diff --git a/src/common/models/voxels.cpp b/src/common/models/voxels.cpp
index b85f2f851..d8d2b2245 100644
--- a/src/common/models/voxels.cpp
+++ b/src/common/models/voxels.cpp
@@ -314,6 +314,7 @@ FVoxelDef *R_LoadVoxelDef(int lumpnum, int spin)
 	else
 	{
 		FVoxelDef *voxdef = new FVoxelDef;
+		*voxdef = {};
 		voxdef->Voxel = vox;
 		voxdef->Scale = 1.;
 		voxdef->DroppedSpin = voxdef->PlacedSpin = spin;
diff --git a/src/r_data/models.cpp b/src/r_data/models.cpp
index 9c204df04..453d67180 100644
--- a/src/r_data/models.cpp
+++ b/src/r_data/models.cpp
@@ -425,9 +425,11 @@ void InitModels()
 		smf.animationIDs[0] = -1;
 		smf.xscale = smf.yscale = smf.zscale = VoxelDefs[i]->Scale;
 		smf.angleoffset = VoxelDefs[i]->AngleOffset.Degrees();
-		if (VoxelDefs[i]->PitchFromMomentum == true) smf.flags |= MDL_PITCHFROMMOMENTUM;
-		if (VoxelDefs[i]->UseActorPitch == true) smf.flags |= MDL_USEACTORPITCH;
-		if (VoxelDefs[i]->UseActorRoll == true) smf.flags |= MDL_USEACTORROLL;
+		// this helps catching uninitialized data.
+		assert(VoxelDefs[i]->PitchFromMomentum == true || VoxelDefs[i]->PitchFromMomentum == false);
+		if (VoxelDefs[i]->PitchFromMomentum) smf.flags |= MDL_PITCHFROMMOMENTUM;
+		if (VoxelDefs[i]->UseActorPitch) smf.flags |= MDL_USEACTORPITCH;
+		if (VoxelDefs[i]->UseActorRoll) smf.flags |= MDL_USEACTORROLL;
 		if (VoxelDefs[i]->PlacedSpin != 0)
 		{
 			smf.yrotate = 1.f;