diff --git a/include/QF/skin.h b/include/QF/skin.h
index 60792c42d..2267b4aaa 100644
--- a/include/QF/skin.h
+++ b/include/QF/skin.h
@@ -42,6 +42,13 @@
 #define RSSHOT_WIDTH 320
 #define RSSHOT_HEIGHT 200
 
+// if more than 32 clients are to be supported, then this will need to be
+// updated
+#define MAX_TRANSLATIONS 32
+
+#define PLAYER_WIDTH 296
+#define PLAYER_HEIGHT 194
+
 typedef struct skin_s {
 	const char *name;
 	qboolean	valid;		// the skin was found
@@ -52,6 +59,7 @@ typedef struct skin_s {
 } skin_t;
 
 skin_t *Skin_SetColormap (skin_t *skin, int cmap);
+skin_t *Skin_SetSkin (skin_t *skin, int cmap, const char *skinname);
 void Skin_SetupSkin (skin_t *skin, int cmap);
 void Skin_SetTranslation (int cmap, int top, int bottom);
 void Skin_ProcessTranslation (int cmap, const byte *translation);
diff --git a/libs/models/skin.c b/libs/models/skin.c
index e84ed1228..cec31b72b 100644
--- a/libs/models/skin.c
+++ b/libs/models/skin.c
@@ -42,17 +42,25 @@ static __attribute__ ((used)) const char rcsid[] = "$Id$";
 
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
+#include "QF/hash.h"
 #include "QF/image.h"
 #include "QF/model.h"
+#include "QF/pcx.h"
+#include "QF/quakefs.h"
 #include "QF/skin.h"
 #include "QF/sys.h"
+#include "QF/va.h"
 
 #include "QF/GLSL/funcs.h"
 
-// if more than 32 clients are to be supported, then this will need to be
-// updated
-#define MAX_TRANSLATIONS 32
+typedef struct skinbank_s {
+	char       *name;
+	tex_t      *texels;
+	int         users;
+} skinbank_t;
+
 static byte translations[MAX_TRANSLATIONS][VID_GRADES * 256];
+static hashtab_t *skin_cache;
 
 static skin_t *
 new_skin (void)
@@ -113,8 +121,110 @@ Skin_SetColormap (skin_t *skin, int cmap)
 	return skin;
 }
 
