Motorola HT1250 / GP380 Professional Series Two-Way Radio

James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) uses two Motorola radios in The World Is Not Enough (1999): a Motorola HT1250 or GP380 Professional Series and the Motorola TalkAbout TA280 SLK (read more).

The Motorola HT1250 / GP380 Two-Way Radio is only briefly seen. Bond uses the Motorola radio to contact M's Deputy Chief of Staff Charles Robinson (played by Colin Salmon). "Bond to Robinson, do you copy?" After another try, Robinson replies "I read you, 007. Red alert." and he continues to tell Bond that Elektra got away with M.

In identifying Bond's radio we can first assume it's a Motorola since Motorola also provided another walkie-talkie, filming location (Motorola Building, read below) and is thanked in the end credits of the film.

A major identifying feature of the radio is the full keypad that can just be spotted, and the shape of the Channel Selector Knob and Volume Knob, and the red button on top and the four charging connectors on the back.

These features lead to a Motorola GP338 (possibly the AZH25RDH9AA6), GP380, or a Motorola HT1250 AAH25SDH9AA6AN. Unfortunately I don't know which models were available at the time of the filming, which would limit the options that Bond could have been using (if you have any information on this, please send me a message).

The HT1250 is made for North America and the GP338 / GP380 is a model for Europe, Middle East and Africa, so the latter might be more likely since filming took place in the UK and Europe. The models have different specifications and features and might not work in other regions, but visually these models seem to be the same. Read more about the difference between the models in this forum thread.

There are HT1250 / GP380 series models without the full keypad, which is a major visual and practical difference, and there are models with a more modern (thicker and shorter) antenna. The Motorola used by Bond has a thinner, long antenna with thick part at the end, compared to more modern versions of the HT / GP380 series which have a thicker, triangular shaped antenna. The Motorola HT1250 can still be found on eBay, while the GP380 series seems to be much more rare. And look out for different variations of each model.

The Motorola HT1250 / GP380 is a more powerful two-way radio than the Motorola TalkAbout TA280 that Bond uses later in the film, and therefor also more expensive.

For all features, download the HT1250 manual or read this forum thread.

Motorola Building, Swindon

The use of the Motorola radios in The World Is Not Enough was not a coincidence. Motorola Ltd is mentioned in the end credits of the film, not in the "Products and services provided by" section, but just below in the "With thanks to" section. That could be because of the products but also because of the use of the exterior of the Motorola Building in Swindon as a set for the film. Opened in 1998, the then brand new building made a brief appearance in the film (which premiered in 1999) as Elektra King's headquarters. We only see a short exterior shot of the building when M and Robinson arrive with a helicopter. At the Motorola Building, Motorola's GSM radio transmission equipment (mobile phone base stations) were produced during the time that the use of mobile phones was rising sharply. In 2010 Motorola left the building and it is now occupied by medical supplies manufacturer Vygon.

Read more about the other Motorola walkie talkie in the film, the Motorola TalkAbout TA280 SLK, which gets much more screentime in the film than the HT1250 / GP380.

Complete the outfit
Other items used by Bond in the same scene are the HP Jornada 430SE palm computer, Bond's trusted Omega 2531.80.00 Seamaster watch and gold Dunhill cufflinks.