The W. Britain bran name of toy and collectible 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 John Hill and Co. The style and scale of Britains figures became the industry standard for toy soldiers for many years.