The 20 best James Bond gadgets

You never know what's going to come out of the minds of MI6's Q agents. Over the years, this special breed of technician has armed the 007 of the time with all manner of trinkets that may seem like they come from your standard CVS airplane-aisle product assortment, but 10-1 those loofahs and tubes of Sensodyne can severely mess someone up.

As we ready for the 25th movie in the James Bond series, the Daniel Craig-led No Time to Die, EW looks back on the 20 most notable Bond gadgets, from the totally awesome to the totally absurd.

01 of 20

All-Purpose Briefcase

From: From Russia With Love (1963)
Bond era: Sean Connery
Selling point: It's the ultimate all-terrain man purse, like Mary Poppins' bottomless bag but with shell casings instead of Chiclet wrappers. Rifle, ammo, tear gas, money, throwing knife, it's got it all.

02 of 20

Bird Camouflage

James Bond gadgets — Sean Connery's bird wetsuit in 'Goldfinger'. MGM

From: Goldfinger (1964)
Bond era: Sean Connery
Selling point: For those rare occasions when you're trying to be incognito and strap a taxidermy bird to the top of your scuba suit so your enemies think you're just a friendly seagull floating in the water, minding its own business.

03 of 20

Air Pellet

From: Live and Let Die (1973)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: Defy the laws of physics by firing specially pressurized air pellets at a target to make them blow up like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float. Bombs away!

04 of 20

Decapitating Tea Tray

From: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: The greatest 007 gadgets are all about the unexpected. You wouldn't expect a crocodile floating in the nearby water to actually be a submarine (more on that later), and you wouldn't expect a lovely tea set to come with a side of head decapitations.

05 of 20

Hookah Gun

From: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: In case a mission takes an agent deep undercover inside a hookah bar, you don't want to tip off your targets that you're a danger. Just don't get drunk and start flinging this thing around.

06 of 20

Umbrella Trap

From: For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: Q is always coming up with the craziest of contraptions, like this umbrella that turns into a steel trap. Just add water and what your target thinks is protecting them from the rain is actually about to jam a whole bunch of blades into their neck.

07 of 20

Crocodile Submarine

From: Octopussy (1983)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: In terms of functionality, this is an upgrade to the wetsuit-with-bird disguise. No more squeezing your tuxedo into the confines of a wetsuit and then waddling around like a jackass with a bird on your head. Just slip inside this fake croc and sneak into a smuggler's palace.

08 of 20

Snooper, the Robot Dog

From: A View to a Kill (1985)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: Okay, this isn't really a robot dog, but it became one man's best friend. The small yet totally not subtle surveillance bot can transmit audio and video to spy on others. The challenge is not getting the target to notice this ball of metal rolling about the room.

09 of 20

Camera Ring

From: A View to a Kill (1985)
Bond era: Roger Moore
Selling point: One of the more useful gadgets in 007's toy box is a camera ring to covertly monitor his enemies. It comes in handy when you're at a glamorous party with champagne, which offers an excuse to keep your ring hand raised at all times.

10 of 20

Boombox Missile Launcher

From: The Living Daylights (1987)
Bond era: Timothy Dalton
Selling point: When Q wasn't busy making spy trinkets for Bond, he was working on his side hustles, which include making things for the Americans. One such contraption was what he called the "Ghetto Blaster," a boombox that doubles as a missile launcher (and has an extremely unfortunate name).

11 of 20

Man-Eating Couch

From: The Living Daylights (1987)
Bond era: Timothy Dalton
Selling point: Q's mission briefing for this film, in which he runs down 007's latest batch of goodies, ends in spectacular fashion. He asks one of his associates to take a seat on a couch, which promptly gobbles him up. We don't see him again.

12 of 20

Laser Polaroid Camera

From: Licence to Kill (1989)
Bond era: Timothy Dalton
Selling point: Of all of Q's bits and bo(m)bs he introduces in this movie, including the exploding alarm clock that's "guaranteed to never wake up anyone who uses it," is this killer camera. Cozy up to your enemy and pretend like you're taking a photo, then press the flash and burn a hole in their head.

13 of 20

Broom Radio

From: Licence to Kill (1989)
Bond era: Timothy Dalton
Selling point: Nobody's gonna think to search your broomstick for spy equipment. The only downside is you may look like a zany nut when you're caught talking into your broom like a phone.

14 of 20

Exploding Toothpaste

From: Licence to Kill (1989)
Bond era: Timothy Dalton
Selling point: Let's take just a moment to appreciate the name Q gave the exploding toothpaste — Dentonite. Enemies will be dead, but they won't have cavities!

15 of 20

Missile in Leg Cast

From: GoldenEye (1995)
Bond era: Pierce Brosnan
Selling point: Feign weakness then annihilate everyone with the hidden missile inside your fake cast.

16 of 20

Ericsson JB988 Phone

From: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Bond era: Pierce Brosnan
Selling point: This cellular device has Apple and Android beat. Stun gun? There's an app for that. What about a fingerprint scanner? Yep. Lockpick? There's an app for that, too. Remote control for your BMW? Um, what do you think?

17 of 20

Killer Bagpipes

From: The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Bond era: Pierce Brosnan
Selling point: Everyone ignores bagpipes. There's just something about that screeching sound that makes everyone want to avoid eye contact with the one playing them. So, when their backs are turned, that's your cue to hit the flamethrower or machine gun function on your instrument of death.

18 of 20

Avalanche-Proof Ski Jacket

From: The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Bond era: Pierce Brosnan
Selling point: One must always be prepared for a natural disaster. That's why Bond always choose the Q-approved ski jacket with built-in avalanche protection. When you see the snow hurtling it's way towards you, just pop open your inflatable cushioned bubble.

19 of 20

Glass-Shattering Ring

From: Die Another Day (2002)
Bond era: Pierce Brosnan
Selling point: Bulletproof glass got you down? Just turn around your ring hand. This "standard issue" (sure, Q) man piece releases a high frequency that can shatter near unbreakable glass and subdue an assailant. Hear that ringing in your ears? It's the Single Digit Sonic Agitator.

20 of 20

Invisible Car

From: Die Another Day (2002)
Bond era: Pierce Brosnan
Selling point: Harry Potter has his clock of invisibility, but 007 has a car just like it. Cameras and screens reflect the light surrounding the vehicle making it virtually transparent. As we see in the movie, he must always be aware of other drivers, otherwise collisions are guaranteed.

Read more from EW's 25 Days of Bond, a celebration of all things 007 ahead of the release of No Time to Die.

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