The Gadgets Page

Where would Bond be without the remarkable gadgets provided by Q branch? Stabbed, shot, blown up, crushed, incinerated and otherwise inconvenienced a thousand times over. For many years, Q has come up with the most ingenious gadgets imaginable, from the tiniest minuturised electronic wizardry to the guns and weapons that have saved 007's life on numerous occasions.

The Q Branch Gadgets

The Briefcase

Making its only appearance in From Russia With Love, Bond's standard issue briefcase was the first, and perhaps the most authentic, of his spy gadgets. Equipped with a flat bladed throwing knife, 50 gold sovereigns, 20 rounds of ammunition, an AR7 folding sniper's rifle and a canister of tear gas, the briefcase came to Bond's rescue when held at gunpoint by Red Grant.

The Tape Recorder

A tape recorder cleverly disguised as a movie camera, Bond uses this Q branch gadget in From Russia With Love to take details of the Lektor decoder from Tatiana Romanova. When MI6 confirm that the description is genuine, they authorise Bond's mission to retrieve the decoder and the girl at any cost.

The Homing Transmitter

A very powerful homing device used by Bond to follow Goldfinger's Rolls Royce from a distance. The transmitter's frequency could be picked up by the receiver in 007's specially modified Aston Martin DB5.

The homing device's smaller brother fits neatly into the heel of Bond's shoe so that he can be tracked down when deeply entrenched in an undercover operation. In Goldfinger, 007 tries to use it to send a coded message to his allies, but his note never gets to Felix Leiter.

Bond's Rebreather

A small underwater breathing device, this is one gadget that saves Bond's life. In Thunderball, 007 escapes certain death in Largo's shark pool by using the rebreather to avoid drowning whilst swimming to safety. It again comes to his aid later in the mission when he engages Largo's henchmen in an epic underwater battle.

The Rocket Cigarette

This innocuous looking cigarette hides a tiny, explosive rocket which can easily be activated once the cigarette is lit. A simple idea, but highly effective when Bond is being held at gunpoint by Blofeld in You Only Live Twice.

007's Mini Camera

Ideal for undercover work, this mini camera can be secreted anywhere. When posing as an investigator for the missing Moonraker shuttle, 007 uses this personalised version of the Q branch camera to take valuable pictures of blueprints from the Venini glass plant.

The Wrist-Dart-Gun

Making its appearance in Moonraker, Bond's dart gun was worn around the wrist, like a watch, and could be triggered by nerve impulses. It came with 5 blue-tipped armour piercing darts and 5 red-tipped darts which were cyanide coated. The dart gun saved Bond's life twice: once when inside a gravity simulator being subjected to 13Gs and again when held at gunpoint by Hugo Drax.

The Keyfinder

An ordinary looking key ring attachment, Q-branch made some clever audio-actuated modifications to the Philips keyfinder featured in The Living Daylights. When armed, the first bar of 'Rule Britannia' would cause the keyfinder to eject a concentrated stun gas to disorientate an enemy. Bond's keyfinder was also packed with explosives primed to blow when activated by his personalised signal - a wolf whistle. Skeleton keys which could open 90% of the world's locks also came attached to the keyfinder.

The Piton Gun

This powerful piton gun is used by 007 to remarkable effect in GoldenEye. A grapple is shot out at high velocity and can lodge into most materials. A high tensile wire connects the grapple to a powerful motor on the gun which retracts the grapple. It also features a laser attachment on top of the gun which can cut through metal at close range.

The Pen

This rather smart looking pen is actually a class four grenade. The four second fuse is armed by clicking the button three times in quick succession. A small gadget which has a devastating effect in GoldenEye.

The Phone

An ordinary looking mobile phone, in Tomorrow Never Dies, Q branch have enhanced the Ericsson so that it is now packed with features. The display is a fingerprint scanner, and it also hides a powerful electric stun gun. The best comes, however, when the phone is flipped open and can be used to drive Bond's BMW.

Bond's Watches

Rolex

Equipped with an incredibly powerful electro-magnet which could 'deflect the path of a bullet', Bond's Rolex featured prominently in Live and Let Die. The watch also had a serrated face which rotated at high speed to turn it into an incredibly useful cutting device, which allowed Bond save both himself and Solitaire being fed to a pool full of hungry sharks.

Seiko

Bond's first gadget laden Seiko appeared in Moonraker. Packed with plastic explosive, the watch could be set to go off "bang on time". The watch allowed Bond and Dr. Goodhead to escape from being cremated below Drax's Moonraker 5 space shuttle.

Seiko

Bond had another Seiko in Octopussy, equipped with a directional locator which picked up the frequency emitted by a tiny transmitter hidden inside a Faberge Egg.

Omega

Worn by 007 in GoldenEye, this very stylish Omega Seamaster Professional Diver's Watch has a laser hidden in its dial, which helps 007 escape from the villain's private train when it has been set to blow up. It also acts as the remote detonator for Bond's explosive devices.

The Q Branch Vehicles

Q has provided many types of customised vehicle for 007, including cars, boats and jet-skis. Always enabling Bond to make a clean getaway, the Q-branch vehicles have plenty of optional extras.

