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Doctor Who - Battles in Time - The Ultimate Guide

Test Set Magazine Series

The 2006 Pilot Test Series

Before Doctor Who: Battles in Time launched nationwide, GE Fabbri conducted an intensive, regional test-market run in the Westcountry and Grampian regions of the United Kingdom. Archival regional questionnaires bundled with all first-issue variations definitively confirm these localized testing zones. The primary goal of the test run was to gauge public interest and fine-tune the product's design before committing to a massive, expensive nationwide rollout.

The pilot series consisted of exactly 7 test-market magazines distributed exclusively through regional newsagents. The run commenced with Issue 1 on the 19th of April 2006 and concluded with Issue 7 on the 12th of July 2006. While an eighth pilot issue was fully planned and openly advertised on the back cover of Issue 7, it was ultimately cancelled as the publishers pivoted directly toward launching the main nationwide series.

Key Features & The Legendary "Super Rose" Proto

The 7 pilot issues were packed with early drafts of the franchise's signature comic strips, puzzles, and game guides. More importantly, they introduced the very first trading cards to the public:

The 85-Card Preview Core: Test packs exclusively contained the first 85 cards of what would eventually become the base Exterminator set.
The "Super Rose" Holy Grail: The regional test run famously birthed the "Super Rose" test variant card. Featuring design differences from its eventual mass-market counterpart, this prototype card is universally recognized today as the absolute rarest and most exclusive single card in the entire history of Battles in Time.

How to Identify Pilot Magazine Variants

Collectors hunting down these incredibly rare early editions can identify Test Run magazines using several distinct physical tells:

Alternative Cover Art: The front covers of the 7 pilot issues feature layout configurations, font sizes, and cover-mounted card positioning that differ sharply from the standard nationwide releases.

The Regional Feedback Questionnaire: Unlike the standard print run, every single pilot magazine originally shipped with an insert questionnaire meant to gather feedback on pricing, card design, and gameplay rules.
Altered Inserts & Layouts: The additional fold-out printouts, booster pack wrappers, and subscription flyers supplied with these early copies show structural changes and alternative design preferences that were revised before hitting nationwide shelves.

Back Cover Variant: "Which Character Are You?"

A brilliant physical tell when sorting your magazines involves looking closely at the popular back-page personality quiz feature.

On the rear of the Test Set Pilot magazines, the visual answers are presented as custom, illustrative character cut-outs directly on the paper.

When the Main Set nationwide versions were printed, the graphics team updated this zone entirely—replacing the basic cut-outs with their respective trading card borders to promote the card game element.

✂️ The Great Layout Remix: From Pilot to Main Release

When GE Fabbri officially rolled out the national Main Series in late 2006, they didn't just throw away the work done on the regional Pilot issues. Instead, the editorial team meticulously sliced, swapped, and remixed the artwork, comic strips, and puzzles from the 7 Pilot magazines to construct the first 7 issues of the final nationwide run. Here is the exact issue-by-issue mapping of how the classic Pilot content was redistributed into the final Main Set releases:

Main Issue No. 1

Pages 4 & 5: Sourced directly from Pilot No. 3 (originally pages 6 & 7).
Pages 20 & 21: Sourced from Pilot No. 5.
Page 23: A hybrid remix utilizing elements from both Pilot No. 1 and Pilot No. 2.

Main Issue No. 2

Cover & Pages 10–15: Adapted from Pilot No. 6.
Cover Art Redesign: The primary character artwork on the cover was updated, switching the featured villain from a Cyberleader to a standard Cyberman.
Page 22: A reworked version of content from Pilot No. 3.
Page 23: A blend of recycled content from Pilot No. 5 mixed with brand-new material.

Main Issue No. 3

Cover & Pages 10–15, 20 & 21: Adapted from Pilot No. 7.
Pages 6 & 7: Sourced from Pilot No. 1 (originally pages 4 & 5).
Pages 22 & 24: Sourced from Pilot No. 5.
Page 23: Features entirely brand-new material.

Main Issue No. 4

Cover & Pages 10–15: Sourced entirely from Pilot No. 2.
Page 23: Features entirely brand-new material.

Main Issue No. 5

Core Content: Retains the same general cover and structure as Pilot No. 5, with the following exceptions:
Pages 20 & 21: Swapped out for pages originally found in Pilot No. 1.
Pages 22 & 23: Replaced with entirely brand-new material.
Page 24: Sourced from Pilot No. 3.

Main Issue No. 6

Cover & Pages 10–15: Sourced entirely from Pilot No. 4.
Page 23: Features entirely brand-new material.

Main Issue No. 7

Core Body & Pages 10–15, 20 & 21: Sourced entirely from Pilot No. 3.
Pages 22 & 23: Replaced with entirely brand-new material.

