I just started restoring a Matchbox Superfast Citroen SM that I got in trade from Jimz454. This car is rather special to me right now because of what it took to get it. Not to cast aspersions on Jim; he was a gentleman and a scholar through the entire process. But don't expect me to have any kind words on the subject of the Canadian Customs Service.

Our story begins back in December, right around Christmas. I happened to encounter Jim in a chat room and we worked out the details of a trade, my treasure hunt Hooligan for his restorable Citroen. It was a casting I didn't have and had not seen it at any local shows, and the 1:1 was a pretty cool car, coming with a Maserati 6 cylinder engine. Since we had not traded before we agreed that I would ship first and I let Jim know I would be shipping right after the New Year when I could get to the post office. Jim mentioned to me to mark the package as being of little value so he wouldn't be subject to a nasty little surtax. But I had sent things to Canada before and knew the drill. Friday January third I duly went to the post office and addressed my package for delivery and set down to wait for my Citroen.

Give Jim credit for patience. He waited a couple of weeks before he emailed me to ask where the Hooligan was. I told him when I sent it and we traded several e-mails discussing the short-comings of Canadian border agents. After about four weeks I came home and found a box sitting on my doorstep. It looked like it had been stepped on by the Budweiser Clydesdales. Was it the Citroen? No, it was the Hooligan, come back to the return address! (Never forget to include a return address.) I tore open the damaged box fearing the worst, but the Walmart bags I had used for packing had done their job. One corner was a little soft, but the treasure hunt was otherwise all right. I was quickly back on the 'puter to Jim describing the situation and the Hooligan's current state. Happily he still wanted it so I packed it up in a stronger box, and took it back to the post office. Four weeks later (!) I got word from Jim that the Hooligan had arrived and My Citroen was on its way. Two weeks later I finally had the car in my hands. A simple 1-1 trade had taken nearly three months to complete.

So I've had it a few weeks now, while I waited for the weather to warm up enough to make my garage workspace more comfortable. Of course since I received it international politics has taken the some of the luster out of all thing French, including diecasts of French automobiles, even if they do have cool Maserati motors. For the duration of the war, my Citroen was displayed on top of my monitor under the treads of my Johnny Lightning M1 Abrams tank. Still with warm weather and the prospects of peace, it's time to get to work. I've stripped and primed it, and straightened the axles, and I'm leaning toward a Boyd's metallic purple I've got down on my workbench. Then it can take it's place with other old models I've restored. I've said before that I'm not the artist of some of the Dremel wizards whose work appears on these boards, but I've got quite a few repaints that wouldn't embarrass me if they were shown. I've got a feeling this Citroen is going to be one of them...no thanks to Canadian Customs.

Contact the Gent directly at ramckee@mindspring.com