TOUCH down! This giant, Hampshire-designed replica of an American football helmet is set to take pride of place at one of the most glamorous sporting events of the year today.

Marwell-based firm, Hampshire Insulations, were given just two weeks to produce a giant version of the protective headwear used by the San Francisco 49ers.

It will go on display at a glittering pre-match party ahead of the National Football League (NFL) fixture at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

At two metres high, the huge fibreglass structure is ten times the size of its original, weighs the same as a small horse and set its new owners back £12,000.

Staff spent two weeks making it using a state-of-the-art £250,000 machine, which scanned the original helmet before reproducing a large-scale version – accurate to within two millimetres.

Weighing 200kg, the helmet is set to form the centrepiece of a sparkling bonanza and may even make an appearance on the pitch where it would be seen by tens of millions of viewers around the world on television.

It was transported to London on the back of an open sided lorry before a team of installers from the Thompsons Lane outfit lifted their masterpiece into position in London.

The firm’s managing director Jeff Phillips said: “It’s a monster! “Apparently when it was being taken up to London, motorists were slowing down to take a closer look.”

It is set to form just part of the festivities during the NFL fixture which sees the 49ers take on Denver Broncos.

London has hosted one NFL game a year since 2007, amid an increase in popularity of the sport outside the USA.