diff --git a/lib/application.js b/lib/application.js
index 37eba58b..2cc69e0e 100644
--- a/lib/application.js
+++ b/lib/application.js
@@ -41,12 +41,6 @@ app.disuse = function (route) {
   }
 }
 
-/**
- * App models.
- */
-
-app.models = {};
-
 /**
  * Get ModelBuilder.
  */
@@ -67,7 +61,6 @@ app.model =
 app.defineModel =
 app.define = function (name, properties, options) {
   var modelBuilder = this.modelBuilder();
-
   var ModelCtor = modelBuilder.define(name, properties, options);
   
   ModelCtor.dataSource = function (name) {
@@ -77,6 +70,8 @@ app.define = function (name, properties, options) {
     
     var hasMany = ModelCtor.hasMany;
   
+    if(!hasMany) return;
+  
     // override the default relations to add shared proxy methods
     // cannot expose the relation methods since they are only defined
     // once you get them (eg. prototype[name])
@@ -107,24 +102,29 @@ app.define = function (name, properties, options) {
       var fn = this.prototype[proxyMethodName] = function () {
         // this cannot be a shared method
         // because it is defined when you
-        // get it...
+        // inside a property getter...
+        
         this[methodName].apply(thisClass, arguments);
       };
+      
       fn.shared = true;
       fn.http = {verb: 'get', path: '/' + methodName};
-    
       hasMany.apply(this, arguments);
     };
   };
   
   ModelCtor.shared = true;
   ModelCtor.sharedCtor = function (id, fn) {
-    ModelCtor.find(id, fn);
+    if(id) {
+      ModelCtor.find(id, fn);
+    } else {
+      fn(null, new ModelCtor(data));
+    }
   };
   ModelCtor.sharedCtor.accepts = [
     // todo... models need to expose what id type they need
-    {arg: 'id', type: 'number', optional: true},
-    {arg: 'data', type: 'object', optional: true}
+    {arg: 'id', type: 'any'},
+    {arg: 'data', type: 'object'}
   ];
   ModelCtor.sharedCtor.http = [
     {path: '/'},
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ app.define = function (name, properties, options) {
 
 app.models = function () {
   var models = this._models;
+  var result = {};
   var dataSources = this.dataSources;
   
   // add in any model from a data source
@@ -149,11 +150,21 @@ app.models = function () {
     
     Object.keys(dataSource.models).forEach(function (className) {
       var model = dataSource.models[className];
-      models[i8n.pluralize(model.modelName)] = model;
+      result[exportedName(model)] = model;
     });
   });
   
-  return models;
+  // add in defined models
+  Object.keys(models).forEach(function (name) {
+    var model = models[name];
+    result[exportedName(model)] = model;
+  });
+  
+  function exportedName(model) {
+    return model.pluralModelName || i8n.pluralize(model.modelName);
+  }
+  
+  return result;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/lib/middleware/rest.js b/lib/middleware/rest.js
index e606b54a..a22dadcf 100644
--- a/lib/middleware/rest.js
+++ b/lib/middleware/rest.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  */
 
 var asteroid = require('../asteroid');
-var RemoteObjects = require('sl-remoting')
+var RemoteObjects = require('sl-remoting');
 
 /**
  * Export the middleware.