diff --git a/src/client.cpp b/src/client.cpp
index 1a6a87487..2d1572d8e 100644
--- a/src/client.cpp
+++ b/src/client.cpp
@@ -1836,7 +1836,7 @@ ParticleManager* Client::getParticleManager()
 	return &m_particle_manager;
 }
 
-scene::IAnimatedMesh* Client::getMesh(const std::string &filename)
+scene::IAnimatedMesh* Client::getMesh(const std::string &filename, bool cache)
 {
 	StringMap::const_iterator it = m_mesh_data.find(filename);
 	if (it == m_mesh_data.end()) {
@@ -1855,10 +1855,9 @@ scene::IAnimatedMesh* Client::getMesh(const std::string &filename)
 
 	scene::IAnimatedMesh *mesh = RenderingEngine::get_scene_manager()->getMesh(rfile);
 	rfile->drop();
-	// NOTE: By playing with Irrlicht refcounts, maybe we could cache a bunch
-	// of uniquely named instances and re-use them
 	mesh->grab();
-	RenderingEngine::get_mesh_cache()->removeMesh(mesh);
+	if (!cache)
+		RenderingEngine::get_mesh_cache()->removeMesh(mesh);
 	return mesh;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/client.h b/src/client.h
index 36f564086..d8b56b0b3 100644
--- a/src/client.h
+++ b/src/client.h
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ public:
 	virtual ParticleManager* getParticleManager();
 	bool checkLocalPrivilege(const std::string &priv)
 	{ return checkPrivilege(priv); }
-	virtual scene::IAnimatedMesh* getMesh(const std::string &filename);
+	virtual scene::IAnimatedMesh* getMesh(const std::string &filename, bool cache = false);
 	const std::string* getModFile(const std::string &filename);
 
 	virtual std::string getModStoragePath() const;
diff --git a/src/content_cao.cpp b/src/content_cao.cpp
index 26f5634d4..9d87c733e 100644
--- a/src/content_cao.cpp
+++ b/src/content_cao.cpp
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@ void GenericCAO::addToScene(ITextureSource *tsrc)
 	}
 	else if(m_prop.visual == "mesh") {
 		infostream<<"GenericCAO::addToScene(): mesh"<<std::endl;
-		scene::IAnimatedMesh *mesh = m_client->getMesh(m_prop.mesh);
+		scene::IAnimatedMesh *mesh = m_client->getMesh(m_prop.mesh, true);
 		if(mesh)
 		{
 			m_animated_meshnode = RenderingEngine::get_scene_manager()->
@@ -575,13 +575,17 @@ void GenericCAO::addToScene(ITextureSource *tsrc)
 					m_prop.visual_size.Y,
 					m_prop.visual_size.X));
 			u8 li = m_last_light;
+
+			// set vertex colors to ensure alpha is set
 			setMeshColor(m_animated_meshnode->getMesh(), video::SColor(255,li,li,li));
 
+			setAnimatedMeshColor(m_animated_meshnode, video::SColor(255,li,li,li));
+
 			bool backface_culling = m_prop.backface_culling;
 			if (m_is_player)
 				backface_culling = false;
 
-			m_animated_meshnode->setMaterialFlag(video::EMF_LIGHTING, false);
+			m_animated_meshnode->setMaterialFlag(video::EMF_LIGHTING, true);
 			m_animated_meshnode->setMaterialFlag(video::EMF_BILINEAR_FILTER, false);
 			m_animated_meshnode->setMaterialType(video::EMT_TRANSPARENT_ALPHA_CHANNEL_REF);
 			m_animated_meshnode->setMaterialFlag(video::EMF_FOG_ENABLE, true);
@@ -669,7 +673,7 @@ void GenericCAO::updateLightNoCheck(u8 light_at_pos)
 		if (m_meshnode) {
 			setMeshColor(m_meshnode->getMesh(), color);
 		} else if (m_animated_meshnode) {
-			setMeshColor(m_animated_meshnode->getMesh(), color);
+			setAnimatedMeshColor(m_animated_meshnode, color);
 		} else if (m_wield_meshnode) {
 			m_wield_meshnode->setColor(color);
 		} else if (m_spritenode) {
@@ -1025,7 +1029,7 @@ void GenericCAO::updateTextures(std::string mod)
 				// Set material flags and texture
 				video::SMaterial& material = m_animated_meshnode->getMaterial(i);
 				material.TextureLayer[0].Texture = texture;
-				material.setFlag(video::EMF_LIGHTING, false);
+				material.setFlag(video::EMF_LIGHTING, true);
 				material.setFlag(video::EMF_BILINEAR_FILTER, false);
 
 				// don't filter low-res textures, makes them look blurry
diff --git a/src/mesh.cpp b/src/mesh.cpp
index 218e2d0b2..7fc7531f2 100644
--- a/src/mesh.cpp
+++ b/src/mesh.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 #include <iostream>
 #include <IAnimatedMesh.h>
 #include <SAnimatedMesh.h>
+#include <IAnimatedMeshSceneNode.h>
 
 // In Irrlicht 1.8 the signature of ITexture::lock was changed from
 // (bool, u32) to (E_TEXTURE_LOCK_MODE, u32).
@@ -184,6 +185,13 @@ void setMeshBufferColor(scene::IMeshBuffer *buf, const video::SColor &color)
 		((video::S3DVertex *) (vertices + i * stride))->Color = color;
 }
 
+void setAnimatedMeshColor(scene::IAnimatedMeshSceneNode *node, const video::SColor &color)
+{
+	for (u32 i = 0; i < node->getMaterialCount(); ++i) {
+		node->getMaterial(i).EmissiveColor = color;
+	}
+}
+
 void setMeshColor(scene::IMesh *mesh, const video::SColor &color)
 {
 	if (mesh == NULL)
diff --git a/src/mesh.h b/src/mesh.h
index 35270a999..0c4094de2 100644
--- a/src/mesh.h
+++ b/src/mesh.h
@@ -58,6 +58,11 @@ void setMeshBufferColor(scene::IMeshBuffer *buf, const video::SColor &color);
 */
 void setMeshColor(scene::IMesh *mesh, const video::SColor &color);
 
+/*
+	Set a constant color for an animated mesh
+*/
+void setAnimatedMeshColor(scene::IAnimatedMeshSceneNode *node, const video::SColor &color);
+
 /*!
  * Overwrites the color of a mesh buffer.
  * The color is darkened based on the normal vector of the vertices.