Britains, earlier known by the founder's name W. Britain, is a British toy brand and former manufacturing company known for its die-cast scale models of agricultural machinery, and figurines. The company was established in 1893 as a toy soldiers manufacturer.
With its factory set in London, Britains then diversified into other associated toys such as die-cast zamac military trucks, commercial vehicles, and toy cars.
Today, the Britains brand is owned by Tomy since 2011,[1] and the W. Britain brand by First Gear, Inc.[2]
History
The "W. Britain" brand name of toy and collectable soldiers is derived from a company founded by William Britain Jr., a British toy manufacturer, who in 1893 invented the process of hollow casting in lead, and revolutionized the production of toy soldiers. The company quickly became the industry leader, and was imitated by many other companies, such as Hanks Bros. and