Can anyone help? Is this a Mini 500?

[luckyluciano]

Hello,
This was my late father’s project.
We’d like to sell it and have no idea how much to ask for it. We think it could be a Mini 500?
We put it on Facebook marketplace, and within only a few hours had lots of messages, but we fear people just want to buy it for scrap, and we’d like to sell to someone who is genuinely interested in it as a project.
It’s a tough one
Any advice would be so much appreciated.
Thank you!
(Lucky Luciano’s daughter)
Lancashire, UK

 

[Countach]

Not an OEM Mini 500. Possibly a Millenium. Looks to have a Three cylinder Snowmobile Yamaha Engine.

 

[Barney Bahle]

I was truly sorry to hear about your fathers passing. We exchanged a bit of correspondence when I had my Mini 500 project and I had the pleasure of meeting him once at the Bensen Days event in Florida. He will be missed.

As for his project it is a one of a kind machine. While he did use some Mini 500 components it is far from being a Mini 500. And although he utilized a 3 cylinder Yamaha engine that is the only similarity to a Millennium upgrade. So in reality it cannot be considered to be either one of those machines.

That said it is an interesting project and they do pop up once in a while. I hope you find someone over there that wants to take it on. Shame it's across the pond.

 

[btd1982]

Sorry for your circumstances, it looks a good project from the photos. I expect value would be the sum of the major off the shelf components. If you were further south I would be interested to have a look. Hope you find the right person to take it on.

 

[luckyluciano]

Not an OEM Mini 500. Possibly a Millenium. Looks to have a Three cylinder Snowmobile Yamaha Engine.

Many thanks for your reply. It’s very much appreciated.

 

[luckyluciano]

I was truly sorry to hear about your fathers passing. We exchanged a bit of correspondence when I had my Mini 500 project and I had the pleasure of meeting him once at the Bensen Days event in Florida. He will be missed.

As for his project it is a one of a kind machine. While he did use some Mini 500 components it is far from being a Mini 500. And although he utilized a 3 cylinder Yamaha engine that is the only similarity to a Millennium upgrade. So in reality it cannot be considered to be either one of those machines.

That said it is an interesting project and they do pop up once in a while. I hope you find someone over there that wants to take it on. Shame it's across the pond.

Many thanks for your reply Barney.
It’s wonderful to hear you met my dad! He is sorely missed - an absolute genius What you have written is very helpful indeed. Interesting that you mentioned Florida - I’m taking my family there early next month for a couple of weeks. We’re going to Universal and have hired a car to get away to a few nice beaches.
Wishing you all the best, and thanks again!
Enza

 

[luckyluciano]

Sorry for your circumstances, it looks a good project from the photos. I expect value would be the sum of the major off the shelf components. If you were further south I would be interested to have a look. Hope you find the right person to take it on.

Thank you very much indeed for taking the time to reply. It’s helpful to us ‘girls’ who have zero technical knowledge about helicopters (although I can recognize a Robinson R22)
Enza

 

[Tyger]

Sorry for your circumstances, it looks a good project from the photos. I expect value would be the sum of the major off the shelf components. If you were further south I would be interested to have a look.

Funny, in the US a couple hundred miles would be considered almost next door. Like... Orlando to Miami?

 

[btd1982]

Funny, in the US a couple hundred miles would be considered almost next door. Like... Orlando to Miami?

Ha, Yes I thought you US people would think that. Different mind set I suppose.

 

[Tyger]

It's definitely the mind set. In Manhattan (NYC), I know folks who think five miles is "far".

I once worked with an Englishman, visiting our New York office, who said he was planning to go to Iowa (!) for the weekend. I asked if he had booked a flight. He said he thought he would just hire a car.
I said "You cannot drive to Iowa and back in a weekend".
"Well, why not?"
"It's 1,000 miles each way!"
"Oh, is it really that far?"

