James Bond can be as shrewd and charming as he wants, but everyone knows his name would have been on that memorial wall in the M16 building a long time ago if it wasn’t for the Quartermaster. Q not only has a talent for building the most ingenious toys but he always seems to know exactly what Bond needs for every mission. The 25th James Bond movie is currently being filmed, and we’re hoping it’ll have some cool devices like these classics. The following brilliant gadgets are ranked according to how lethal, clandestine and downright clever they are.
Bagpipe Flamethrower
This device could be a satire of itself. I mean, if you really want to be destructive, just play the thing! Seriously, though, one thing that Pierce Brosnan’s Bond had going for him was some really amazing gadgets. Unfortunately, the bagpipe flamethrower never saw any real action. It was being tested in the background during a scene in The World Is Not Enough when James is being briefed by Q. This would have been amazing to see pop back up during a different film in Scotland, though…
Shark-Inflating Pellet
Jaws was still a couple of years away, but the James Bond franchise is ahead of the curve as always. To be fair there’s a whole menagerie of meat-eating animals that Bond has to contend with in Live and Let Die, so it makes sense that Q would think this might come in handy. Bond, always being creative with Q’s inventions, uses this to dispatch the villain instead, making for a dramatic and messy final scene.
Cigarette And Toothpaste Bomb
License to Kill isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite Bond film, but it has its moments. Watching the renegade spy use this handy gadget is one of the scenes that makes watching this one worth it.
Although this device has only one use, it’s clandestine nature is brilliant. The toothpaste is the plastic explosive and the pack of cigarettes acts as the detonator. These are definitely a little easier to sneak past a villain than flaming bagpipes… If you look closely, you can see the brand of toothpaste is “Dentonite.”
Rolex Submariner
Of course, one gadget that James has for every mission is the watch. Luxury names like Rolex and Omega usually vie for the position, and in Live and Let Die it was the Rolex Submariner. In addition to being a timepiece worthy of the classy spy, this particular watch turns into a saw and has strong magnetic properties. Bond uses the magnetic feature in a way that Q likely did not intend but is so typically Bond that we can’t help but laugh.
Submarine Lotus Esprit
It would have to be a pretty neat machine to be on the same list as the Aston Martin, and it’s all that plus a submarine. In The Spy Who Loved Me, 007 and his Russian counterpart, Agent xxx, switch it up on the cars and helicopter pursuing them by diving into the water.
The car also includes surface to air missiles, land mines, and an ink dispenser in the rear, which Agent xxx uses with some skill to discourage their pursuers. When Bond asks her how she learned how to use the features, she informs him that she stole the blueprints during a previous mission.
Combination Safecracker-Copying Machine
When a spy needs to crack a safe, he’s not after money or valuables. Their mind is on other things, like microfiche or documents. Bond actually uses a similar device on Osato’s safe in You Only Live Twice but it was missing a handy copier feature. The Combination Safecracker-Copying Machine used by Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service could copy the information you wanted so the originals remained in place. Thus, the owners were none the wiser that a theft had taken place.
Trick Briefcase
A more typical kind of spy gadget, as it’s designed to look at something any traveler would carry. This innocent looking briefcase that was part of Bond’s equipment in From Russia With Love. James has to smuggle a Russian defector across the continent and to help him succeed Q gives him a briefcase that contains a rifle complete with sniping scope, 20 rounds of ammunition and a throwing knife. Just in case violence won’t solve your problems, the 20 gold sovereigns also hidden in the case will.
Ericsson Phone
In an example of art imitating life, this might have been the first smartphone. Q put together a cell phone with a screen so James Bond could use it to control his car, among other things, in Tomorrow Never Dies. The phone can also be used as a taser, a lock-pick, and can read fingerprints. Audiences liked the flip design with a screen so much that Ericsson based their next line of real-life phones in the design.
Little Nellie
Its official name is the Wallis WA-116 Agile, and it was operated in the film You Only Live Twice by its creator, Wing Commander Kenneth Horatio Wallis. That’s a real title and name although it sounds like it belongs in the movie.
It’s not exactly a helicopter, either. It’s a mini autogyro, and Q equips it with everything a dangerous spy mission needs, such as guns, rockets, heat-seeking missiles, and rear-mounted flamethrowers.
Aston Martin DB5
It’s already an amazing car, and Q’s modifications have made this elegant motor vehicle a lethal spy machine. Goldfinger and Thunderball featured the immortal Aston Marton along with a myriad of gadgets. The license plates could rotate to match the local laws, the dashboard has a sophisticated homing device that could be compared to modern GPS and that classic passenger ejector seat. The machine guns mounted on the front, tire slashers, bulletproof everything, and a dispenser in the rear that could shoot oil, smoke or water.
