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I tried Vallejo's Surface Primer, and I am not a fan. It is not anywhere near durable enough for *me*(and a lot of people from my searches).

Am I hoping for too much in wanting an Army Painter/Krylon etc level of durability in an airbrush primer?

Any recommendations besides just rattle can priming?

Thanks guys, otherwise I am absolutely loving airbrushing.

from my experience I have found that if the Vallejo stuff is applied to thick, it is not very durable, however if applied in a thin, semi-transparent coat, it works quite well. also washing your mini's first before priming goes a long way on helping the primer do it's job.

I washed the model with dawn. I'm pretty thorough, and I've never had a problem with any other primer(spray cans).

I guess I could give it another shot, but it really dissapointed me. I think it lays down smooth, and looks nice, but just from handling my thunderwolf paint was coming off from the ends of the fur.

Don't handle it until it's sealed. The PU primer is effectively a gesso, there's no chemical bond to the surface. It does its job in that you can paint over it, but it is not as durable as a solvent based primer. Painting blocks / handles are very much the order of the day.

I should have specified I actually have the models on pins and leave them stuck into foam so I don't have to handle them/lay them down, and I waited 24 hours to paint them after using the primer. But I did handle it during painting.

I'm going to be doing a Dreadnought next, and I'll see how it goes being even more careful, and not handling it much even after it cures.

I will say it does strip off amazingly well..lol. 5 minutes in Simple Green and it's gone.

I think it's the sharp points that are the issue here; it's very easy indeed to rub Vallejo primer off those - there's almost no surface area and the primer tears very easily.

A good trick, once primed is to give it a blast of a matt varnish. Testor's Dulcote is a good one to try; it's pretty hard wearing. Some people actually use it in lieu of a primer.

Other than that there's not a lot I can suggest other than a VERY gentle touch when handling, but it's best to avoid it completely if you can. Quite often I'll pin something I'm worried about handling to a wooden block to use as a handle/stand. Kid's building blocks are great for this, as are Jenga blocks...

Just to be sure, OP you're not using Grey Primer by mistake are you. I here some complete muppets have used the colour instead of the actual primer.

Nope, thanks for asking though! I have Vallejo Surface Primer, in white, grey and black.

After messing around I think Winterdyne hit the nail on the head, the sharp edges/points of the finecast wolves fur. I handled it like I did normal primers and that was a mistake.

I have since coated the wolf in Vellajo Satin Varnish(with airbrush), and I think it is holding up now.

I'll just be more careful with small contact points.