Bond's Jet Pack

Following the success of the gadget laden Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, gadgets made a strong return in Thunderball. Conveniently hidden on the roof top for a quick escape, Bond's jet pack allows him to evade the pursuing guards in the pre-title sequence. As usual, a nifty gadget used in a Bond film long before it became a reality.

Little Nellie

A wonderful little girl, Little Nellie was an autogyro which could be assembled from four leather cases to become a small, manouverable one-man helicopter. Little Nellie appeared in You Only Live Twice, armed with twin forward-firing machine guns, rocket launchers, rear-firing flame throwers, aerial mines and heat-seeking missiles.

Jet Ski

Q thinks of everything. In The Spy Who Loved Me, he ensures that, even on a submarine, Bond has delivery of an unassembled jet ski. Very handy to have when you're stuck in the middle of the ocean and you need to get somewhere in a hurry. Bond utilises the vehicle in an attempt to save XXX from Atlantis, the underwater lair of Karl Stromberg.

Gondola

For 007, a pleasant trip along the canals of Venice can always turn into trouble, so Bond's gondola is equipped ready for action. In Moonraker, when danger threatens, the gondola's outboard motor helps Bond make a fast getaway, and it turns neatly into a hovercraft when 007 decides to leave the canals for a cruise through the streets of the historic city.

Speedboat

Making it's one and only appearance in Moonraker, Bond's specially modified speedboat took him up the Amazon and past Drax's guards to his secret hideaway. Optional extras on this lovely looking craft include floating mines, torpedoes and a hanglider hidden in the roof just in case you get that sinking feeling.

The Q Branch Weapons

Beretta

007's weapon of choice, his .25 calibre Beretta was taken from him in Dr. No when M called in the armourer for advice. Although Bond liked the gun, it had failed him on a mission (it had caught in his clothes when he tried to draw it from his shoulder holster) and needed to be replaced. Major Boothroyd (played by Peter Burton and named after the Major who had consulted with Fleming on Bond's choice of handgun) suggested the perfect weapon for a secret agent - conceable, yet powerful, and Bond's Beretta was replaced with the now legendary Walther PPK.

Walther PPK

Bond's classic gun, the Walther PPK is introduced in Dr. No when 007's Beretta is replaced by Major Boothroyd, the armourer of the secret service, after a nasty incident when it jammed. Ever since, it has become legendary as the weapon of a secret agent. It's small size with a flat design make it ideal for concealment and the 7.65mm calibre with a 6 round magazine pack a powerful punch. The PPK was introduced in the early 1930's and was initially marketed as a pistol for the German "Criminal Police" (undercover detectives). Ian Fleming chose it as Bond's weapon after consulting with a weapons expert named Boothroyd.

Walther P99

A new design based on the classic PPK, the Walther P99 is a 9mm double action semiautomatic pistol. The P99, which appears in Tomorrow Never Dies, has a 10 round magazine, yet still maintains the small size and flat design that made the PPK an ideal weapon of concealment for undercover operatives. The gun is also available with a 16 round magazine (for law enforcement only) and the trigger is both single- and double-action.

44 Magnum

Making a solitary appearance in Live and Let Die, 007 takes a .44 Magnum into the fields of St. Monique to save Solitaire from ritual sacrifice at the hands of the evil Dr. Kananga. A 6-shot revolver, the magnum packs considerably more punch than Bond's smaller, concealable handguns. As Dirty Harry said, it's "the most powerful handgun in the world".

The Signature Gun

A high velocity sniper's rifle disguised as a camera, this gun also has a ingenious handgrip which can read the palm print of the hand holding the gun. Once this signature has been set, the gun can only be used by its owner. In Licence To Kill, Bond tries to use the gun to assassinate drug dealer Franz Sanchez, is stopped by Hong Kong narcotics agents, but his life is saved by the gun's special signature.

Other Gadgets

Klebb's Poisoned Shoes

Cleverly concealed in the guise of a cleaning lady, Rosa Klebb kept a special surprise in the sole of her shoes. In a swift transformation from chamber maid to deadly assassin, a poisoned blade emerged from the toe of her right shoe with nothing more than an innocuous click of the heels. From Russia With Love's Russian SPECTRE agent finally met her end at the hands of Tatiana Romanova after she'd had her kicks.

Fiona Volpe's Motorbike

In Thunderball, when Count Lippe fails in his attempts to dispose of the interfering 007, the SPECTRE wheels of revenge swing in to motion in the form of the beautiful but deadly SPECTRE assassin, Fiona Volpe, who has a gadget laden vehicle of her own. Approaching quickly behind Lippe's car, with a flick of a switch, the on-board rockets soon put an end to Lippe and Volpe then proceeds to dispose of the evidence.

Scaramanga's Golden Gun

Perhaps one of the most cleverly concealed weapons used by any of Bond's enemies, Scaramanga's Golden Gun (featured in The Man With The Golden Gun) was made up from a cigarette box, a lighter, a pen and a cuff link. These otherwise unremarkable components could be easily assembled to form Scaramanga's trademark gun.

Back to Main