BRITAINS
Britains was founded in London by brothers William Britain Jr., a brass clockmaker, and Clement Britain in 1893. The company is famous for inventing the hollow-casting process, "a manufacturing method that allowed highly detailed metal toy soldiers to be produced using significantly less lead than conventional solid-cast models. Before hollow casting, toy soldiers were made from solid lead, making them heavy, expensive, and difficult for many families to afford. A year later, Britain partnered with A.W. Gamage, giving the company access to one of Britain's largest toy retailers. They sold Britain toys under the recommended retail price, making the products a hit, soon after one of their big competitors, German imports, vanished from the Gamages catalog all together, leaving Britain toys the main interest.
BRITAINS ORIGIN
In 1921 Britains expanded its toy line to include a "Model Home Farm" series, which consisted of farm figures, animals, and a tumbrel cart. The company later released the first toy tractor, a Fordson Major E27N tractor that shifted Britain from a producer of traditional toy soldiers to one of Europe's leading manufacturers of agricultural die-cast miniatures. By the 1950s, Britain’s toy competitors were making the same style of toys out of plastic rather than lead. These new plastic toys were less expensive to make, more durable, and did not have paint that could easily peel off. Britains could not compete with the newer, more cost-effective toys, and instead of replicating their process, Britains acquired the Herald Models brand completely in 1959. This switch saved the company entirely. New medical research regarding lead poisoning in children was coming out, and New safety regulations compelled Britain to discontinue the use of thousands of brass hollow-casting molds, making much of its extensive inventory useless for sale as children's toys. Despite these challenges, Britain successfully adapted to changing safety standards and consumer preferences by expanding its plastic and die-cast toy lines. Today, the company continues to produce detailed farm models and collectibles, preserving its legacy that began with hollow-cast lead toy soldiers created more than a century ago.
BRITAINS THROUGH THE YEARS
