diff --git a/interface/src/Menu.cpp b/interface/src/Menu.cpp
index af41e583b9..e7f6120d52 100644
--- a/interface/src/Menu.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Menu.cpp
@@ -774,11 +774,13 @@ void Menu::editPreferences() {
     QString faceURLString = applicationInstance->getAvatar()->getHead().getFaceModel().getURL().toString();
     QLineEdit* faceURLEdit = new QLineEdit(faceURLString);
     faceURLEdit->setMinimumWidth(QLINE_MINIMUM_WIDTH);
+    faceURLEdit->setPlaceholderText(DEFAULT_HEAD_MODEL_URL.toString());
     form->addRow("Face URL:", faceURLEdit);
 
     QString skeletonURLString = applicationInstance->getAvatar()->getSkeletonModel().getURL().toString();
     QLineEdit* skeletonURLEdit = new QLineEdit(skeletonURLString);
     skeletonURLEdit->setMinimumWidth(QLINE_MINIMUM_WIDTH);
+    skeletonURLEdit->setPlaceholderText(DEFAULT_BODY_MODEL_URL.toString());
     form->addRow("Skeleton URL:", skeletonURLEdit);
 
     QSlider* pupilDilation = new QSlider(Qt::Horizontal);
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
index 131eb4d37f..b97a50ce46 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/Avatar.cpp
@@ -338,12 +338,12 @@ bool Avatar::findSphereCollision(const glm::vec3& sphereCenter, float sphereRadi
 
 void Avatar::setFaceModelURL(const QUrl &faceModelURL) {
     AvatarData::setFaceModelURL(faceModelURL);
-    _head.getFaceModel().setURL(faceModelURL);
+    _head.getFaceModel().setURL(_faceModelURL);
 }
 
 void Avatar::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl &skeletonModelURL) {
     AvatarData::setSkeletonModelURL(skeletonModelURL);
-    _skeletonModel.setURL(skeletonModelURL);
+    _skeletonModel.setURL(_skeletonModelURL);
 }
 
 int Avatar::parseData(const QByteArray& packet) {
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index b2cd1cf076..8981f78023 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -301,13 +301,15 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::identityByteArray() {
 }
 
 void AvatarData::setFaceModelURL(const QUrl& faceModelURL) {
-    qDebug() << "Changing face model for avatar to" << faceModelURL.toString();
-    _faceModelURL = faceModelURL;
+    _faceModelURL = faceModelURL.isEmpty() ? DEFAULT_HEAD_MODEL_URL : faceModelURL;
+    
+    qDebug() << "Changing face model for avatar to" << _faceModelURL.toString();
 }
 
 void AvatarData::setSkeletonModelURL(const QUrl& skeletonModelURL) {
-    qDebug() << "Changing skeleton model for avatar to" << skeletonModelURL.toString();
-    _skeletonModelURL = skeletonModelURL;
+    _skeletonModelURL = skeletonModelURL.isEmpty() ? DEFAULT_BODY_MODEL_URL : skeletonModelURL;
+    
+    qDebug() << "Changing skeleton model for avatar to" << _skeletonModelURL.toString();
 }
 
 void AvatarData::setClampedTargetScale(float targetScale) {
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index 5c3c9ad9af..43db344899 100755
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -52,6 +52,9 @@ static const float MIN_AVATAR_SCALE = .005f;
 
 const float MAX_AUDIO_LOUDNESS = 1000.0; // close enough for mouth animation
 
+const QUrl DEFAULT_HEAD_MODEL_URL = QUrl("http://public.highfidelity.io/meshes/defaultAvatar_head.fbx");
+const QUrl DEFAULT_BODY_MODEL_URL = QUrl("http://public.highfidelity.io/meshes/defaultAvatar_body.fbx");
+
 enum KeyState {
     NO_KEY_DOWN = 0,
     INSERT_KEY_DOWN,
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp
index 92f6f961d5..c0bc7f0010 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/NodeList.cpp
@@ -81,13 +81,10 @@ NodeList::~NodeList() {
 }
 
 bool NodeList::packetVersionAndHashMatch(const QByteArray& packet) {
-    // currently this just checks if the version in the packet matches our return from versionForPacketType
-    // may need to be expanded in the future for types and versions that take > than 1 byte
-    
     if (packet[1] != versionForPacketType(packetTypeForPacket(packet))
         && packetTypeForPacket(packet) != PacketTypeStunResponse) {
         PacketType mismatchType = packetTypeForPacket(packet);
-        int numPacketTypeBytes = arithmeticCodingValueFromBuffer(packet.data());
+        int numPacketTypeBytes = numBytesArithmeticCodingFromBuffer(packet.data());
         
         qDebug() << "Packet version mismatch on" << packetTypeForPacket(packet) << "- Sender"
             << uuidFromPacketHeader(packet) << "sent" << qPrintable(QString::number(packet[numPacketTypeBytes])) << "but"