Exterminator Main Set

The nationwide release of this set was announced in a press release from GE Fabbri Ltd. on 7 June 2006, with the launch date confirmed on 12 September 2006. They launched later on the 20th September 2006 along with the magazine; the first issue included two packs of cards, and an exclusive "Psychic Paper" card, which had a window of red cellophane that allowed you to read hidden messages on six bonus cards. Additional packs were also available to purchase separately.

The Exterminator series consisted of 275 cards, numbered from 001-275, featuring characters from TV: Rose-Doomsday. They were split into the following categories:

231 (C) Common cards (8 in every pack)

28 (R) Rare cards (1 in every pack)

10 (SR) Super-Rare cards (1 in every 6 packs)

6 (UR) Ultra-Rare cards (1 in every 24 packs)

1 Golden Ticket card (1 in every 1000 packs)

Below are scans from informational pages that accompanied the first issues of the main set. Showing an in depth view of the set and the cards themselves.

Run down of the Main Release Set

Run down of the Main Release Cards

Adverts

In order to increase popularity and raise awareness, GE Fabbri released three advertisements announcing the main run of Battles in Time; 3 different adverts were released on British TV, and a fourth released in Australia. The British adverts showed the test set cards, evidenced by the lack of rarity ratings on the cards, and the designs are only that of the first 85 cards, as well as the test set version of Issue 1, noted by the yellow corner on the top right of the backing card. The Australian however, possibly due to a later release showed the updated deisgn, namely the red corner mark, and the extended card set.

Main Differences Front

As shown in the image above, the main differences between Test Set and Main Release Cards are the addition of a Rarity Symbol on the Main Set Release and the numbers being out of 275 rather than 85.

Main Differences Rear

The only notable difference on the rear of the Main Set cards is the addition of the battles in time website, showing as www.battlesintime.com.

Exterminator First Issue

You can see a Main Release Issue 1 from my Instagram, as it was when you bought it. Although this looks the same as the Test release, there are subtle differences. The "£1.50" corner is yellow red rather than the test set yellow.Cards are now shown WITH rarity symbols.The poster is of a different design.The leaflets inside also have subtle differences. (Shown on another page of this site)

Hidden Message Feature

The hidden message feature, as shown to the left, was discontinued part way through the print run of the Exterminator series. And it was never continued in later sets. However, only two were reprinted in the latter runs, with the remainder, such as Unlimited Credit and Satellite 5, keeping their hidden bonus'.

2007 Reprints

Towards the end of the run on the Exterminator print run, the Annihilator Cards came out. This was followed by the joint packs containing Exterminator and Annihilator Cards. These later prints of the Exterminator cards had a subtle difference, and that was a higher print quality overall, as well as the BBC 2007 date mark on the rear. Only the Commons and Rares were reprinted.