Advanced Squad Leader – Hozan Counter Storage

Every ASL player hits the storage problem sooner or later. You’ve got thousands of counters across a dozen nationalities, and they all need a home. This was my third Scouting Report, and it isn’t about a module. It’s about the Hozan B-50 parts case. It’s built for electronic components, but it turns out to be just about perfect for an ASL order of battle. Sorry in advance for all the tapping on the case in the video.

Getting It

IKAS is the US distributor. Other countries may have their own. The B-50 comes in six divider setups, and the B-50-GG is the one I use. It lists at $43.50 and is on sale right now for $36.95.

IKAS also sells a B-50-GG MAX combo for wargamers. It adds five more packs of dividers, so you can fill every compartment. That one lists at $63.25 and is on sale for $49.00. The links are at the bottom of the article.

When I ordered mine, I ended up buying about ten. They came in one big box, and shipping was a flat $10.

What’s in the B-50-GG:

• One case with a clear, snap-shut lid
• Four removable trays on two levels
• Up to 144 compartments, 72 per level
• Four packs of dividers, 60 in all

The Case

It arrives well packed in its own carton. Inside, the case has an upper and a lower level, each split into compartments by removable dividers. With every divider in, you get 72 compartments per level and 144 in all.

The case only comes with 60 dividers, so you can’t divide every slot out of the box. That’s what the MAX combo is for. However, you don’t need every slot for an order of battle anyway, just most of them.

The best part is the size. A complete order of battle fits in one case, and the case is about the size of a Starter Kit box.

Why Hozan?

I did a lot of research before I picked a storage system. Raaco gets a lot of love, but I couldn’t find an easy way to get it shipped in the US. It was also pricey, and the number of compartment options was a little overwhelming.

I also tried some cheap boxes off Amazon. They run $8 to $10 and have around 36 fixed slots. They’re cheap, but you can’t change the slot sizes, so they aren’t very versatile.

Hozans cost more, but I did the math on price per compartment. Most of an order of battle doesn’t need a big slot. Six vehicles don’t need a slot that holds 30. Fill a cheap box with big slots, and you waste most of the space. As a result, four cheap boxes cost about the same as one Hozan, and they hold less in a lot more room.

Organizing an Order of Battle

Here’s how I set up most of my cases. The top level holds the infantry, support weapons, leaders, heroes and concealment counters. The bottom level holds the vehicles and ordnance. A label on the front of each case says what’s inside.

The Americans are one of the biggest orders of battle, especially the infantry. You’ve got the Army, Airborne and Marines, plus all the half-squads. Even so, the whole thing fits in one case, with room to spare.

For the vehicles and ordnance, I scanned the listings from Chapter H and numbered the slots 1 through 72. Then I sorted the counters by vehicle note. A red bracket on the sheet means two types share a slot, since a lot of them only come two to a type. One slot holds eight artillery pieces. If I’m looking for the AFV in slot 13, I just go to slot 13.

Smaller Orders of Battle

Some orders of battle are much smaller. I keep the Japanese and the Chinese in one case. The Japanese get the top level and the Chinese get the bottom, and each fits in a single level. The Allied Minors, the Italians and, I think, the Finns all fit in one level too. Not the Axis Minors, though. They’ve got so many AFVs and ordnance that they need a whole case.

How Much Fits

A double compartment comfortably holds about 40 half-inch counters once they settle in. A single compartment holds about 15, and you can squeeze in 20. I use those for support weapons and half-squads. For 5/8-inch vehicles and ordnance, I keep it to about 12 a slot. Past that, they get hard to get in and out.

Trimmed counters make a big difference. With the corners knocked off, they slide in and out easily. Untrimmed corners tend to catch.

If a scenario needs more than 40 squads, you’re in Campaign Game territory anyway. I keep bags of extras for that, and I doubt I’ll ever need them. My whole ASL collection, every counter, fits in a stack of about eight cases.

Some players say Hozans don’t travel well. On a flight, maybe not. But driving to a friend’s place or a tournament, they should do just fine.

Where to Buy

IKAS: Hozan B-50 Parts Cases (all six setups)

IKAS: Hozan B-50-GG MAX combo (the case plus extra dividers)

Debriefing

The Hozan B-50 isn’t the cheapest way to store counters, but it’s the most efficient one I’ve found. You can set every compartment to the size you need, so nothing goes to waste. A whole order of battle fits in a case the size of a Starter Kit box, and my entire collection fits in a stack about eight cases high.

Number the slots and keep a listing in the lid, and setup goes a lot faster. They aren’t for everybody. If you don’t mind paying a little more up front, though, I love them.

Academy Out!

GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!!

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