A little over a week ago, we were lucky enough to be invited to attend an exclusive event at Hamley’s toy store. The event was hosted by Hornby and showcased some of the Olympic delights that they have available to celebrate London 2012.
Chipmunk had never been to Hamley’s, so we made the journey to the capital with great excitement! I have to say, Hornby outdid themselves and Hamley’s did not disappoint.
The highlight of the day for us was the Scalextric Velodrome Cycling Set (£69.99). This works like a regular Scalextric set, except that instead of cars, there are cyclists going around a velodrome.
Chipmunk has never used a Scalextric before – his co-ordination issues mean that it’s not really his thing. There was, however, a lovely young man from Hornby on hand to show him the ropes – and after some initial trepidation, Chipmunk took the plunge. The Hornby man then challenged Chipmunk to a race…and Chipmunk promptly lapped him five times! Chipmunk was over the moon – and the young man took it in very good grace!
Probably Chipmunk’s favourite moments were when the cyclists decided to become flying cyclists and launched themselves off the track, kamikaze-style, into the wall – and were promptly unseated! (It’s ok. They are built to withstand this – they won’t break!). Having seen Chipmunk’s reaction to this set, I can say in all honesty that it is at the top of our wish-list.
Other Olympic-themed delights on offer were Corgi vehicles, decked out in London 2012 livery (from £4.99). There was a fab working train set (£99.99), lots of Olympic mascot toys (from £6.99) – and even a miniature replica of the Olympic torch (£9.99), which is surprisingly heavy for its size and extremely well made – an excellent memento. Chipmunk was (predictably) rather taken with the Cadbury Chocolate Machine (£9.99)! There is something in the Hornby range to suit every budget and taste – they really have done a fantastic job.
We were also treated to a VIP tour of the store, which was amazing. The best bit of this was when the kids got to meet Wenlock (the Olympic mascot) who was decked out as a Queen’s Guard in honour of Trooping the Colour, which was held the same day.
We also won a prize in the raffle at the end of the day – a London 2012 Corgi taxi, signed by Olympic athlete Lizzie Armitstead!
To get your own slice of London 2012 goodness (and I really recommend the Scalextric – I’m just saying!) you can go to the official store here.
Disclosure: We were catered for at no charge at an exclusive Hornby London 2012 event at Hamleys toy store, London. We were also provided with keepsakes from the event. No other compensation was received for this post. The opinions stated in the above post are our own. They are our true opinions, and are in no way influenced by the aforementioned compensation. To see my full Disclosure Policy, please go here.
{ 4 comments }
).
