Bondesque Magazine #13 now available to order

The latest edition of Bondesque Magazine, issue 13, is now available to order, featuring stories about Diamonds Are Forever in Amsterdam, James Bond’s Saab “Silver Beast”, lost 007 design concepts, early Bond video games and more.

For the new issue, editor-in-chief and author Merlijn Kuiper has deliberately given several stories more room to develop. At a time when online content is becoming increasingly shorter, Kuiper argues that memories, anecdotes and small details are often what give a story its character.

Three articles in issue 13, The Dutch Connection, The Silver Beast and Inada Studios & 007, have therefore been published in their full-length form.

“A good article should engage the reader, a story should have somewhere to go, and every paragraph should add something,” says Kuiper. “But when a subject deserves greater depth, I also want to give it the space it needs.”

This issue contains the following stories:

The Dutch Connection: Amsterdam in Diamonds Are Forever

In the summer of 1971, the production of Diamonds Are Forever came to Amsterdam with Sean Connery as James Bond.

What was originally intended to be a more extensive visit was eventually reduced to a short weekend. On 3 July 1971, filming took place at several Amsterdam locations, including the Magere Brug and Reguliersgracht.

Using reports from Dutch newspapers, the article looks at the production’s original plans and how they changed during filming.

The Silver Beast: Bond’s Saab with gadgets

When John Gardner brought James Bond into a new era with the 1981 novel Licence Renewed, Bond’s traditional Bentley was replaced by something quite different: a Swedish Saab hatchback.

Thanks to Gardner’s interest in cars and input from technical specialists, the Saab became one of the most distinctive cars in the literary Bond world.

The article follows the development of the “Silver Beast” through Licence Renewed, For Special Services and Icebreaker, covering its gadgets, rallying influences and promotional appearances.

Inada Studios & 007: The lost James Bond concepts

In the early 2000s, Inada Studio developed a new visual identity for James Bond, beginning with promotional work surrounding Die Another Day.

Posters, advertisements, digital applications and a large-scale campaign around Shibuya Station followed. The work attracted the attention of MGM Home Entertainment and EON Productions, leading to further concepts including a twenty-disc DVD collection and the 007 Insignia Project.

Many of these ideas were never fully released, and the article explores the lost concepts and designs created during this period.

Saltzman and the FBI

In 1964, Bond producer Harry Saltzman hoped to collaborate with the US government and FBI during the production of Goldfinger.

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover rejected the proposal, but the Bureau nevertheless monitored the production and compiled files relating to Saltzman, Ian Fleming and EON Productions.

Hoover also objected to references to the FBI in the film. Ultimately, however, the Bureau remained largely behind the scenes.

From Ballet to Bond: Andreas Wisniewski interview

German actor and former ballet dancer Andreas Wisniewski, best known to Bond fans as Necros in The Living Daylights, looks back on his role in an extensive new interview.

Wisniewski discusses his casting, the film’s fight choreography and working with Timothy Dalton and director John Glen.

He also recalls filming in Morocco and Vienna, as well as the spectacular aeroplane sequence in which he spent hours suspended in a net beneath the aircraft.

Licence to Game: Bond’s first digital adventures

Issue 13 also introduces Licence to Game, a new series exploring James Bond’s history as a video game character.

Long before GoldenEye 007, Bond had already appeared on home computers and games consoles.

The first article covers the period from Shaken But Not Stirred in 1982, the first officially licensed James Bond game, through to Licence to Kill in 1989, examining how early developers tried to translate the world of 007 into interactive entertainment.

Fleming’s Inspiration: From Russia, with Love

Another feature looks at the real-world influences behind Ian Fleming’s From Russia, with Love.

The article explores Fleming’s experiences in Istanbul, his background in British intelligence and the people and places that influenced the novel.

It also examines the Orient Express, Soviet espionage and cryptography, showing how Fleming combined real experiences and contemporary intelligence themes with fiction.

GoldenEye 1989

In October 1989, Bond fan Kevin Koltz visited Goldeneye in Jamaica, Ian Fleming’s former home, with a group of friends.

At the time, there were no smartphones or digital cameras, and Goldeneye had yet to become the luxury resort it is today.

Koltz documented the journey with photographs and personal memories while also visiting several Bond-related locations. More than three decades later, the images offer a fascinating time capsule of Goldeneye and Jamaica before the property’s transformation.

Bondesque Magazine #13 contains 64 pages and is available in separate Dutch and English editions.

The cover price is €11.95, excluding shipping, with worldwide delivery available. Shipping costs vary depending on the destination and number of copies ordered.

Delivery of issue 13 is expected to begin at the end of October 2026.

Order Bondesque Magazine #13 at the Bondesque Magazine website.
 

About Bondesque Magazine

Bondesque Magazine is an independent, non-profit magazine dedicated to the world of James Bond.

Founded in the Netherlands in 2011, the magazine covers not only the Bond films, but also the novels, locations, history, actors and other aspects of the 007 world.

Originally published only in Dutch, Bondesque now also produces a separate English-language edition for its growing international readership.

The magazine is led by editor-in-chief Merlijn Kuiper, with Gosse Drent serving as creative consultant.

Bondesque Magazine is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the official James Bond rights holders.