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Test Set Magazine Series

The 2006 Pilot Test Series

Before Doctor Who: Battles in Time was released nationally, GE Fabbri conducted a regional test-market release of the Exterminator series in selected areas of the United Kingdom. The test distribution covered the South West of England and the Grampian television region of Scotland.

The purpose of the test release was to assess the product and its reception before the national launch. Materials associated with the test release, including regional questionnaires supplied with the first issue, provide evidence of the areas in which the magazine was distributed.

The test run consisted of seven magazine issues, distributed through regional newsagents. Issue 1 was released on 19 April 2006, with the final Issue 7 released on 12 July 2006.

An eighth test issue appears to have been planned and was advertised on the back cover of Issue 7. However, this issue was not released, with the test series instead concluding as the publisher proceeded towards the national launch of Battles in Time.

How to Identify Pilot Magazine Variants

The seven Exterminator Test Set magazines can be distinguished from the later national editions through several physical and design characteristics. These differences are useful when identifying surviving copies.

Alternative cover designs: The covers of the seven Test Set issues use layouts, typography and card positioning that differ from the corresponding national editions.
Regional feedback questionnaire: Test Set magazines were supplied with a questionnaire designed to collect feedback on aspects of the product, including pricing, card design and gameplay.
Altered inserts and layouts: Fold-out inserts, booster-pack wrappers and subscription material associated with the Test Set contain design and structural differences from material used during the national release.

Another identifying feature can be found on the back cover of the Test Set magazines, in the “Which Character Are You?” personality quiz.

In the Test Set version, the possible results are represented by illustrated character cut-outs printed directly onto the page.

The corresponding feature in the national editions uses an alternative design. The illustrated character cut-outs were replaced with representations incorporating the borders of the relevant Battles in Time trading cards.

This difference provides an additional visual reference when distinguishing Test Set magazines from their national counterparts.

From Pilot to Main Release

When GE Fabbri began the national release of Doctor Who: Battles in Time in September 2006, material developed for the regional Exterminator Test Set was not discarded. Content from the seven Test Set magazines was reused and rearranged for the corresponding early issues of the national series.

Artwork, comic strips, puzzles and other editorial material from the Test Set were redistributed across the first seven national issues. As a result, the national magazines contain material originating from the earlier regional test release, although the order and presentation of this content were changed.

The relationship between the Test Set and national issues can therefore be documented on an issue-by-issue basis, showing where material from each of the seven Test Set magazines was subsequently used in the national publication.

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

The Exterminator Test Set packaging shares many of the visual characteristics later used for the national release, but several details distinguish the pilot version from the final nationwide design.

Six notable differences can be identified:

Yellow price corner: The promotional “£1.50” price flash uses a yellow background on the Test Set packaging. The corresponding feature on the national release uses a solid red background.
Red attachment bar: The cardboard section used to hold or mount the booster packs has a solid red background on the Test Set version.
Missing rarity symbols: The card images reproduced within the packaging artwork do not display rarity symbols in the bottom-left corner. Rarity symbols were introduced on the cards used for the national release.
Time Vortex background: The main blue background uses a detailed Time Vortex tunnel design. The national packaging uses a different, more abstract radial motion effect.
Alternative poster design: The large pull-out poster supplied with the Test Set uses a different layout and graphic treatment from the poster included with the national release.
Leaflet variations: Promotional leaflets supplied with the Test Set contain differences in wording, graphic borders and subscription information, including regional pricing details.

These differences provide useful reference points when identifying Test Set packaging and associated printed material. They also demonstrate that elements of the product's visual design were revised between the regional test release and the subsequent national launch.

Test Set Issue 2

Test Set Issue 2 – Physical Differences

When comparing Test Set Issue 2 with its national counterpart, two notable physical and design differences can be identified.

