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I'm painting up my new SM with Testor's Model Master Fluorescent Red (more like fluorescent orange) as my main color. I've applied the "basecoat", but it really doesn't cover much. How many coats will I have to apply with a light color such as this to get good coverage?

Any good techniques to make it simpler than coating ad infinitum? Will I clog up the details by giving it multiple coats?

Thanks!

Depends on what colour you used to prime them. As for multiple coats, thats the way you'll have to do it if you used a dark colour to prime. However the coats should also be thin to stop it from covering up the detail.

With fluorescents, although they say apply over a white undercoat, I've found I get a better look applying over an appropriate colour - macharius solar orange looks like a good choice.

I used a gray primer. I originally used white armory primer, but it was crappy and sandy and bubbled. Thanks to the 40k radio guys, I got some touch 'n tone (REAL) primer, which only comes in gray and black. Since I'm painting a light-colored army, I went with gray.

Basically, since I'm new at this, I just want to know that it'll be OK. I don't mind taking the time to do multiple coats, I just want to know that it can come out fully covered and looking good, with the details not covered up.

I have been doing thin coats, or trying to. I started to basecoat one model tonight, and I'm not sure if the coat was too thin or too thick, but the crevices contain a LOT of the color (they're bright like the paint!) whereas the smooth surfaces have nearly no color. Too thin or too thick? Again, new at this.

Sounds too thin. You've essentially made a wash, which will naturally pool in the recesses and get pulled off high points. Properly thinning paint takes practice until you develop a feel for it (still working on that, myself), but when you get it right, you can tell - the paint flows beautifully, leaves a smooth finish (shouldn't show brush strokes), and provides a somewhat translucent, evenly distributed coloring (the undercoat should tinge the topcoat, but you shouldn't have visible patchiness). I shoot to get full coverage in 2-3 coats for general painting, but could probably lay down 3x that number without obscuring any detail.