FREE ESSAY ON AND THIS I AM PROUD OF

AND THIS I AM PROUD OF

"And this I am Especially Proud of"
- Q
Introduction - Throughout the years, the weapons and gadgets that have come from the
hands of the Q Branch, has never turned James Bond down, they are the coolest and are the
best in spy paraphernalia.
I. Bond's choice of equipment
A. Walther PPK
B. Aston Martin DB5
C. Watches
II. Comparison to some spy gadgets of the army
A. Bond's popular equipment
B. Military's popular equipment
III. As technology continues to grow
A. Weapons will get better
1. Equipment from newer movies
a. Goldeneye
b. Tomorrow Never Dies 
B. Gadgets of the older movies
C. Other items of Q's Lab
IV. What do we expect of Bond
A. More high tech weapons and gadgets
B. A new head for the Q Branch
C. A lot more excitement
Conclusion - Finally, the weapons and gadgets of James Bond will still continue to
astonish the entire world, and it will still do so as many more films are produced in the
near future.
"And this I am Especially Proud of"
- Q
"I think we've met." These were the words of James Bond as he stepped into his talking
BMW 750IL during the movie Tomorrow Never Dies. Throughout the years, the weapons and
gadgets that have come from the hands of the Q Branch, has never turned James Bond down,
they are the coolest and are the best in spy paraphernalia. If someone would try to
compare Bond's gadgets to gadgets of the military, Bond would win ten to one.
Of course, as technology changed and time passed, the Q Branch developed better
equipment, but many of the classic gadgets are still obsolete in a technology driven
world we live in today. For example, Bond's old Aston Martin DB5 can out run a Ferrari
355 F1 Spider that was demonstrated in the movie Goldeneye. (Ultimate James Bond Page
http:jmsbond.tripod.com) As the James Bond story continues, the better and better the
gadgets will get. The best thing about the gadgets of the Q Branch is that they will
always be unique. 
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Probably the only weapon James Bond will never forget is his trusty handgun. His Walther
PPK has stayed by his side since 
he was injured when his old berretta jammed during a mission. The PPK stands for Polizei
Pistole Kriminal and was made by Waffenfabric Walther of Zella Mehlis. (Blair and
Tarassuk 379) It used a 7.2-millimeter bullet and the gun has also been called the
Walther PP7. It is enclosed in a strong steel casing and packs a punch like a brick being
thrown at a window. Another reason why it is a choice for James Bond is that it can be
fitted with a silencer that reduces the noise of the gun for those really discreet
missions.
Next, if you are the world's most sophisticated secret agent, then you better drive like
it. That is why Bond drives an Aston Martin. (The Complete James Bond Interactive
Dossier) This England based company that is owned by Jaguar Motor Company has been making
very fast and luxurious sports cars for the past century. This beautiful gold DB5 is the
first car that he was received in the movie "Goldfinger". (The Complete James Bond
Interactive Dossier) It had a bullet proof screen in the rear, tire shredders that came
out of the wheel, machine guns in the headlights, and a passenger ejection seat that was
controlled by a hidden button in the gear shift knob. Bond has also driven other cars
such as his Lotus Espirit, that could turn into a 
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submarine, machine guns in the license plate, and a self destruct for all car burglars.
The Aston Martin Volante was another famous vehicle Bond used. (Ultimate James Bond Page
http://jmsbond.tripod.com) It had a police signal scanner, rocket boosters for those
tense moments, cutting lasers in the wheels, and could be converted to a snow mobile
which the flick of a button. Now to the cars of the future, starting with the BMW Z3,
that was driven in the movie "Goldeneye". It had a beautiful Atlantic Blue color that was
completely mesmerizing. (Internet BMWUSA) It also had a self-destruct mode and stinger
missiles in the headlights, but they were not used. The second edition to Bond's BMW
collection was his fully armed and armored BMW 750IL in the "Tomorrow Never Dies". (BMW
USA www.bmwusa.com) This car had spikes hidden inside the rear bumper, missiles in the
sunroof, bulletproof glass, wire cutter in the BMW emblem. To top all of this off, Bond
had the luxury of leather and wood grain in the interior to put the final touches of this
popular automobile. Currently in the movie "The World is not enough," Bond sports the new
BMW Z8 roadster that is about to be released as a production car in the U.S. in the
upcoming month. (BMW USA www.bmwusa.com)
Secondly, if you are a top class secret agent you need to dress like one too. That is why
you do not see just anything on 
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Bond's wrist, only the best. One famous watch was Bond's Rolex that was modified by the Q
Branch. It contained a very powerful magnet that could deflect a bullet and also had a
bezel that spun around very fast, so it could be used as saw. (The Ultimate James Bond
Page http://jmsbond.tripod.com) In later missions, the Q Branch began to cut back in fine
equipment, because of one reason. Bond never brought the item back in one piece! His
second watch was a Seiko. It was able to receive messages and printed out on a small thin
piece of paper. Bond's second Seiko watch had a plastic explosive built right inside of
it, so that it could be easily used when things got desperate. Then all of a sudden, the
Q Branch started to use top class equipment. It was as if they had won the lotto. In the
movie "Goldeneye", Bond received an Omega watch that is just loaded with dozens of toys.
