diff --git a/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.I b/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.I
index 09bf8d5886..e9fd58c2b3 100644
--- a/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.I
+++ b/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.I
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : get_render_node
-//       Class : Public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::get_render_node
+//       Class : Published
 // Description : Query the geomnode pointer
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE GeomNode *BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ get_render_node() const {
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : set_alpha_mode
-//      Access : public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::set_alpha_mode
+//      Access : Published
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE void BaseParticleRenderer::
 set_alpha_mode(BaseParticleRenderer::ParticleRendererAlphaMode am) {
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ set_alpha_mode(BaseParticleRenderer::ParticleRendererAlphaMode am) {
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : get_alpha_mode
-//      Access : public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::get_alpha_mode
+//      Access : Published
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE BaseParticleRenderer::ParticleRendererAlphaMode BaseParticleRenderer::
 get_alpha_mode() const {
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ get_alpha_mode() const {
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : set_user_alpha
-//      Access : public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::set_user_alpha
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : sets alpha for "user" alpha mode
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE void BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -56,8 +56,8 @@ set_user_alpha(float ua) {
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : get_user_alpha
-//      Access : public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::get_user_alpha
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : gets alpha for "user" alpha mode
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE float BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ get_user_alpha() const {
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : set_color_blend_mode
-//      Access : public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::set_color_blend_mode
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : sets the ColorBlendAttrib on the _render_node
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE void BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -81,11 +81,22 @@ set_color_blend_mode(ColorBlendAttrib::Mode bm, ColorBlendAttrib::Operand oa, Co
 
   _render_node->set_attrib(ra);
   return;
-};
+}
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : get_cur_alpha
-//      Access : public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::get_ignore_scale
+//      Access : Published
+// Description : Returns the "ignore scale" flag.  See
+//               set_ignore_scale().
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+INLINE bool BaseParticleRenderer::
+get_ignore_scale() const {
+  return _ignore_scale;
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::get_cur_alpha
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : gets current alpha for a particle
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 INLINE float BaseParticleRenderer::
diff --git a/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.cxx b/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.cxx
index 03b45a3584..219e58429e 100644
--- a/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.cxx
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@
 
 #include "baseParticleRenderer.h"
 #include "transparencyAttrib.h"
+#include "compassEffect.h"
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : BaseParticleRenderer
-//      Access : Public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::BaseParticleRenderer
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : Default Constructor
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -32,13 +33,14 @@ BaseParticleRenderer(ParticleRendererAlphaMode alpha_mode) :
   _render_node = new GeomNode("BaseParticleRenderer render node");
 
   _user_alpha = 1.0f;
+  _ignore_scale = false;
 
   update_alpha_mode(alpha_mode);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : BaseParticleRenderer
-//      Access : Public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::BaseParticleRenderer
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : Copy Constructor
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -47,13 +49,14 @@ BaseParticleRenderer(const BaseParticleRenderer& copy) :
   _render_node = new GeomNode("BaseParticleRenderer render node");
 
   _user_alpha = copy._user_alpha;
+  set_ignore_scale(copy._ignore_scale);
 
