Olympic hopeful Lizzie Armitstead used pedal power to propel Hornby's new London 2012 Train Set at Hamleys.

Members of the public had the chance to win the toys and were invited to challenge the Team GB member, who is hotly tipped to grab gold next year.

Launched yesterday, The Great British Classics are Olympic designs of a series of models including London taxis and buses, minis and a Concorde.

Hornby is staggering the launch of its licensed Olympic line-up, with the Scalextric Velodrome due to hit the shelves in September.

The toy firm collaborated with The Royal Mint on a window display showcasing the toys with a 50 pence piece from the mint’s commemorative London 2012 range.

Advertisement

The coin, featuring an Olympic cyclist, is part of a set of 29 distributed by Hornby.