Ret. Staff Sergeant Hank Robinson served with the 158th Infantry Battalion & 2/2 Infantry Battalion | The 2016 SEMA Show was filled with amazing displays of horsepower and skill. There were also many heartwarming stories, tearful memories, and cars that were built as a tribute to someone's lost father, brother, child or spouse. At first glance, the 2016 Ford H-150 Freedom Blues SEMA show truck could easily fall into the tribute category. Its all aluminum body is engraved with images that pay homage to the men and women in the U.S. military. These heroes risk their lives to keep us safe, and this big blue truck will certainly remind you of what our freedom can cost. But there's more to this truck than just custom wheels, a trick interior, and engraved artwork. It's 2 tons of rumbling proof that a soldier really can survive civilian life.Before you can understand the Freedom Blues truck, you have to meet the man behind it: Hank Robinson. He was a Staff Sergeant with the 158th Infantry Battalion and 2/2 Infantry Battalion, and has been deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo. In his decade of service, Hank received numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal for valor, Army Commendation Medal for valor, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. But when he finally returned to civilian life in 2011, Robinson struggled. "When I got out, the transition was pretty tough. You know, trying to find your place, and that stability in life." 
It took Hank Robinson over 800 hours to engrave all of the images on his 2016 F-150 | For many combat veterans, re-entering civilian life isn't as easy as it might seem. They've somehow managed to stay one step ahead of death, while their brothers fell all around them. Gunfire from a sun drenched rooftop, an IED hidden alongside the road, women and children running for their lives as a gunfight erupts on their once peaceful street. There's literally a thousand ways in a war zone, and surviving a deployment can require an inner fortitude that no civilian could possibly grasp. Then one day they just get on a plane, and it's suddenly Peyton Manning commercials, traffic jams, and a Big Mac combo whenever the mood strikes. The excitement of starting a new life is meaningless for some of our war heroes, because they're still stuck in survival mode. This is why Hank Robinson decided to take a metalworking class in 2011. And as luck would have it, engraving turned out to be his ticket to a normal life. 
One of the actual combat photos used to create the artwork on Hanro Studios Freedom Blues Ford F-150 | For 2015, the completely redesigned Ford F-150 featured the world's first application of a full aluminum body in the light-duty pickup segment. This gave owners a weight savings of up to 700 lbs, which translated into significant gains in both fuel economy and performance. It also provided Hank Robinson with the perfect palette to show off his engraving skills. Unlike steel, aluminum is softer and much easier to work with. So when Mr. Robinson applies the tip of his Dremel tool to this metal, he's able to carve out an incredible level of detail. "When I made my first piece, they (a family member) absolutely loved it. And it was kinda that warm & fuzzy feeling you know? It just clicked." Mastering the art of engraving didn't take Hank very long, and he started Hanro Studios out of his garage in 2011. Engraving helped to fill a void for this Veteran Infantry Squad Leader. The escape of working with his own two hands helped shift Robinson's focus from the past, to future projects and new ideas. "In order to build a new life, you've got to find something that you love, really honestly think about it. Find something that makes you happy, then try to focus on it to where you can do it as a hobby, or as a career. Then stick with it, don't give up on it. You have to put in the time and you have to put in the effort, you have to really work at it." And work at it he did. Hanro Studios went from selling engraved gifts online, to creating full-on custom pieces for celebrities, sports stars and musicians. In only a few short years, Hanro Studios outgrew Robinson's garage, so he moved into a 16,000 sq-ft space with FX Auto Body in Avondale, Arizona. This has allowed Hank to collaborate with FX owner Troy Buck on some wicked-cool projects. Like the Ford F-150 Freedom Blues truck they created for the 2016 SEMA Show. 
Roadwire leather interior & custom American Flag Headliner in the Hanro Studios Freedom Blues F-150 | This ambitious show truck started life as a Charcoal Gray 2016 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0, and after 3-months of work, was transformed into a literal rolling piece of art. To give the F-150 Freedom Blues some serious altitude, a McGaughys 6.5 lift was installed, along with custom engraved E-Line series brake rotors from R1 Concepts, and 22x14 American Force wheels wrapped in knobby Nitto Trail Grappler tires. Troy Buck then airbrushed special black details onto the wheels to make them really pop. He also did all the cool 'H-150' logos, and he airbrushed an American flag, bald eagle, and a Veterans memorial onto the door jambs. This flag motif flows into the Roadwire leather interior and custom American Flag Headliner that was designed and installed by Kevin Kinsey and Hank Robinson. The custom matte blue paint was created by House of Kolor, and Troy even color matched the Anzo USA headlight housings before fitting laser engraved lenses from West Coast Retrofit (one lens features the WCR logo, and the other is engraved with the Hanro Studios logo). Other notable features include Vision X lights, Fab Fours Vengeance bumpers and roof rack, a Royalty Kore Grille and Amp Research power folding side steps. 
Robinson even engraved an American flag onto the K&N 77-2591KP high-flow air intake tube | To make the 2016 Ford F-150 Freedom Blues SEMA truck perform as good as it looks, Hank fitted an SCT tuner, custom engraved Gibson exhaust, and a K&N 77-2591KP high-flow air intake system. Not only does this low-restriction air intake add an estimated 13-hp to the 2016 F-150 5.0L. But Robinson even engraved an American flag onto the aluminum K&N intake tube so it would blend with the rest of his rolling masterpiece. "K&N has the best performance products on the market, and I've been using K&N filters on my personal rides for years. They add power, they last forever, and K&N's always supported me. So there was no question the Freedom Blues truck had to have an engraved K&N intake".Besides all of the incredible modifications and paintwork, what really makes the 2016 F-150 Freedom Blues truck standout is the engraved body. He worked with actual combat photos that depict what it's like to serve in the different branches of the U.S. military. Hank then spent over 800 hours engraving these pictures onto the body of the truck. The hood, fenders, doors, tailgate and more were all touched by Robinson's artistic hand. He even engraved some of artwork in front of live audiences at the 2016 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. And you might expect, there was an outpouring of appreciation from both active and retired military members, and their families. Not only were they blown away by the engravings, but Robinson's message of hope and determination resonated with many of them. It still surprises this soft-spoken soldier how many people find him to be "inspiring". However, he reckons that "if you focus on something and don't give up, someone may see what you're doing and realize they can do it too." 
The 2016 F-150 Freedom Blues on display at the 2016 SEMA Show | Starting in 2017, Hank Robinson and his 2016 Ford F-150 Freedom Blues show truck will be appearing at truck shows throughout the country. To find out where Hank will be appearing, you can like the Freedom Blues page on Facebook. We at K&N would like to thank Mr. Robinson for his service to our country, and we encourage all active and retired service men and women to go check out the Freedom Blues F-150 in person. Because it's not only cool to look at, but it could also inspire you to find something new to love about life. |
