What a fabulous thread - hadn't realized that there were so many who're interested in the vintage models...
Talking of hydros, here's an image from the Model Engineer circa 1934 (I think) showing members of the "Wicksteed Club Team".
A couple of years ago I managed to find a couple of early hydroplanes, on a well known auction site, and they're the 4th and 5th from the left in this image. They were both owned and raced by a Mr H R Perkins and the identification was easy as he raced under the number "W13" with a boat called "JEP" (it's the 4th boat).
I'll post some photos of the actual boats when I get a chance over the weekend.
Mark