History of the Manufacturing of W. Britain Toy Soldiers

William Britain began making toy soldiers more than a hundred years ago in 1893. Their first soldiers debuted in England just in time for the Christmas rush! The first soldiers were hollowcast lead figurines. Meaning they were hollow in the middle which saved materials in production. 

In the 1960’s, Britains lead toy soldiers took a big hit to production. William Britain had produced thousands of sets of lead toy soldiers up to this point but the cost of lead rose and UK increased safety regulations on lead. These factors stopped production of Britains’ famous lead toy soldiers. William Britain shifted their manufacturing focus. 

For more than 10 years, Britains focused their production on plastic soldiers and other toys. In 1973, Britains began producing a new kind of metal toy soldiers. They were originally intended to be toys but were eventually dubbed collectors items. These figurines were die cast in metal alloy and these are the toy soldiers that W. Britain produces today. Die casting is a way of forming metal figures. A molten metal is poured into a cavity to form each figurine. These die cast alloy toy soldiers are the ones we know today!

Plastic Britains

William Britain toy soldiers are renowned for being made of high quality materials with intricate detailing. So it is funny to think that there are plastic Britains…but it’s true!

William Britain acquired Herald Miniatures, a company that specialized in plastic figurines in the 1950’s.

Then in the mid 60’s, the cost of lead rose and UK safety regulations regarding lead slowed production of Britains’ main product, metal toy soldiers.

In 1976, Britain also began producing plastic figures with metal bases for their Deetail product line. Check out one example from Deetail below

The Britains Deetail WWII German Toy Soldiers Infantry 

with King Tiger

The First Britains

Britains were first introduced around Christmastime in 1893. Before the introduction of the infamous toy soldiers, William Britain was a Brass Cock Maker and manufactured various toys. But the early Britians toy soldiers quickly gained popularity.

W. Britain was not the first to manufacture toy soldiers but they certainly took off and overshadowed competition in 1893 and still do today. Part of their immediate success came from their method of production. Their signature hollowcast soldiers are hollow in the middle which means that they use less metal and can be sold for a lower price. This value set Britains apart in their early years. Now Britains are known for much more. Some of the classic Britain qualities include attention to detail and historically accurate pieces. 

I haven’t been lucky enough to see them in person but here are some pictures of the first ever William Britain Toy Soldier Sets.

The First Life Guards (1893) has five toy soldiers riding horses with swords drawn.

The Royal Horse Guards (1893) has five soldiers mounted on horseback with swords drawn wearing red continental style saddlecloths.

The 5^th Dragoon Guards (1893) has five soldiers on horseback all marching in sync. 

It's incredible to see how Britains have evolved...and to see where they came from