+skin_t *
+Skin_SetSkin (skin_t *skin, int cmap, const char *skinname)
+{
+	char       *name = 0;
+	skinbank_t *sb = 0;
+	tex_t      *tex = 0;
+
+	if (skinname) {
+		name = QFS_CompressPath (skinname);
+		QFS_StripExtension (name, name);
+		if (strchr (name, '.') || strchr (name, '/')) {
+			Sys_Printf ("Bad skin name: '%s'\n", skinname);
+			free (name);
+			name = 0;
+		}
+	}
+
+	do {
+		QFile      *file;
+		byte       *ipix, *opix;
+		int         i;
+		tex_t      *out;
+
+		if (!name)
+			break;
+		sb = Hash_Find (skin_cache, name);
+		if (sb) {
+			sb->users++;
+			tex = sb->texels;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (Hash_NumElements (skin_cache) >= MAX_CACHED_SKINS) {
+			Sys_Printf ("Too many skins\n");
+			free (name);
+			name = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		QFS_FOpenFile (va ("skins/%s.pcx", name), &file);
+		if (!file) {
+			Sys_Printf ("Couldn't load skin %s\n", name);
+			free (name);
+			name = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+		tex = LoadPCX (file, 0, vid.palette);
+		Qclose (file);
+		if (!tex || tex->width > 320 || tex->height > 200) {
+			Sys_Printf ("Bad skin %s\n", name);
+			free (name);
+			name = 0;
+			tex = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+		out = malloc (field_offset (tex_t, data[PLAYER_WIDTH*PLAYER_HEIGHT]));
+		out->width = PLAYER_WIDTH;
+		out->height = PLAYER_HEIGHT;
+		out->format = tex_palette;
+		out->palette = vid.palette;
+		memset (out->data, 0, PLAYER_WIDTH * PLAYER_HEIGHT);
+		opix = out->data;
+		ipix = tex->data;
+		for (i = 0; i < out->height; i++) {
+			memcpy (opix, ipix, min (tex->width, out->width));
+			ipix += tex->width;
+			opix += out->width;
+		}
+		tex = out;
+
+		sb = malloc (sizeof (skinbank_t));
+		sb->texels = tex;
+		sb->name = name;
+		sb->users = 1;
+		Hash_Add (skin_cache, sb);
+	} while (0);
+
+	if (!skin)
+		skin = new_skin ();
+	skin->texels = tex;
+	skin->name = name;
+	Skin_SetupSkin (skin, cmap);
+	return skin;
+}
+
+static const char *
+skin_getkey (void *sb, void *unused)
+{
+	return ((skinbank_t *) sb)->name;
+}
+
+static void
+skin_free (void *_sb, void *unused)
+{
+	skinbank_t *sb = (skinbank_t *) _sb;
+
+	free (sb->name);
+	free (sb->texels);
+	free (sb);
+}
+
 void
 Skin_Init (void)
 {
+	skin_cache = Hash_NewTable (127, skin_getkey, skin_free, 0);
 	Skin_InitTranslations ();
 }
diff --git a/qw/source/cl_ents.c b/qw/source/cl_ents.c
index ca5bd0a72..03cceeaa0 100644
--- a/qw/source/cl_ents.c
+++ b/qw/source/cl_ents.c
@@ -208,7 +208,6 @@ CL_LinkPacketEntities (void)
 	entity_state_t *s1;
 	model_t		   *model;
 	packet_entities_t *pack;
-	//player_info_t  *info;
 
 	pack = &cl.frames[cls.netchan.incoming_sequence &
 					  UPDATE_MASK].packet_entities;
@@ -244,26 +243,12 @@ CL_LinkPacketEntities (void)
 
 		// set colormap
 		if (s1->colormap && (s1->colormap <= MAX_CLIENTS)
-			&& cl.players[s1->colormap - 1].name[0]
-			&& !strcmp (ent->model->name, "progs/player.mdl")) {
+			&& cl.players[s1->colormap - 1].name[0]) {
 			ent->skin = Skin_SetColormap (ent->skin, s1->colormap);
-			//info = &cl.players[s1->colormap - 1];
 		} else {
 			ent->skin = Skin_SetColormap (ent->skin, 0);
-			//info = NULL;
 		}
-#if 0 //XXX
-		if (info && info->skinname && !info->skin)
-			Skin_Find (info);
-		if (info && info->skin) {
-			ent->skin = Skin_NewTempSkin ();
-			if (ent->skin) {
-				CL_NewTranslation (s1->colormap - 1, ent->skin);
-			}
-		} else {
-			ent->skin = NULL;
-		}
-#endif
+
 		// LordHavoc: cleaned up Endy's coding style, and fixed Endy's bugs
 		// Ender: Extend (Colormod) [QSG - Begin]
 		// N.B: All messy code below is the sole fault of LordHavoc and
@@ -494,24 +479,14 @@ CL_LinkPlayers (void)
 
 		if (state->pls.modelindex == cl_playerindex) { //XXX
 			// use custom skin
-#if 0
-			if (!info->skin)
-				Skin_Find (info);
-			if (info && info->skin) {
-				ent->skin = Skin_NewTempSkin ();
-				if (ent->skin) {
-					CL_NewTranslation (j, ent->skin);
-				}
-			} else {
-				ent->skin = NULL;
-			}
-#endif
+			Skin_SetSkin (ent->skin, j + 1, info->skinname->value);
+
 			ent->min_light = min (cl.fbskins, cl_fb_players->value);
 
 			if (ent->min_light >= 1.0)
 				ent->fullbright = 1;
 		} else {
-			ent->skin = NULL;
+			Skin_SetSkin (ent->skin, j + 1, 0);
 		}
 
 		// stuff entity in map