"Imperium Approved"

Hello everyone,

I was browsing ebay, as you do, and I saw this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Round-Vernian ... SwQgpXAnwC

$_57.JPG


ok, so this is a Japanese kit toy, with an Imperium Approved sticker (never seen that before), and a GW price sticker in GBP. So we can be fairly certain that this item was purchased in a UK GW.

Obviously it can't be any earlier than Rogue Trader (87) or later than WH40K 2nd Edition (93).

I got into the hobby around 89-90 and though I only ever visited GW Plaza on a regular basis I would swear that I never saw them sell any non-GW products.

IIRC, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but the change in emphasis from products imported and distributed by GW, to only selling their own products, happened around the release of Rogue Trader.

So for how long did GW stock model kits and whatnot, stickered as Imperium Approved, for use in WH40K?

Is this a relative rarity, only available in a few places for a few months, or did I just miss the Gundam kits in Plaza GW in the early 90s?

Does anyone have any interesting insights into this, or am I the only one in the hobby who finds this exciting?
 
Nah, just you.



Only kidding :lol: I've never seen anything like that before! Does that mean that GW were selling robot kits that they used themselves to kitbash with? The one's that they apparently wanted to include in RT but decided not to in the end?
 
I used to buy AD&D adventures (amongst other things!) in GW back in the mid 80's, so they definitely used to sell non-GW stuff. Pretty certain they sold it all off in a big sale about '88 or so, when they stopped featuring non-GW stuff in WD.

I also had a big roll of those stickers for years!
 

Zhu Bajie

Member
Awesome! Someone needs to catalogue everything that was sold as an "Imperium Approved" and write a new Chapter Approved with all the stats and whatnot. :grin:

I used to visit GW manchester BiTD and don't remember anything like it (I was probably too busy looking at the imported RPG material) but it's probably just a memory fault. I do remember Gundam kits in WH Smith, they were quite popular.
 

fuljason

Member
I used to visit GW Birmingham weekly if not more during the 1980's and the had a real eclectic mix of products, they had the usual wall of blisters and games but the was also a computer section in the back of the shop, selling PC's and games, the was even a comics rack, the shop floor was strewn with baskets of kits and independent products, including Sci-fi model kits (Aliens springs to mind) and many miniatures were available loose over the counter or in promotional baskets on the counter. there was always a pallet of old stock going cheap i.e. 100's boxes of Forces of Fantasy for £1 each and Fighting Fantasy Polystyrene Dungeons (which I have 2 of in the loft). There was also a toy/model shop 2 doors up from GW called Beatties that had a massive gaming section and stocked many of the GW products on sale at slightly reduced prices so we would pop in there first and grab some bargains. In Birmingham City Centre we had at least 6 shops with large gaming sections including big names like Virgin Megastore, Midland Educational, WHSmiths that stocked GW and independent products it was a golden age. The market was over saturated.
J
 
Zhu Bajie":3on0ub10 said:
Awesome! Someone needs to catalogue everything that was sold as an "Imperium Approved" and write a new Chapter Approved with all the stats and whatnot.

Sorry, the stickers didn't actually mean anything! They were just RT Promo fluff, as far as I'm aware. We used to stick them on anything. Stock, mail order parcels, small children, each other, the lot.

There was one on my car at one point, if anyone wants to stat up a 1970's matt black Mk2 Ford Escort. :lol:
 

Zhu Bajie

Member
dieselmonkey":1zxv62lf said:
Zhu Bajie":1zxv62lf said:
Awesome! Someone needs to catalogue everything that was sold as an "Imperium Approved" and write a new Chapter Approved with all the stats and whatnot.

Sorry, the stickers didn't actually mean anything! They were just RT Promo fluff, as far as I'm aware. We used to stick them on anything. Stock, mail order parcels, small children, each other, the lot.

There was one on my car at one point, if anyone wants to stat up a 1970's matt black Mk2 Ford Escort. :lol:

:lol: Would love to see a Ford Escort in 40k. Beats all those boring Genestealer Cult limos! The idea of using "RT Promo fluff" as a sourcebook is the fun bit. A bit like when everyone started up their favourite junk from the 80s as Oldhammer Realm of Chaos 80s Mutations, but a bit more structured.

Could get those Action Force vehicle conversions and the Zoids stuff done too...

fuljason":1zxv62lf said:
IFighting Fantasy Polystyrene Dungeons (which I have 2 of in the loft).

:shock: thought those were mythical! Photos!!!!
 

fuljason

Member
@Zhu

Here are a couple of snaps of one I found while transporting more junk to the loft for the missus, it needs the spiders and webs removing, I shall restore it asap
 

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