Britain’s Toy Soldiers – Famous for a Reason

Anyone who has ever played with or collected toy soldiers, will at some time in their pursuit have heard the name William Britain. In 1893, this British toy maker completely revolutionized the manufacturing of toy soldiers with the process of hollow lead casting which allowed for cheap mass manufacture that was economically important when the price of lead was expensive and the hollow toys used less raw material. It also allowed for more detail to be incorporated in the casting design and the W. Britain brand name rapidly became an industry standard to be emulated by others.

Britain's catalog stood at more than 2200 sets by the time new safety regulations were introduced in 1966 concerning the use of lead in toys, and they turned their production to plastic, manufacturing figures with metal bases. In 1973 they introduced new models in die cast alloys and lead free pewter that were aimed at the English souvenir market, but ten years later, answering a growing demand from collectors, Britain's began to expand their range again and even introduced new limited edition sets that included versions of their older toys, some of which were actually made from the original molds that had be carefully kept in their archive.

Growing nostalgia for all things traditionally English in the early 1980's meant that ceremonial figures like Yeomen, Life Guards and the Black Watch were highly popular, and not just with tourists in London but with collectors all over the world, so that finally these much beloved little toys were given the honored status of 'collectables'.

On the 100th anniversary of the W. Britain toy soldier first becoming a popular reality, the W. Britain Collectors Club was launched to bring together thousands of enthusiasts of all ages from all across the globe. Members receive 4 magazines a year, special catalog offers and even birthday and Christmas cards. A special anniversary set of The Coldstream Guards, 43117C, was also produced to celebrate so significant an event.

Today the W. Britain name is in the hands of First Gear, an America toy company with an incredibly strong reputation in creating some of the most sophisticated and intimately detailed die cast models currently available, and they are committed to as much authenticity as William Britain himself, using historical research from military museums and qualified experts to ensure that their quality is never compromised and they remain a world leader.