Test Set Issue 1

While it mirrors the general aesthetic of the mass-market nationwide rollout, toggling through the backing card and layout reveals six critical, subtle design differences unique to this pilot release:

The Yellow Price Corner: The promotional "£1.50" price flash in the corner is printed with a bright yellow background, whereas the final nationwide main set release changed this flash to a solid red block.
The Red Attachment Bar: The structural cardboard column where the card booster packs are physically glued or blister-mounted features a distinct solid red bar backdrop.
Missing Rarity Symbols: Look closely at the preview imagery of the trading cards displayed on the packaging text blocks. In this prototype phase, the card designs are shown without any rarity symbols stamped in the bottom-left corner.
The Time Vortex Background: The deep blue space graphic framing the main layout features the classic Time Vortex tunnel pattern. This was completely replaced on the nationwide release by a simpler, more abstract radial motion blur.
Alternative Poster Design: The giant pull-out wall poster included inside this pilot pack features a completely alternative layout and graphic style compared to the retail version.
Leaflet Quirks: The promotional insert leaflets tucked inside the magazine pages contain subtle text changes, alternative graphic borders, and localized subscription pricing notes.

Test Set Issue 2

When inspecting a sealed copy, collectors will find two major physical anomalies that separate this pilot issue from its mass-market counterpart, along with a fascinating piece of manufacturing history:

The TARDIS Card Slips: Inside the magazine, the iconic TARDIS storage box features a large difference compared to the main release. The Test of this TARDIS contains cardboard to secure cards in place rather than pre-molded plastic. Realizing this was not ideal, the design team hastily integrated functional holding slots into the final nationwide Main Set insert.
Alternative Artwork: the front cover layout is completely distinct. Test Issue 2 features the Slitheen, which was later swapped out for a standard Cyberman graphic on the nationwide retail shelves.

Test Set Issue 3

The third entry in the pilot series marks the final major "special packaging" variant of the regional test run. While the core magazine contents were later heavily remixed into the national series, the physical lid within the magazine contains a structural difference compared to that of the National Release.

The Ridgid Design: The Test Set TARDIS Lid features a noticeably more rigid, construction compared to the flimsy, plastic utilized for the eventual Main Set nationwide release. This prototype design resulted in a much sturdier lid that could withstand significantly more wear and tear from opening and closing. This design however was clearly used for the electronic lid for subscribers.
Alternative Cover Graphic: The front cover layout is distinct much like the remaining Test Set magazines featuring a Sycorax rather than the Krillitane seen in the national release.

The Regional Questionnaires & Insert A/B Testing

Across the first five issues of both the Test Run and the nationwide Main Set, a wide variety of promotional leaflets and subscription inserts were tucked inside the packaging. However, the defining hallmark of the regional pilot copies was the inclusion of an official GE Fabbri Feedback Questionnaire. Designed to be completed by children alongside their parents, these forms were mailed back to the publisher to directly shape the final product.

To track data accurately, GE Fabbri strictly segregated these questionnaires by target demographic. Collectors can identify which region a pilot insert belongs to by looking at the small printed text indicator located on the bottom-right corner of the front cover:

The West Country Target: Distributed across southwest England.
The Grampian Target: Distributed across northeast Scotland.

Visual Leaflet Anomalies: The Cover Art Split

Intriguingly, archival discoveries show that GE Fabbri ran a fascinating visual experiment by printing two entirely separate promotional leaflets for the different regions. The reason for this split remains unknown, but it creates two distinct print variants for completionists to track:

The West Country Variant Pack: Issues distributed in the West Country included a promotional leaflet proudly showcasing the individual card booster packs right on the front cover.

The Grampian Variant Pack: Issues distributed in the Grampian region swapped this imagery out entirely, featuring only a solitary, menacing Dalek on the front of the leaflet.

The Issue 7 Transition Insert: Official Confirmation

Tucked inside the packaging of the final pilot entry, Test Release Issue 7, was a historic, highly elusive insert sheet. This flyer served as the official bridge between the regional experiment and the nationwide launch, formally announcing that Doctor Who: Battles in Time had been greenlit for a mass-market rollout.

Key Revelations from the Insert

For modern archive researchers, this piece of paper provides critical, official confirmation on how the publishers viewed the pilot run:

The Autumn Reset: The text explicitly detailed that the nationwide launch would commence in Autumn 2006, resetting the counter completely to start fresh with a newly revised Issue 1.
The "Never Reissued" 85-Card Guarantee: Crucially, the flyer confirmed that while the final mass-market series would feature much of the same core reading material, it would be presented in a completely different order alongside a significantly expanded card checklist. It explicitly stated that the original 85 test-market cards were unique and would never be issued in that exact form again.
The Web-Store Fire Sale: To clear out remaining inventory before the national reset, GE Fabbri noted that collectors could purchase leftover Test Set booster packs directly from their website while stocks lasted.

Why is this insert so rare?

This leaflet went completely unnoticed by the wider community for years, and it remains one of the rarest pieces of paper to track down in the entire hobby. The reason for its scarcity comes down to the aggressive consumer incentives GE Fabbri printed on it:

The Free National Issue 1 Offer: If a regional collector wanted to continue with the upcoming national series, they could use the flyer to claim the brand-new mass-market Issue 1 completely free of charge.
The Full Money-Back Refund: If a parent or child was unhappy with the test run and did not wish to continue, GE Fabbri offered a 100% full refund on every single pilot issue purchased—provided the collector packed up their magazines and mailed them back to the company headquarters.

Because the vast majority of people either mailed the insert back to claim a free magazine or returned their entire collection for a cash refund, almost every copy of this flyer was destroyed by the publisher in 2006. Finding an intact, unsubmitted survival copy today is a monumental win for digital preservation.