TARDIS card storage insert: The TARDIS card-storage section supplied with the Test Set issue uses cardboard to hold the cards in position. The corresponding insert used for the national release incorporates pre-formed card-holding slots. This represents a change in the construction of the card-storage component between the test and national versions. The reason for the change has not been independently documented.
Alternative cover artwork: The front cover of Test Set Issue 2 features the Slitheen. This artwork was not retained for the national edition, where the corresponding cover design instead features a Cyberman.

These differences provide useful physical identifiers when comparing Test Set Issue 2 with the later nationwide release and demonstrate that both the packaging components and cover artwork were revised during the transition to the national series.

Test Set Issue 3

Test Set Issue 3 contains another variation in the physical components supplied with the magazine. Although much of its editorial material was subsequently reused and rearranged for the national series, the card-storage component differs from the version used in the nationwide release.

TARDIS lid construction: The TARDIS storage lid supplied with the Test Set is noticeably more rigid and substantial than the plastic lid used for the eventual national release. The Test Set version therefore has different physical construction and handling characteristics. A similar rigid construction was also used for the electronic lid supplied with subscriber copies.
Alternative cover artwork: The front cover uses a different character graphic from the corresponding national issue. The Test Set version features a Sycorax, while the national release uses the Krillitanes.

These differences provide additional physical identifiers for Test Set Issue 3 and demonstrate that the construction of the card-storage components was altered before the national release.

Regional Questionnaires and Insert Variants

The Exterminator Test Set magazines included a range of promotional leaflets and subscription material. A distinguishing feature of the regional test release was the inclusion of a GE Fabbri feedback questionnaire.

The questionnaires were intended to collect responses from children and their parents regarding aspects of the Battles in Time product. Surviving examples provide evidence of the regional nature of the test release and allow individual copies to be associated with their intended distribution area.

The two regional versions can be identified by a small printed indicator on the bottom-right of the relevant insert:

West Country: Used for copies distributed in the South West of England.
Grampian: Used for copies distributed in the Grampian region of Scotland.

Promotional Leaflet Variants

Archival examples also show differences between promotional leaflets supplied in the two test regions. The reason for producing separate versions has not been established, but the surviving material represents two identifiable print variants.

West Country Variant

The leaflet distributed in the West Country features images of the individual Battles in Time booster packs on its front.

Grampian Variant

The corresponding leaflet distributed in the Grampian region uses a different front design, featuring a single Dalek rather than images of the booster packs.

These regional variations provide additional evidence of the separate test-market distribution and are useful when identifying and cataloguing surviving Test Set inserts.

The Issue 7 Transition Insert

Included with Test Set Issue 7 was an insert providing information about the transition from the regional test release to the national Battles in Time series. As the final issue of the Test Set, the insert provides contemporary evidence of how GE Fabbri intended to proceed following the trial period.

Information Provided by the Insert

The insert confirmed several details concerning the forthcoming national release:

Autumn 2006 launch: The national series was announced for release in autumn 2006 and would begin again with a new Issue 1 rather than continuing the Test Set numbering.
Revised magazine and card series: The insert explained that material from the Test Set would be used again but presented in a different order. It also stated that the national series would contain a larger card collection with differences from the Test Set release.
Test Set cards: The original 85-card Test Set collection was identified separately from the forthcoming national collection, establishing that the test-market cards would not simply continue as part of the national numbering system.
Remaining Test Set stock: GE Fabbri stated that remaining Test Set booster packs could be purchased through the website while stocks lasted.

Continuation and Refund Offers

The Issue 7 insert also provided options for readers who had taken part in the regional test release.

Readers wishing to continue with the forthcoming national series could receive the first national issue free of charge. Alternatively, readers who did not wish to continue could request a refund for the Test Set issues by returning the relevant material to GE Fabbri.

These offers help explain why surviving examples of the insert may be less common than other Test Set paperwork. However, there is currently no documented figure establishing how many inserts were returned, retained or destroyed, so the exact survival rate cannot be determined.

The insert is consequently an important piece of contemporary documentation for the Exterminator Test Set, particularly because it records the planned transition from the regional trial to the national Battles in Time release.