Hello. I have a plan for possibly making a somewhat large diorama depicting a battle scene from somewhere in Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan involving at least 2-4, most likely 3 though, vehicles and multiple figures. I am new to diorama building save for those small shoebox dioramas that you build in kindergarten and first grade. Now I am wondering whether I can or where I can find a diorama base that's large enough to fit this amount of stuff or whether I have to actually cast or build my own base.

If you can help, I'd appreciate it. Need list to say that I would not be starting this immediately. First I would have to accumulate the assorted kits and such. And me not having any money, and a very large hole in my pocket, I would hold off doing this for a little while. So I would have this as a future reference.

Thank you.

Welcome to the world of dioramas, and good luck with your project. Your ambition is commendable, and it's good to see that you already have an idea of the subject you want to portray.
Books and websites will provide you with pics as a reference, and give you ideas. There are a lot of sites with pics from the Afghan civil wars, Operations Enduring Freedom, Desert Shield and Iraqi Freedom and the Iran-Iraq war.
Do you want to build an urban diorama, or something taking place out in the countryside? How many buildings, figures and vehicles are you planning to include in your scene?
Go to yard sales and resale stores to look for inexpensive picture frames, which can be made into bases after you remove the glass. Some are large enough for several buildings and vehicles, even if you intend to work in 1/35th scale. Plaster of Paris and paints can be found at arts and crafts stores. Other items can be purchased online. Try these sites:

http://www.hansasystemsusa.com/products.htm
http://www.milminwh.com/index.htm
http://www.modernarmies-in-miniatures.de/maim_1zu35dioramade3.htm
http://www.royalmodel.com/it/
http://www.rollmodels.com/

I hope this helps you. Good luck!

Thanks. Currently I picture in my mind something on the outskirts of an urban area; so like a farmhouse or something of the sort and wall fencing along a country style/desert area next to a road. Sort of one of these out-of-the-movie looking scenes but obviously... Not out of a movie..

I don't want to discourage you, but large dios are hard to pull off effectively. The hardest part is to make everything interact and make it interresting so it doesn't look like just a bunch of vehicles in an open area. Also, the actual distances, especially between opposing forces can't effectively be depicted in dios. Tanks usually engage at around 2500-3000 meters. This is a huge area to depict in a dio. It is best to build a smaller dio that features the 2-3 vehicles tightly together, or just one vehicle at a time. This is especially true if you have never done dios. Start out small and you can work your way up to something bigger.

I have been trying to build a large dio but I am really going to follow this build to see how you progress in getting to build a large dio.

Happy modeling

No discouragement here. I understand that distance is hard to depict... And I see your point. Originally I planned for 2-3 vehicles but after measuring out the size it would approximately take up, I decided to take your advice, and also out of necessity, and make it smaller. Instead of 2-3 vehicles, I'll only use one and a smaller base. And no tanks. Thanks for the advice.