diff --git a/src/engine/render/octarender.cpp b/src/engine/render/octarender.cpp
index f2c0963fe..8255bd097 100644
--- a/src/engine/render/octarender.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/render/octarender.cpp
@@ -517,13 +517,12 @@ namespace
                     va->maxvert += va->voffset;
                 }
 
-                va->matbuf = nullptr;
+                va->matbuf.clear();
                 va->matsurfs = matsurfs.size();
                 va->matmask = 0;
                 if(va->matsurfs)
                 {
-                    va->matbuf = new materialsurface[matsurfs.size()];
-                    std::memcpy(va->matbuf, matsurfs.data(), matsurfs.size()*sizeof(materialsurface));
+                    va->matbuf = matsurfs;
                     for(materialsurface &m : matsurfs)
                     {
                         if(m.visible == MatSurf_EditOnly)
@@ -2397,10 +2396,6 @@ void destroyva(vtxarray *va, bool reparent)
     {
         delete[] va->decalelems;
     }
-    if(va->matbuf)
-    {
-        delete[] va->matbuf;
-    }
     delete va;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/engine/render/octarender.h b/src/engine/render/octarender.h
index 2c5333ac3..e140b1c7e 100644
--- a/src/engine/render/octarender.h
+++ b/src/engine/render/octarender.h
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ struct vtxarray
     GLuint vbuf, ebuf, skybuf, decalbuf; // VBOs
     ushort minvert, maxvert; // DRE info
     elementset *texelems, *decalelems;   // List of element indices sets (range) per texture
-    materialsurface *matbuf; // buffer of material surfaces
+    std::vector<materialsurface> matbuf;
     int verts,
         tris,
         texs,
diff --git a/src/engine/render/stain.cpp b/src/engine/render/stain.cpp
index 5dfade2c2..d24703c7a 100644
--- a/src/engine/render/stain.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/render/stain.cpp
@@ -710,11 +710,10 @@ class stainrenderer
 
         void findmaterials(vtxarray *va)
         {
-            materialsurface *matbuf = va->matbuf;
             int matsurfs = va->matsurfs;
             for(int i = 0; i < matsurfs; ++i)
             {
-                materialsurface &m = matbuf[i];
+                materialsurface &m = va->matbuf[i];
                 if(!IS_CLIPPED(m.material&MatFlag_Volume))
                 {
                     i += m.skip;
@@ -731,7 +730,7 @@ class stainrenderer
                     r = R[dim];
                 for(;;)
                 {
-                    materialsurface &m = matbuf[i];
+                    materialsurface &m = va->matbuf[i];
                     if(m.o[dim] >= bbmin[dim] && m.o[dim] <= bbmax[dim] &&
                        m.o[c] + m.csize >= bbmin[c] && m.o[c] <= bbmax[c] &&
                        m.o[r] + m.rsize >= bbmin[r] && m.o[r] <= bbmax[r])
@@ -743,7 +742,7 @@ class stainrenderer
                     {
                         break;
                     }
-                    materialsurface &n = matbuf[i+1];
+                    materialsurface &n = va->matbuf[i+1];
                     if(n.material != m.material || n.orient != m.orient)
                     {
                         break;
diff --git a/src/engine/world/material.cpp b/src/engine/world/material.cpp
index a1b8e6158..38cc3987b 100644
--- a/src/engine/world/material.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/world/material.cpp
@@ -1152,7 +1152,7 @@ void setupmaterials(int start, int len)
     }
     for(int i = start; i < len; i++)
     {
-        const vtxarray *va = valist[i];
+        vtxarray *va = valist[i]; //only modifies va->matbuf entries of valist
         materialsurface *skip = nullptr;
         for(int j = 0; j < va -> matsurfs; ++j)
         {