A COUPLE who manufacture and paint war game and railway figures have combined two businesses and launched them in Hexham.

Michelle and Rob Anderson, from Hexham, are running Northumbrian Painting Services from Haugh Lane Industrial Estate.

Rob previously ran Reiver Castings, which manufactured white metal war game and railway figures, with his business partner in Pelaw.

But when his business partner retired, he and Michelle decided to move the company, along with the painting side of the business – Northumbrian Painting Services – to a base in Hexham.

Now the business, set up 14 years ago, all comes under the Northumbrian Painting Services banner.

With thousands of figures to choose from, customers can pick from a catalogue of models ranging from the Anglo-Scots wars to after the Second World War.

Meanwhile, the railway figures, which were introduced a few years ago, have been growing from strength to strength.

As well as doing their own casting, Michelle said the painting side of the business had a loyal customer base of people who had brought their own models to be painted.

They have a strong presence at trade shows for war game enthusiasts across England and Scotland, as well as at railway modelling shows.

“We use a lot of feedback from shows so, for example, if someone is asking for a figure climbing a ladder, we might think ‘quite a few people have asked for that’ and we’ll put that into a mould,” said Michelle.

“We always try to get feedback of what people are looking for.

“The size of what we have here in Hexham has been brilliant. It’s just the right size, with quite a large office space for painting, as well as a small casting area.”