By: Blake Powers, Agent 00280
Station C – Chicago: Agent 00280 ‘BondLifeChicago’ reporting for duty.
007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond is being held at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. In a time where Bond fans are starving for new Bond content, and hanging onto every new article for hopes of news on Bond 26, Eon Productions and the Ian Fleming Foundation have provided fans with a new look into the world of James Bond.
What Will You See?
“They’ve got gadgets and gismos aplenty… they’ve got whosits and whatsits galore!” … Sorry, I think that’s the wrong film franchise!
But in all seriousness, this exhibit has countless amounts of Bond fans’ favourite Q-Branch gadgets and explains the science that it took to make these items, and in some cases how these gadgets were inspiration for tools used by real life spies in the world of espionage. Without listing out every single thing you will see at the museum, let me give you a brief description of what you are instore for.
The exhibit has a handful of Bond cars and vehicles for amazing close up views. Having been to the Bond in Motion exhibit that is touring through the United States, I will say that several of the vehicles are the same, however the display, in my opinion was better in the 007 Science exhibit, showing a view of the full chase that the vehicle was involved in. I found that this provided a full idea of the action sequence and all of the hard work and “science” that it took to create the movie magic on the scene. Us 00s know what these vehicles are capable of, but the scenes accompanied with the vehicles offers a casual fan or novice the change to connect the vehicles to the action. There were some new vehicles in this exhibit that are not a part of the Bond in Motion tour that I had never seen before as well.
The Q-Branch gadgets that help Bond save the world on a regular basis were a sight to see. These items could have been a Bond themed museum exhibit all to themselves. Items ranging from Bond’s pager in From Russia with Love to Paloma’s hidden compartment in her lipstick containing their earpieces, Q’s leg cast missile launcher and everything in-between! Well almost everything… I can’t promise you that every single Q-Branch gadget will be in this exhibit, but many of the iconic favorites certainly are. And one of my favorite parts about the science behind these gadgets was the connection between real world spycraft and items Bond uses in the films. Bond adventures offer us fans a bit of escapism into a world we might not all be able to dive into, but the constant connections to reality make that escapism as realistic and obtainable as possible. They even had Rosa Klebb’s poison tipped shoe knife, if you get my point?!
Fun For Everyone
Maybe you want to bring the family to the museum with you when you check out this exhibit?
For those planning to bring their children, or even their own inner child to experience the exhibit, there were a lot of fun interactive activities throughout the exhibit. Ranging from being able to recreate some of our favourite Bond stunts by selecting the speeds and angles of vehicles and ramps in order to make the stunt successful to being able to create our own spycraft item with Q-Branch that fits a specific mission. There were even two different code breaking challenges, and several other interactive screens!
These activities provided something to draw my son (seven years old) back to some of the cool things we were experiencing, and were spaced out well throughout the exhibit to not create a large crowd in any specific spot.
Be sure to ask the museum employee at the entrance of the exhibit for a scavenger hunt sheet, so you have another fun challenge to do with your group as you explore the exhibit!
The Cost
A couple things to keep in mind when planning your trip to the museum… First of all, this exhibit is a special exhibit that requires a separate ticket to gain entry. Also note that the exhibit ticket and the ticket to enter the museum are two tickets. Meaning if you are planning your visit online you will need to buy both a general museum entry ticket as well as a 007 Science exhibit ticket.
Now what is it going to cost to get in you might ask?
General admission into the museum is:
- Adults: $25.95
- Children: $14.95
007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond:
- Adults: $18
- Children ( Age 3-11 ): $14
- VIP pass: +$10 to entry ticket
The VIP pass to the exhibit includes a laminated ticket pass along with a 007 Science/MSI Chicago lanyard. You will have an unlimited time limit and unlimited entries into the exhibit for that day, and you will also receive a 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond element chart poster.
In conclusion, if you can make it to Chicago to check this exhibit out before it leaves in October 2024 I would highly recommend it! It offers a unique and new look into the world of James Bond. You will learn something new, and you will get close up looks at some AMAZING and authentic James Bond gadgets and cars that you won’t see anywhere else!
Last modified: 13 January 2026
