diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/MakeAnimation.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/MakeAnimation.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c02b6ff3e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/MakeAnimation.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#region Copyright & License Information
+/*
+ * Copyright 2007-2011 The OpenRA Developers (see AUTHORS)
+ * This file is part of OpenRA, which is free software. It is made 
+ * available to you under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation. For more information,
+ * see COPYING.
+ */
+#endregion
+
+using OpenRA.FileFormats;
+using OpenRA.Mods.RA.Buildings;
+using OpenRA.Mods.RA.Render;
+using OpenRA.Traits;
+using OpenRA.Traits.Activities;
+
+namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Activities
+{
+	class MakeAnimation : CancelableActivity
+	{
+		readonly bool Reversed;
+		readonly RenderBuilding rb;
+		
+		public MakeAnimation(Actor self) : this(self, false) {}
+		public MakeAnimation(Actor self, bool reversed)
+		{
+			Reversed = reversed;
+			rb = self.Trait<RenderBuilding>();
+		}
+		
+		bool complete = false;
+		bool started = false;
+		public override IActivity Tick( Actor self )
+		{
+			if (IsCanceled) return NextActivity;
+			if (!started)
+			{
+				started = true;
+				if (Reversed)
+				{
+					foreach (var s in self.Info.Traits.Get<BuildingInfo>().SellSounds)
+						Sound.PlayToPlayer(self.Owner, s, self.CenterLocation);
+					
+					// PlayCustomAnim is required to stop a frame of the normal state after the anim completes
+					rb.PlayCustomAnimBackwards(self, "make", () => {rb.PlayCustomAnim(self, "make"); complete = true;});
+				}
+				else
+					rb.PlayCustomAnimThen(self, "make", () => complete = true);
+			}
+			return complete ? NextActivity : this;
+		}
+		
+		// Not actually cancellable
+		protected override bool OnCancel( Actor self ) { return false; }
+	}
+}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/Transform.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/Transform.cs
index e749648351..f36a8987d9 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/Transform.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Activities/Transform.cs
@@ -18,69 +18,45 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA.Activities
 {
 	class Transform : CancelableActivity
 	{
-		string actor = null;
-		int2 offset;
-		string[] sounds = null;		
-		int facing;
+		public readonly string ToActor = null;
+		public int2 Offset = new int2(0,0);
+		public int Facing = 96;
+		public string[] Sounds = {};	
 		
-		RenderBuilding rb;
-		public Transform(Actor self, string toActor, int2 offset, int facing, string[] sounds)
+		public Transform(Actor self, string toActor)
 		{
-			this.actor = toActor;
-			this.offset = offset;
-			this.sounds = sounds;
-			this.facing = facing;
-			rb = self.TraitOrDefault<RenderBuilding>();
+			this.ToActor = toActor;
 		}
 
-		void DoTransform(Actor self)
+		public override IActivity Tick( Actor self )
 		{
-			// Hack: repeat the first frame of the make anim instead
-			// of flashing the full structure for a frame
-			if (rb != null)
-				rb.PlayCustomAnim(self, "make");
+			if (IsCanceled) return NextActivity;
 			
 			self.World.AddFrameEndTask(w =>
 			{
 				var selected = w.Selection.Contains(self);
 
 				self.Destroy();
-				foreach (var s in sounds)
+				foreach (var s in Sounds)
 					Sound.PlayToPlayer(self.Owner, s, self.CenterLocation);
 
 				var init = new TypeDictionary
 				{
-					new LocationInit( self.Location + offset ),
+					new LocationInit( self.Location + Offset ),
 					new OwnerInit( self.Owner ),
-					new FacingInit( facing ),
+					new FacingInit( Facing ),
 				};
-				if (self.HasTrait<Health>())
-					init.Add( new HealthInit( self.Trait<Health>().HPFraction ));
+				var health = self.TraitOrDefault<Health>();
+				// TODO: fix potential desync from HPFraction
+				if (health != null)
+					init.Add( new HealthInit( health.HPFraction ));
 				
-				var a = w.CreateActor( actor, init );
+				var a = w.CreateActor( ToActor, init );
 				
 				if (selected)
 					w.Selection.Add(w, a);
 			});
-		}
-		
-		bool started = false;
-		public override IActivity Tick( Actor self )
-		{
-			if (IsCanceled) return NextActivity;
-			if (started) return this;
 			
-			if (rb == null)
-				DoTransform(self);
-			else
-			{
-				rb.PlayCustomAnimBackwards(self, "make", () => DoTransform(self));
-				
-				foreach (var s in self.Info.Traits.Get<BuildingInfo>().SellSounds)
-					Sound.PlayToPlayer(self.Owner, s, self.CenterLocation);
-				
-				started = true;	
-			}
 			return this;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj
index 32f2c844bc..5980a0a4c9 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/OpenRA.Mods.RA.csproj
@@ -341,6 +341,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Render\WithShadow.cs" />
     <Compile Include="AnnounceOnBuild.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Capturable.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Activities\MakeAnimation.cs" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ProjectReference Include="..\OpenRA.FileFormats\OpenRA.FileFormats.csproj">
diff --git a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Transforms.cs b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Transforms.cs
index 930c83ba8a..5a64e7a92e 100644
--- a/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Transforms.cs
+++ b/OpenRA.Mods.RA/Transforms.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ using OpenRA.Mods.RA.Activities;
 using OpenRA.Mods.RA.Buildings;
 using OpenRA.Mods.RA.Orders;
 using OpenRA.Traits;
+using OpenRA.Mods.RA.Render;
 
 namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 {
@@ -79,7 +80,10 @@ namespace OpenRA.Mods.RA
 				if (self.HasTrait<IFacing>())
 					self.QueueActivity(new Turn(Info.Facing));
 				
-				self.QueueActivity(new Transform(self, Info.IntoActor, Info.Offset, Info.Facing, Info.TransformSounds));
+				if (self.HasTrait<RenderBuilding>() && self.Info.Traits.Get<RenderBuildingInfo>().HasMakeAnimation)
+					self.QueueActivity(new MakeAnimation(self, true));
+				
+				self.QueueActivity(new Transform(self, Info.IntoActor) {Offset = Info.Offset, Facing = Info.Facing, Sounds = Info.TransformSounds});
 			}
 		}
 	}