Winter Stratagems; converted Killa Kans; converted Sentinels; order now for Christmas

New to the Astronomican today is Andy Hall's Winter -War Stratagems article, which presents you with a series of winter-themed stratagems and strategic assets for Cities of Death, Planetstrike and Apocalypse. These range from mundane Snow Drifts to deadly Razorshard Blizzards and the rather ominous-sounding Experimental Ice Weapons, and not only give you something new to try out in your games but are a great excuse to try modelling something a bit different.

Having had his Warbikers and Trukks succumb to freak avalanches and patches of black ice (his excuse for a recent run of defeats), Simon Godwin has been busy adding some sure-footed walkers to his Ork army.

Here's a look at Simon's walkers and a couple of others I saw this morning:

Simon has been working on his Killa Kans over the last few weeks during his lunch breaks. As Orks are well known for using whatever material they have to hand, he's assembled them from a range of parts that are representative of the different armies he's played games against.

This Killa Kan has the feet from an Imperial Guard Sentinel, the legs and arms from a Space Marine Dreadnought and the havoc launcher from the Chaos Space Marine vehicle frame. For the torso Simon used half of the Deathrolla from the Battlewagon upgrade frame - either it was plunder from a wrecked Battlewagon or stolen when the Warboss had his back turned.

Possibly the most bizarre of Simon's Killa Kans, this one has the legs from an Imperial Guard Sentinel and a body made from the left-over half of the deff rolla. The arms were modelled using components from the same frame as the deff rolla, though Simon has added heavy bolters from a Sisters of Battle Immolator kit. Notice the grinning Grot pilot who is obviously thinking 'get some!'

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  Simon is still working on this Killa Kan, which he's converted from a Space Marine Dreadnought. The oversized gun-arm is from the Battlewagon Upgrade frame - Simon's walkers are a good example of the many ways you can use the bits from a single frame.

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  Dave Cundy has converted these Imperial Guard Sentinels for use alongside his Daemonhunters army. He has swapped the feet on the one on the left for the feet from the Throne of Judgement. The other metal parts are from a Penitent Engine. Click on the image for a look at the rear of the Sentinels.

And according to my advent calendar (I can't believe how quickly it's rolled round); Christmas is only 4 days away. So if, like me, you've left your Christmas shopping till the 11th hour and still have some gifts to pick up then now's the time to place your orders.

If you live in Germany or Spain then you need to order by midnight tonight (using the Express Shipping option) to ensure a Christmas delivery. If you live in the UK or France then you've got until midnight tomorrow.

For those of you in the US, Canada, Australia, Italy, Ireland, Belgium and the Northern reaches of Europe, you've missed the last shipping date, though all is not lost; all of our Hobby Centres are open right up until Christmas Eve. And if a sudden blizzard or snow drift stops you from making it to your local Hobby Centre, then you can always send a Virtual Gift Voucher that will be immediately delivered into the recipient's inbox.