The Legend of Q
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Diamonds Are Forever Gadgets

Voice Changer

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Blofeld is not dead after all. It must have been one of those tricky doubles that was drowned in goo.
The Bond baddie supreme is played by the bloke who was a good guy with one leg in You Only Live Twice (but never mind that. It also overlooks that Blofeld was a super scientist played by Telly Savalas, the last time we saw him).
Anyway, the real Blofeld is currently holed up in billionaire Willard White’s penthouse mansion, where he remains unseen by the public. The Howard Hughes homage is provided all he needs to carry out one of those dastardly SPECTRE plots involving space ships and bribery etc.
Included in his arsenal is a fantastical voice changing mechanism. It didn’t just make him sound like a slowed down record, it enabled him to have the exact same voice as Willard White. He didn’t even have to learn [simple] impressionist skills.
Blofed described the device thus, “...Someone’s voice patterns and resonance, stored in a small aural signature tape.”
Actually, that was one Blofeld. 
The other Blofeld adds, “A miniature transisterised version is installed in his neck.”
Genius.

Voice Changing Machine

Only a man of Q’s abilities could match such technological gadget mastery. Although modesty would forbid such self-acknowledgement from our hero because even after rare praise from Bond, Q claims, “I made one of these for the kids, last Christmas.”
The Voice Changing machine was a variation on the Talk Box, which was developed in 1969 by Bob Heil as the first high powered mechanism to be used on high level rock music stages. He built the device for Joe Walsh's Barnstorm Tour.
It is hard to imagine that the inspiration for the device used in Diamonds Are Forever, was not inspired by the electronic developments in the music world at the time.
BW Portable Telephone Voice Changer Device - White

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

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The scene is even more memorable for the cat. Well, not so much the cat, but the diamond collar the cat was wearing.
Ingeniously, 007 actually uses one of two very similar cats as a device. He boots it at one of the Blofelds to see whether he is the non-plasticised version. 
The real Blofeld reveals, "Right idea, Mr Bond."
To which 007 replies, "But wrong pussy".

Anyway, back to the collar...


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Photo: Diamonds Are Forever 1971 Danjaq, LLC, & United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved
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