 

[HobbyCAD]

Hi Ezna,

I regularly conversed with your late Dad during the build of his project. I was engaged in a similar one down in Australia.

The core of his machine came from a Mini-500. He modified the frame extensively, and converted the powerplant to a Yamaha FX Nytro engine. He had it running, but not tidied up the electrical installation. His main transmission was internally modified as well. The unfortunate thing is, it's a personal design on the fly. With his unfortunate passing, the design intent still outstanding was lost, so it's not something someone can pick up an continue with, unless he disassembles it all, determine the status of each part, and develop the balance of the design to completion.ge

As I have a similar engine installed into mine, and the original parts could be used as spares, I would be interested in taking over his project. This would require me to come over to the UK, disassemble and discard the unwanted parts, and crate up the parts I would like to keep.

Please PM me to establish contact again. You did e-mail me a while back, after I enquired about the health of your Dad. You could make contact again at fransie at bigpond dot com.

BR, Francois

 

[Harold Rock]

Hello,
This was my late father’s project.
We’d like to sell it and have no idea how much to ask for it. We think it could be a Mini 500?
We put it on Facebook marketplace, and within only a few hours had lots of messages, but we fear people just want to buy it for scrap, and we’d like to sell to someone who is genuinely interested in it as a project.
It’s a tough one
Any advice would be so much appreciated.
Thank you!
(Lucky Luciano’s daughter)
Lancashire, UK

View attachment 1155386

Definitely looks like my MH1 which is a up dated mini 500

 

[Harold Rock]

Definitely looks like my MH1 which is a up dated mini 500

What would be a fair price

 

[HobbyCAD]

Definitely looks like my MH1 which is a up dated mini 500

No, it's not an MH-1 at all. Luciano did his own thing. Although he has the original Mini-500 parts as well, he has put together an R-22/Mini-500 hybrid rotor system. Same with the TR system. Motor is a 130FI, not a 120 Carby.

 

[HobbyCAD]

What would be a fair price

There's a turbine in the mix, so that's worth a bit.

 

[Larry street]

Anyone have a used mini 500 mast and rotor head for sale

 

[EagleEye]

Hello,
This was my late father’s project.
We’d like to sell it and have no idea how much to ask for it. We think it could be a Mini 500?
We put it on Facebook marketplace, and within only a few hours had lots of messages, but we fear people just want to buy it for scrap, and we’d like to sell to someone who is genuinely interested in it as a project.
It’s a tough one
Any advice would be so much appreciated.
Thank you!
(Lucky Luciano’s daughter)
Lancashire, UK

View attachment 1155386

Sorry to hear abt ur father !! Do you have his calculations with it ?

 

[Andino]

It's definitely the mind set. In Manhattan (NYC), I know folks who think five miles is "far".

I once worked with an Englishman, visiting our New York office, who said he was planning to go to Iowa (!) for the weekend. I asked if he had booked a flight. He said he thought he would just hire a car.
I said "You cannot drive to Iowa and back in a weekend".
"Well, why not?"
"It's 1,000 miles each way!"
"Oh, is it really that far?"

I'm constantly describing CONUS distances to those in the UK, which must be driven to be believed. I once spent weeks trying to cross Texas.

 

[MikeBoyette]

Europeans have no idea about the distances we drive here. To go from the Keys to the Western border of Florida and Alabama takes 12 hrs. I once drove from home in Tampa area to Ft. Huachuka AZ. I went across on I-10. It took 33.5 hrs. That stretch between San Antonio and El Paso is pure hell. Only one place to get anything including gas. That takes a whole day by itself.

 

[Aerofoam]

I'm constantly describing CONUS distances to those in the UK, which must be driven to be believed. I once spent weeks trying to cross Texas.

Yeah, Texas just seems to never end, especially when driving west on I 10. The eastern half is definitely more scenic.....
I had a friend who had to drive from Tucson to Kerrville frequently and he would routinely do around 110mph.
through W. Texas for a few hours at a time.