It could detonate mines, contained a cutting laser, and a tiny explosive that could be
used to break windows or other glass items. The best thing about this watch was that Bond
actually brought it back, and it was still on his wrist. 
One unique thing about a group of Bond's equipment is that they are simple and are
completely ingenious. Some examples from this group was a manta ray cover that could be
used under water so that he wouldn't be detected by radar. Another gadget Q produced,
were two cast like mechanisms that could be lethal 
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weapon when used. One was a cast of a leg that was a rocket, and a cast of an arm the
split in half, smashing anything on the side of it. Finally, a classic gadget was the
alligator submarine. This full size alligator transported Bond across rivers during the
movie "Octo*censored*". 
Now many people believe that the army and other organizations of the U.S. also have these
spy gadgets like Bond, but that may not be completely true. Currently, most of the top
equipment of the army are compact night vision glasses that are being produced for
missions in the night. As you can see, Bond is way passed the stage of night vision. He
has gadgets ranging from a rifle in a ski pole to an X-Ray safe cracker. For example,
plastic explosives can come in many forms, but in a tube of Dentonite toothpaste and is
detonated by a pack of cigarettes. Of course like Q said, "Use Sparingly," this
toothpaste will blow the teeth out of anyone who gets in its way. No one else would like
to take pictures than James Bond with his new Hasselblad wide format camera/sniper rifle.
The viewfinder was used as a scope and the barrel was attached to the lens that
guaranteed a Kodak moment every time. For all writers, a nice Parker pen that was also a
class three grenade, guaranteed to give that person a writers block for a long time. All
it took was three simple clicks to arm and another two to 
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disarm. Just don't catch yourself writing without an arm! For those times Bond has been
captive, nothing has been better than a Mont Blanc fine writing instrument. People always
get angry when ink squirts out of fountain pens, but what if it is a highly corrosive
acid? Finally, for those daring escapes, Bond is equipped with a rappelling belt that has
a special high tech wire that is no thinner that a piece of yarn and can hold the weight
of two people. 
As time passes so does technology, and in a world we live in today technology changes
everyday. As more Bond films are made the better equipment there will be also. If you
compared the gadgets from the first movie "Goldfinger", to the newest "The World is not
enough" you can see a major step in technology, but one thing will never change. The
perfect craftsmanship that Q and the Q Branch puts on every piece of equipment that comes
to their lab. You will also soon be seeing a new Q. The current Q died in a tragic
accident in London just a month ago right after the release of "The World is not enough."
Another thing you will never miss in Bond films is the excitement, and that will always
stay true. Finally, the weapons and gadgets of James Bond will still continue to astonish
the entire world, and it will still do so as many more films are produced in the near
future. 
Bibliography
Blair, Cluade and Tarassuk Leonid. "The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapon"
Crown Publisher 1929: 379
The Complete James Bond Interactive Dossier "Gadgets Section" (CD-Rom) 1996
The Complete James Bond Interactive Dossier "Vehicles Section" (CD-Rom) 1996
The Ultimate James Bond Site. "Quotes and Gadgets" Online.Internet. 14 March 2000
available Http://www.007.com
BMW USA "Build Your BMW, Z3" Online.Internet. 1 March 2000 
Available Http://www.bmwusa.com
"Tomorrow Never Dies." Movie. MGM Studios and United Artists 1997
"Goldeneye." Movie. MGM Studios and United Artists 1994
007-The Ultimate James Bond Page. "Quotes and Q Branch" Online.Internet. 1 March 2000
Available Http://jmsbond.tripod.com