Help with paint

Not new to painting model cars, but new to painting model cars that result in a really nice finish.  I've moved from spray cans to a cheap dual action airbrush. It works great, but I'm still new to the actual different types of paint, how to mix each, etc. I have a few questions:

1. It appears Testors enamel (I decanted and air brushed) takes eons to dry. Is it best to let it dry in the sun all day, or in an air conditioned house? I put down at least 4 coats which might be why it's taking so long. In hindsight I should have laid down 2 heavier coats, but this was my first airbrushing and it came out pretty nice.

2. Does gloss black enamel leave a better shine than gloss black acrylic, after both have been polished?

3. If I wanted a dark blue metallic finish, or maybe a dark blue pearl finish, without using metallic/pearl blue paint, how would I go about doing that? Is it a 2 or 3 step process. 

4. How many coats do you guys lay down on each model body? And what paint are you using? Do some paints require more coats?

5. Since Dupli-color is an Acrilyc Lacquer, what type of primer does it require?

I'm familiar with the wet sanding process, polishing, etc. But I need help with paints.  Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Source: http://cs.scaleautomag.com/SCACS/forums/thread/962770.aspx

Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell Alberto Ascari Peter Ashdown Ian Ashley