Long John Silver is the only character in the Super Pirates line based on Literature, Robert Lewis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” to be exact.
However Mego made the character a good deal more handsome than he’s ever been portrayed in film, he’s usually a touch shabbier.
Mego went all out including a peg leg, a sword, knife and a parrot!
Seperated at birth?
It’s believed that Long John Silver and Green Arrow share the same base sculpt. The facial details are distinctly different but the hair is the same. The detail on Silver’s hair is a little softer, so it’s possible that he was a copy of GA.
A type 1 and type 2 Long John Silver, note that the peg leg is reversed.
The Super Pirates were only released in these deluxe window boxes.
Each had the same painted cardboard insert and the figures were
secured to the insert with white twist ties.
The box backs feature photographs of early production samples
of the figures.
The Super Pirates were also released abroad by Toltoys (Australia) and Marx (Europe and UK), they are thought to have been better received in those areas.
Above is a Marx Stickered Pirate box, no packaging variations exist, the box is merely stickered.
A close up of the Toltoys sticker.
LJS wears a white and red striped shirt that has been reproduced by Classic TV Toys. The reproduction has a slightly different weave material, more noticable on the white areas. The red on the original is more bright than on the repro and the repro has more of a turtle neck thing going on. The repro is unmarked.
Long John Silver’s pants are a teal color, shredded at the legs, with a brown sewn in vinyl waist band. The pants have been reproduced by CTVT. The repro’s are more a light blue than a teal color, the brown vinyl is more textured and the shredded part of the legs are cut longer. The repro’s are unmarked.
LJS’s wears a deep red color coat with trim sewn on as trim. The coat has been reproduced by CTVT. The repro is brighter, lighter red in color and the trim is gold, where the original has pale yellow trim with color highlights. The repro is shorter and has curved shape cuffs that the original does not have. The repro is a little shorter overall and is unmarked.
The Pirate line is one of the few that featured socks. LJS wears one red and white striped sock. This sock can also be found on Black Beard. The sock has been reproduced by CTVT. The repro sock is a little thicker, longer and the red stripes are not quite as wide. It is unmarked.
LJS carried a sword that is unique to the character. The sword has been reproduced by CTVT. The reproduction is lighter gray and has a more curved blade. It is marked CTV on the hilt.
Long John Silver carries a blade also found on some figures in the Robin Hood line, as well as the Lion Rock version of the Western figures. CTVT has made a reproduction. The repro is lighter gray and has a lot of noticable flashing. It is marked CTV on the blade. There is also a vintage Mego era reproduction on the Tim Mee Western figures. The Tim Mee version of the blade is identical to the original Mego in most respects. There is a slight color difference. The Tim Mee looks a little more flat grey while the original has a little bit of a shine to it.
LJS’s belt is shared by Wil Scarlett in the Robin Hood line as well as the Black Knight in the Knights line. This belt has been reproduced by CTVT and Doctor Mego. Both reproductions are very accurate and very tough to spot, especially since neither is marked as a repro. There are two giveaways to the CTVT repro. The tip of the belt that slides through the buckle is rounded instead of pointed like the original and inside looking at the scabbard part you will notice some flashing not on the original. The Doc Mego reproduction is near impossible to spot. The DM repro will look new and glossy, more so than an original on a 30 year old loose figure. Otherwise, it’s near impossible to tell.
Blackbeard and Long John Silver wear the same hat. The hat has been reproduced by CTVT. The repro is a little more glossy, a little rougher around the top edges and a little firmer plastic. It is marked CTV on the inside.
Long John Silver has a yellow scarf tied around his neck. The scarf has been reproduced by CTVT. The reproduction is longer and tapers down more making it more narrow near the ends than the original. The repro tends to fray more than the original and it is unmarked.
A pirate needs his parrot and LJS has one sitting on his shoulder. The parrot has been reproduced by CTVT. The repro is lighter, brighter green with duller details. The foot area of the repro is more narrow and is attached to the coat with a rubber band type attachment, where the original is sewn on with cloth. The repro is unmarked.
Both type 1 and type 2 versions of Long John Silver have a uniqu feature not on any other Mego figures, a peg leg. It should be noted that for some reason which leg has the peg changed from type 1 to type 2. The type 1 peg leg (not pictured) is on the figures left leg, while the type 2 peg leg is on the figures right. The type 2 peg leg body has been reproduced by CTVT. The peg is smaller and more narrow. The leg itself is unmarked, so it it’s been put on an original body it would be unidentified.
LJS wears a black buckled shoe that can only be found on one other Mego character, Captain Patch, of course Patch has two and in the case of LJS, there is only one shoe. The shoe has been reproduced by CTVT. The reproduction is more glossy than the original and has a rough look about the edges. The buckle on the repro is painted white, while the buckle on the original is unpainted. The repro is marked CTV on the inside.
The LJS head has been repro’d by CTVT. The repro head is a little wider at the top and made of a less firm material so it’s softer feeling. There are some very subtle differences in paint as well. The repro has lighter brown eyes and slightly darker brown hair. The repro head is unmarked.