They may not look quite as good in a suit, but some of the greatest stars of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. are the fiendish spy gadgets Henry Cavill and co have in their cunning employ. But while they might seem rather “out-there”, they are no more extraordinary and madcap than some of the real life espionage tools that the spooks used during the Cold War – as this round-up reveals...

Seismic Intruder Detection Device

Spy agency: CIA

Disguised to look like a stone, or something rather softer, this gadget was capable of detecting the vibrations made by any enemy agent up to 300 metres away. Powered by tiny batteries and featuring a built-in antenna, it could alert a CIA operative via a system of coded impulses, thereby enabling him to hotfoot it out of trouble, and avoid falling into the clutches of the KGB.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 7/10

Killer Umbrella

Spy agency: KGB

When operating deep in the heart of Cold War Britain, what better weapon for the KGB hood than something disguised as that most British of things, the brolly? As well as protecting the user from the worst of Blighty’s weather, this particular example is similar to that used to bump off the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov on Waterloo Bridge in 1978. The tip of the umbrella contained a pellet of ricin, which was stabbed into Markov’s leg, causing him to die three days later.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 10/10

Quick getaway: a zip wire scene in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Dragonfly Insectothopter

Spy agency: CIA

In the early 1970s, long before the dawn of drones, the CIA thought small - very small. Designed by the agency’s Office of Research and Development, the Insectothopter was intended to buzz around inconspicuously and, presumably, feed back any intelligence it could gather from its onboard sensors. However, with miniature cameras and microphones still a long way off, it is hard to see what this mechanical dragonfly could have achieved, apart from amusing the Russians.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 0/10

Letter Remover

Spy agency: CIA

Sometimes the simplest devices are the most effective. Of course, people don’t send letters so much nowadays, but before the NSA and GCHQ, this little tool was one way in which the spooks could hack into our correspondence without being rumbled. Featuring some pincers, the device would be inserted into the gap at the top of the envelope, and then the letter itself could be tightly wound around and extricated without breaking the seal. Whether it worked in reverse is another matter.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 5/10

Cyanide Gas Gun

Spy agency: KGB

Another dastardly weapon from behind the Iron Curtain. This savage little gadget could be hidden in a rolled-up newspaper, and then pointed towards the victim’s face. A cyanide capsule would be detonated, and the ensuing rush of gas would cause almost immediate cardiac arrest. It was used by the KGB agent Bohdan Stashynsky to kill two Ukrainian dissidents in Germany in the late 1950s.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 10/10

An underground lab in The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Silver Dollar Concealer

Spy agency: CIA

Many Americans liked to carry around silver dollars as lucky charms. So what better a place to store all those secret bits and bobs than inside such a coin? Though it had a diameter of only one inch, the silver dollar concealer was perfect for hiding a small message - perhaps on a microdot - or a single frame of negative film. Of course, if you were found with a silver dollar, modified or not, behind the Iron Curtain, then you had more or less signed your death warrant. Ironically, this object would have been of more use for a KGB spy operating in the United States.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 1/10

Tyre Spike

Spy agency: CIA

Here’s a nifty little device if you want to let the wind out of a pursuer’s sails, or rather tyres. Just sprinkle a few of these on the road behind you, and they are guaranteed to land spike-side up. A must for the glove compartment of any budding spook, in among the parking tickets and sweet wrappers.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 6/10

Shoe Bug

Spy agency: Romanian Securitate

Everybody knows that the heels of shoes make great hiding places, and during the Cold War the Romanian spooks thought they were on to a winner with this. As many Western diplomats serving in Bucharest were far from keen to buy local shoes, they would normally have them sent from back home. En route, the Romanians would intercept them at the post office, and then install these bugs so that they could monitor conversations in the heart of Western embassies. The fact that we now know they existed means they must have been rumbled.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 4/10

Lipstick Gun

Spy agency: CIA

Designed to look like a very stylish lipstick applicator, this is in fact a one-shot pistol that fires a 4.5mm bullet, resulting in a red mark to rival even the most daring shade of lippy. No self-respecting Cold War CIA female agent would have been without one – ideal for blowing away the most unwanted of suitors from the KGB.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 10/10

Rectal Escape Kit

Spy agency: CIA

The ideal piece of kit should you need to evacuate yourself in a hurry. Stuck behind bars in some KGB prison deep in the heart of Moscow? Then just crouch down, et voila! A perfect set of files, hacksaws and knives that should help you get out of jail free. All that’s lacking is a hammer, which for reasons unknown the CIA boffins didn’t include.

U.N.C.L.E. Factor 9/10

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is in UK cinemas from August 14 (ticket booking from August 11)

Find out more about The Man from U.N.C.L.E. here