   update_alpha_mode(copy._alpha_mode);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : ~BaseParticleRenderer
-//      Access : Public
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::~BaseParticleRenderer
+//      Access : Published
 // Description : Destructor
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 BaseParticleRenderer::
@@ -61,28 +64,60 @@ BaseParticleRenderer::
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : enable_alpha
-//      Access : Private
-// Description : Builds an intermediate node and transition that
-//               enables alpha channeling.
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::set_ignore_scale
+//      Access : Published
+// Description : Sets the "ignore scale" flag.  When this is true,
+//               particles will be drawn as if they had no scale,
+//               regardless of whatever scale might be inherited from
+//               above the render node in the scene graph.
+//
+//               This flag is mainly useful to support legacy code
+//               that was written for a very early version of Panda,
+//               whose sprite particle renderer had a bug that
+//               incorrectly ignored the inherited scale.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void BaseParticleRenderer::
-enable_alpha() {
-  _render_state = RenderState::make(TransparencyAttrib::make(TransparencyAttrib::M_alpha));
+set_ignore_scale(bool ignore_scale) {
+  _ignore_scale = ignore_scale;
+
+  if (_ignore_scale) {
+    _render_node->set_effect(CompassEffect::make(NodePath(), CompassEffect::P_scale));
+  } else {
+    _render_node->clear_effect(CompassEffect::get_class_type());
+  }
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : disable_alpha
-//      Access : Private
-// Description : kills the intermediate alpha node/arc
+//     Function : BaseParticleRender::output
+//       Access : Published
+//  Description : Write a string representation of this instance to
+//                <out>.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void BaseParticleRenderer::
-disable_alpha() {
-  _render_state = RenderState::make(TransparencyAttrib::make(TransparencyAttrib::M_none));
+output(ostream &out) const {
+  #ifndef NDEBUG //[
+  out<<"BaseParticleRenderer";
+  #endif //] NDEBUG
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//    Function : update_alpha_state
+//     Function : BaseParticleRender::write
+//       Access : Published
+//  Description : Write a string representation of this instance to
+//                <out>.
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+void BaseParticleRenderer::
+write(ostream &out, int indent) const {
+  #ifndef NDEBUG //[
+  out.width(indent); out<<""; out<<"BaseParticleRenderer:\n";
+  out.width(indent+2); out<<""; out<<"_render_node "<<_render_node<<"\n";
+  out.width(indent+2); out<<""; out<<"_user_alpha "<<_user_alpha<<"\n";
+  //ReferenceCount::write(out, indent+2);
+  #endif //] NDEBUG
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::update_alpha_state
 //      Access : Private
 // Description : handles the base class part of alpha updating.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -100,30 +135,22 @@ update_alpha_mode(ParticleRendererAlphaMode am) {
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//     Function : output
-//       Access : Public
-//  Description : Write a string representation of this instance to
-//                <out>.
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::enable_alpha
+//      Access : Private
+// Description : Builds an intermediate node and transition that
+//               enables alpha channeling.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void BaseParticleRenderer::
-output(ostream &out) const {
-  #ifndef NDEBUG //[
-  out<<"BaseParticleRenderer";
-  #endif //] NDEBUG
+enable_alpha() {
+  _render_state = RenderState::make(TransparencyAttrib::make(TransparencyAttrib::M_alpha));
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//     Function : write
-//       Access : Public
-//  Description : Write a string representation of this instance to
-//                <out>.
+//    Function : BaseParticleRender::disable_alpha
+//      Access : Private
+// Description : kills the intermediate alpha node/arc
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void BaseParticleRenderer::
-write(ostream &out, int indent) const {
-  #ifndef NDEBUG //[
-  out.width(indent); out<<""; out<<"BaseParticleRenderer:\n";
-  out.width(indent+2); out<<""; out<<"_render_node "<<_render_node<<"\n";
-  out.width(indent+2); out<<""; out<<"_user_alpha "<<_user_alpha<<"\n";
-  //ReferenceCount::write(out, indent+2);
-  #endif //] NDEBUG
+disable_alpha() {
+  _render_state = RenderState::make(TransparencyAttrib::make(TransparencyAttrib::M_none));
 }
diff --git a/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.h b/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.h
index 6a032cb921..656d10c7e8 100644
--- a/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.h
+++ b/panda/src/particlesystem/baseParticleRenderer.h
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@ PUBLISHED:
 
   INLINE void set_color_blend_mode(ColorBlendAttrib::Mode bm, ColorBlendAttrib::Operand oa = ColorBlendAttrib::O_zero, ColorBlendAttrib::Operand ob = ColorBlendAttrib::O_zero);
 
+  void set_ignore_scale(bool ignore_scale);
+  INLINE bool get_ignore_scale() const;
+
   virtual void output(ostream &out) const;
   virtual void write(ostream &out, int indent=0) const;
 
@@ -91,6 +94,7 @@ private:
   PT(GeomNode) _render_node;
 
   float _user_alpha;
+  bool _ignore_scale;
 
   // birth and kill particle are for renderers that might do maintenance
   // faster if it was notified on a per-event basis.  An example: