1190 millimetres (46.85 inches), the EC-1500 is a substantial aircraft that still maintains excellent manoeuvrability and control response due to its precisely engineered control surface geometry and servo selection. The aircraft is compatible with both 3S (11.1V) and 4S (14.8V) lithium polymer batteries ranging from 3200mAh to 6400mAh capacity with EC3 or IC3 connectors, providing flexibility in power system selection. Performance with 3S batteries is sporty and capable, whilst 4S operation unlocks the aircraft's full potential, including hovering capability and unlimited vertical performance for 3D flying. The twin counter-rotating propellers (10 x 9 inches, 5-blade design) are specifically engineered to work together, providing balanced thrust and eliminating the torque-roll characteristics typically associated with single-engine aircraft. The electrical architecture includes eight metal-geared servos distributed throughout the airframe, with separate servo control of each flight surface, aileron, flap, and cargo door. This servo arrangement enables multiple control surface configuration options, from standard aileron and flap setups to advanced spoileron, flaperon, and full-span aileron arrangements depending on your receiver channel count. The ESC provides telemetry data logging via compatible Spektrum receivers and transmitters equipped with AirWare technology, allowing you to monitor real-time battery voltage, motor temperature, and system health during flight. The airframe's composite-reinforced EPO construction provides an excellent balance of strength, weight, and durability, withstanding the stresses of sport flying and aerobatic manoeuvres whilst remaining light enough for excellent flight characteristics across the board.
What's in the Box
- E-flite EC-1500 Twin 1.5m airframe (fully painted, nearly fully factory-assembled)
- Spektrum servo (pre-installed)
- 7 x Spektrum metal-geared servos (pre-installed on all control surfaces)
- 2 x Spektrum brushless outrunner motors 3720-650Kv 14-pole (pre-installed)
- Spektrum Avian Dual 40-amp brushless Smart Lite ESC (pre-installed)
- E-flite EC-1500 Twin 1.5m product manual with assembly instructions
- Decal sheets with Ohio Air National Guard, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and other military markings for customisation
- Included optional-use snow skis for operation from snow-covered surfaces
What You Need to Complete
- Full-range 6+ channel DSMX/DSM2 compatible Spektrum transmitter and receiver (sold separately)
- 3S 11.1V or 4S 14.8V lithium polymer battery with 3200–6400mAh capacity and EC3 or IC3 connector (sold separately)
- Compatible lithium polymer battery charger (sold separately)
- Optional: GoPro Hero or similar action camera for nose-mounted recording (sold separately)
- Optional: FPV camera and supporting equipment for first-person view flying (sold separately)
- Optional: Float set (EFLA550) and hardware (EFL5771) for water operation (sold separately)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the E-flite EC-1500 Twin suitable for beginners or intermediate pilots? — The EC-1500 is recommended for experienced pilots (Skill Level 4 on the manufacturer's scale), making it better suited to intermediate and advanced RC aviators rather than complete beginners. However, if you have some RC flying experience and are looking to expand your skills into a more complex, feature-rich aircraft, the EC-1500 is an excellent step up. The wide flight envelope means you can start flying it gently and progressively explore its full capabilities as your confidence grows.
- What battery does the E-flite EC-1500 Twin need and how long does it fly? — The EC-1500 is compatible with 3S (11.1V) or 4S (14.8V) lithium polymer batteries ranging from 3200mAh to 6400mAh capacity. The recommended battery is a 14.8V 4000mAh 4S 30C Smart LiPo pack with an IC3 connector. Battery life varies depending on your flying style, battery capacity, and voltage selection, but typical flight times range from 10-15 minutes with spirited flying to potentially 20+ minutes with gentle, scale-like flying techniques. The large top hatch provides easy battery access for quick battery swaps between flights.
- Can the EC-1500 really hover and perform 3D aerobatics? — Yes, the EC-1500's high power-to-weight ratio combined with the 40-amp Spektrum Avian Dual Smart Lite ESC and twin 3720-650Kv motors delivers enough thrust for hovering and unlimited vertical capability when using 4S batteries. The oversized, precisely engineered control surfaces with double-bevelled hinge lines provide the aerobatic authority needed for 3D flying, whilst the twin counter-rotating propellers eliminate torque-roll issues that would otherwise complicate advanced flying.
