diff --git a/pkg/client/request.go b/pkg/client/request.go
index 16d5f7061d8..072285a0fe7 100644
--- a/pkg/client/request.go
+++ b/pkg/client/request.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func (c *Client) Verb(verb string) *Request {
 		c:          c,
 		path:       "/api/v1beta1",
 		sync:       true,
-		timeout:    10 * time.Second,
+		timeout:    20 * time.Second,
 		pollPeriod: 20 * time.Second,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/master/master.go b/pkg/master/master.go
index 4cfdbf52546..1985fb33e04 100644
--- a/pkg/master/master.go
+++ b/pkg/master/master.go
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func (m *Master) init(cloud cloudprovider.Interface) {
 	go podCache.Loop()
 	m.storage = map[string]apiserver.RESTStorage{
 		"pods": registry.MakePodRegistryStorage(m.podRegistry, containerInfo, registry.MakeFirstFitScheduler(m.minionRegistry, m.podRegistry, m.random), cloud, podCache),
-		"replicationControllers": registry.MakeControllerRegistryStorage(m.controllerRegistry),
+		"replicationControllers": registry.MakeControllerRegistryStorage(m.controllerRegistry, m.podRegistry),
 		"services":               registry.MakeServiceRegistryStorage(m.serviceRegistry, cloud, m.minionRegistry),
 		"minions":                registry.MakeMinionRegistryStorage(m.minionRegistry),
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/registry/controller_registry.go b/pkg/registry/controller_registry.go
index 64fac8258d1..296ce9c756a 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/controller_registry.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/controller_registry.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package registry
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/apiserver"
@@ -26,12 +27,17 @@ import (
 
 // Implementation of RESTStorage for the api server.
 type ControllerRegistryStorage struct {
-	registry ControllerRegistry
+	registry    ControllerRegistry
+	podRegistry PodRegistry
+	// Period in between polls when waiting for a controller to complete
+	pollPeriod time.Duration
 }
 
-func MakeControllerRegistryStorage(registry ControllerRegistry) apiserver.RESTStorage {
+func MakeControllerRegistryStorage(registry ControllerRegistry, podRegistry PodRegistry) apiserver.RESTStorage {
 	return &ControllerRegistryStorage{
-		registry: registry,
+		registry:    registry,
+		podRegistry: podRegistry,
+		pollPeriod:  time.Second * 10,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -81,7 +87,7 @@ func (storage *ControllerRegistryStorage) Create(obj interface{}) (<-chan interf
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return storage.registry.GetController(controller.ID)
+		return storage.waitForController(controller)
 	}), nil
 }
 
@@ -98,6 +104,20 @@ func (storage *ControllerRegistryStorage) Update(obj interface{}) (<-chan interf
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return storage.registry.GetController(controller.ID)
+		return storage.waitForController(controller)
 	}), nil
 }
+
+func (storage *ControllerRegistryStorage) waitForController(ctrl api.ReplicationController) (interface{}, error) {
+	for {
+		pods, err := storage.podRegistry.ListPods(labels.Set(ctrl.DesiredState.ReplicaSelector).AsSelector())
+		if err != nil {
+			return ctrl, err
+		}
+		if len(pods) == ctrl.DesiredState.Replicas {
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(storage.pollPeriod)
+	}
+	return ctrl, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/registry/controller_registry_test.go b/pkg/registry/controller_registry_test.go
index 801b7ef064f..693db2019c2 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/controller_registry_test.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/controller_registry_test.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/labels"
@@ -185,3 +186,52 @@ func TestControllerParsing(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("Parsing failed: %s %#v %#v", string(data), controller, expectedController)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestCreateController(t *testing.T) {
+	mockRegistry := MockControllerRegistry{}
+	mockPodRegistry := MockPodRegistry{
+		pods: []api.Pod{
+			{
+				JSONBase: api.JSONBase{ID: "foo"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	storage := ControllerRegistryStorage{
+		registry:    &mockRegistry,
+		podRegistry: &mockPodRegistry,
+		pollPeriod:  time.Millisecond * 1,
+	}
+	controller := api.ReplicationController{
+		JSONBase: api.JSONBase{ID: "test"},
+		DesiredState: api.ReplicationControllerState{
+			Replicas: 2,
+		},
+	}
+	channel, err := storage.Create(controller)
+	expectNoError(t, err)
+
+	select {
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 1):
+		// Do nothing, this is expected.
+	case <-channel:
+		t.Error("Unexpected read from async channel")
+	}
+
+	mockPodRegistry.pods = []api.Pod{
+		{
+			JSONBase: api.JSONBase{ID: "foo"},
+		},
+		{
+			JSONBase: api.JSONBase{ID: "bar"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 30)
+
+	select {
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 1):
+		t.Error("Unexpected timeout")
+	case <-channel:
+		// Do nothing, this is expected
+	}
+}