Keep On Truckin'

Standard Operating Procedures...

 

Promotional image scanned from the GoldenEye Special Edition DVD.

Natalya's lower back may distract one's attention from the legion of troops at the bottom portion of this "mini-poster".

Pair of trucks in photo with a backdrop that closely resembles the Dam/Runway of Arkangel(sk).
Can't seem to find these vehicles in the movie.
Two different trucks can be briefly seen parked outside the Archives in St. Petersburg.

Definitely perplexed by this image... Was it part of a scene?
It looks a bit to complex to be just a promotional still.

Pretty sure I don't recognize the central figure...
He's a bit heavier-set than the others (so I can only assume he's the ranking Officer).


The tank is obviously familiar military hardware.
In the movie, the soldiers definitely had Jeeps (or something similar, apparently called UAZ 31514).

Although with cardboard cut-outs, bluescreen and other effects, it's hard to say what's actually real.

(A moving Jeep was also something that was intended for the game, and was either never finished nor implemented completely)


It's the pair of trucks has caught my attention....


Of course there's a lone truck at the beginning of the Dam mission in the GoldenEye game. It may help "guide" a new player further into the level, and can be used as cover.

But was the truck completely invented for the game?
Or was it based on something from the movie?



The background of the photo appears to be a snowy landscape with trees - Closer to the Dam and Runway.

Re-watched the GoldenEye movie just to be sure, and couldn't spot a truck anywhere in the Dam-Runway sequences.


Right after Bond breaks out of the Archives, he subsequently steals a tank and takes to the Streets.
A couple of trucks can actually be seen parked in the yard (visible onscreen for about two seconds). These trucks outside the Archives appear different than the ones in the above photo.

The trucks are not part of the chase, but may very well have been the inspiration behind the truck model used in the Dam mission.

Familiar green military truck from the Dam mission.

Following on the heels of a daunting tanker truck chase scene in the previous Bond film License to Kill (Timothy Dalton's Bond versus Drug Lord Franz Sanchez), a truck scene in GoldenEye could have been tough to match...




EDITOR'S NOTE: Stumbled on a page where they've documented practically every single car or truck that's appeared in the entire 007 franchise... Even if the particular vehicle wasn't involved in the action.

https://www.007museum.com/goldeneye.htm


Just browsed the GoldenEye page on a whim, not expecting to find out truck - But there it is!
Parked right outside the Military Intelligence Archives or "Hall of Records".
(In the very same yard that James Bond steals a tank)


The truck in question is apparently a 1977 Ural 4320.

These trucks are often equipped with the big canopy/tarp/shelter/cover on the back - Which definitely changes the overall look of the truck. With this in mind, the pair of trucks on that poster could feasibly be the same trucks parked outside the Archives...



https://findblueprints.com/catalog/cars/ural/ural-4320-truck-1977

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X-Ray Document Scanner

Also of interest:

"Other GoldenEye gadgetry from "Q" banch includes a leather belt with a 75-foot rappelling cord built into the buckle; a gun that fires a piton attached to a power-retractable high tensile wire designed to support Bond's weight; a silver tray which doubles as an X-ray document scanner; a pen that becomes a class-four grenade, and a laser-emitting watch that also serves as an arming device."

-GoldenEye Special Edition DVD Booklet



Mentioned only by name in the GoldenEye movie.
"X Ray Document Scanner"

Q doesn't explain much beyond that, but the viewer gets a brief demonstration.
The device appears to scan an envelope containing Bond's plane ticket to St. Petersburg.


Of particular interest, because this item was mentioned just once - And never mentioned again...
Normally, 007 manages to find a use for every single gadget that Q equips him with.

Time Well Wasted...

A Slice of Satirical Analysis

Q is very much looking forward to his retirement - Far away from 007.

 

Altered this classic Cracked Comic featuring Q and 007.
(The original can be found in Blog Post: Some Light Bondage)

Taking absolutely no credit for the artwork - Simply changed the words pertaining to the pie chart.

GoldenEye 007 "Beta" Stuff
Definitely the motivation to acquire a Gameshark.

It's highly possible that I've spent more time messing with the GoldenEye 007 game than I have actually playing it. While the size of the slice might be exaggerated, it's not that far off...

Destructive Prowess
With twenty tanks to be destroyed in the Bottling Room, one rises to the challenge.

004 (It's Only a Number...)

Q Branch Briefing for Silo Mission
(Game's Sixth Level)

Neat tidbit where Q mentions (former) MI6 Agent 004, alluding to his presumed death in Beirut.

It's particularly interesting because in Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), part of the backstory is that Agent 002 was (coincidentally) killed in Beirut, Lebanon (allegedly by Francisco Scaramanga himself).

An adorable exchange between James Bond (Roger Moore) and Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell):

James Bond: Where was 002 when it happened?
Moneypenny: Beirut. '69. In a cabaret with a lady called Saida.
James Bond: Moneypenny, you are better than a computer.
Moneypenny: In all sorts of ways! But, you never take advantage of them.

(At least he died happy...)


Decades of James Bond history, beginning with books, movies (and subsequently video games). As with any series that's endured this long and spanned various media, some of the details become obscured.

It's also understood that 00 Agent codenames are "re-used" following the death or retirement of a former operative.

James Bond films have featured (at least) two known MI6 Agents with codename 004.
The first was in Thunderball (1965), the next 004 appearance was in The Living Daylights (1987).

The aforementioned 004 in the GoldenEye 007 Silo briefing could feasibly have been the Agent 004 that appeared in Thunderball (portrayed by Frederick Warder ) - Simply because the fate of that character was never revealed.

In The Living Daylights, the story begins with 007 on a mission with 004 and 002.
The other two Agents are killed, with Bond as the sole survivor.

Frost Byte...

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: Bit of useless, obsessive GoldenEye 007 trivia and musings for the hardcore fan.
In the "Surface 2" mission, Q Branch equips Bond with a single "Remote Mine" to destroy the helicopter.


Why not just a timed mine instead?
It's the only instance in the game where Bond doesn't manually detonate a remote mine...

Q BRANCH BRIEFING (SURFACE 2):

While a bit unorthodox, at least the instructions from Q Branch explain exactly what's going on.


Lob the Remote Mine in the chopper, and the countdown begins.

"Standard operating procedure"

Unconventional use of Mines is also alluded to in the Facility - Although the game itself differs from the memo received at the beginning of the mission...

Q BRANCH BRIEFING (FACIITY):
The Q Branch information for the Facility is inconsistent with what actually happens in the finished game - At least in the U.S. (North American) version, where it states that the "bombs will be armed as soon as the last one is set".
In the PAL (European) release, the conflicting text received a subtle rewrite.

Undeniable changes happened with the Facility mission during development, as evidenced by screenshots showing the use of Times Mines.

As one of the first levels to be designed, many things in the Facility were altered over the course of production. Even the basic functionality of the game itself was an ongoing experiment.