- What makes the EC-1500 different from other twin-motor RC aircraft? — The EC-1500's uniqueness lies in its ground-breaking design philosophy that makes it genuinely capable of slow and scale-like flying, sport flying, and aggressive 3D aerobatics all in the same flight without modifications. The combination of features—functional cargo door, bi-directional flaps, selectable-size ailerons, multiple landing gear options, camera mounting capabilities, and realistic LED lighting—creates a genuine multi-role aircraft. The Spektrum Avian Dual Smart ESC provides differential thrust and motor reversing for unique ground handling capabilities, whilst the 8-channel servo architecture enables configuration flexibility unmatched in aircraft of this class.
- Do I need to assemble the EC-1500 or does it come ready to fly? — The EC-1500 is supplied as a Plug-N-Play (PNP) model, meaning the airframe comes nearly fully factory-assembled with motors, ESC, and servos pre-installed. Final assembly requires no glue and takes less than one hour. You simply need to install your receiver, add your battery and transmitter, and it's ready to fly. The two-piece wing connects using a hands-free connection system secured by thumbscrews, requiring no tools for field assembly or disassembly.
- Can I fly the EC-1500 from water or snow? — Yes, the EC-1500 is exceptionally versatile. It can operate from paved, grass, and dirt surfaces using its standard landing gear. Included optional-use snow skis allow you to fly from snow-covered surfaces. You can also equip it with optional float sets (sold separately) to fly from large ponds and lakes, making it genuinely amphibious when configured appropriately. This versatility means you can enjoy flying the EC-1500 in virtually any weather and terrain situation throughout the year.
- What radio system do I need for the EC-1500? — You'll need a full-range 6+ channel DSMX or DSM2 compatible Spektrum transmitter and receiver. The manufacturer specifically recommends transmitters such as the DX6e, DX8e, DX6 G2/G3, DX8 G2, DX9, NX6, NX8, NX10, NX20, iX12, iX14, iX20, and other Spektrum AirWare-equipped models. The BNF Basic version comes with an AR8360T receiver pre-installed, but the PNP version requires you to source and install your own receiver compatible with your existing Spektrum transmitter.
- Does the EC-1500 have telemetry capability? — Yes, both the PNP and BNF Basic versions feature the Spektrum Avian Dual Smart Lite ESC, which provides real-time telemetry data including battery voltage, ESC temperature, and other power system-related information. This data transmits to compatible Spektrum receivers and AirWare-equipped transmitters during flight, allowing you to monitor vital system health whilst flying and make informed decisions about battery status and motor performance.
- What camera options are available for the EC-1500? — The EC-1500 features two camera mounting positions. The magnetically secured nose cone can accommodate a GoPro Hero or similar action camera for high-definition footage recording during flight. Additionally, there's a dedicated FPV camera mounting position on the large top hatch for First-Person View flying. Both cameras are sold separately, giving you flexibility in your aerial imaging setup.
- What happens if I want to change the size of the ailerons or flaps? — The EC-1500 includes joiners that allow you to select aileron and flap sizes by installing them in different configurations. Since each control surface has its own dedicated servo, you can set up multiple wing configurations including full-span ailerons for increased roll authority, flaperons, spoilerons, and even crow setups depending on your receiver and transmitter channel availability.
Why Buy from RC Model Shop?
RC Model Shop is a trusted UK RC retailer and authorised dealer for all the brands we stock, including Traxxas, ARRMA, Losi, FTX, Hobbywing, Spektrum and more. Based in Walsall, we have a physical store where customers are welcome to come in, view products and purchase in store. Whether you are a seasoned competitor, a weekend basher, or just discovering the world of RC for the first time, our team of experienced RC enthusiasts is here to help you find the perfect setup and provide ongoing support. Order the EFL EC-1500 Twin 1.5m PNP A-EFL15775 today with confidence, knowing you are buying from an authorised retailer with genuine products, expert knowledge and a commitment to customer satisfaction. Shop online or visit us in Walsall — we look forward to helping you get the most out of your RC experience.
