diff --git a/pkg/runtime/embedded_test.go b/pkg/runtime/embedded_test.go
index c9ad19725f5..90aae83f1fe 100644
--- a/pkg/runtime/embedded_test.go
+++ b/pkg/runtime/embedded_test.go
@@ -22,16 +22,14 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/util"
 )
 
-var scheme = runtime.NewScheme()
-var Codec = runtime.CodecFor(scheme, "v1test")
-
 type EmbeddedTest struct {
-	runtime.TypeMeta `json:",inline"`
-	ID               string                 `json:"id,omitempty"`
-	Object           runtime.EmbeddedObject `json:"object,omitempty"`
-	EmptyObject      runtime.EmbeddedObject `json:"emptyObject,omitempty"`
+	runtime.TypeMeta
+	ID          string
+	Object      runtime.EmbeddedObject
+	EmptyObject runtime.EmbeddedObject
 }
 
 type EmbeddedTestExternal struct {
@@ -41,21 +39,91 @@ type EmbeddedTestExternal struct {
 	EmptyObject      runtime.RawExtension `json:"emptyObject,omitempty"`
 }
 
+type ObjectTest struct {
+	runtime.TypeMeta
+
+	ID    string
+	Items []runtime.Object
+}
+
+type ObjectTestExternal struct {
+	runtime.TypeMeta `yaml:",inline" json:",inline"`
+
+	ID    string                 `json:"id,omitempty"`
+	Items []runtime.RawExtension `json:"items,omitempty"`
+}
+
+func (*ObjectTest) IsAnAPIObject()           {}
+func (*ObjectTestExternal) IsAnAPIObject()   {}
 func (*EmbeddedTest) IsAnAPIObject()         {}
 func (*EmbeddedTestExternal) IsAnAPIObject() {}
 
+func TestDecodeEmptyRawExtensionAsObject(t *testing.T) {
+	s := runtime.NewScheme()
+	s.AddKnownTypes("", &ObjectTest{})
+	s.AddKnownTypeWithName("v1test", "ObjectTest", &ObjectTestExternal{})
+
+	_, err := s.Decode([]byte(`{"kind":"ObjectTest","apiVersion":"v1test","items":[{}]}`))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected non-error")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestArrayOfRuntimeObject(t *testing.T) {
+	s := runtime.NewScheme()
+	s.AddKnownTypes("", &EmbeddedTest{})
+	s.AddKnownTypeWithName("v1test", "EmbeddedTest", &EmbeddedTestExternal{})
+	s.AddKnownTypes("", &ObjectTest{})
+	s.AddKnownTypeWithName("v1test", "ObjectTest", &ObjectTestExternal{})
+
+	internal := &ObjectTest{
+		Items: []runtime.Object{
+			&EmbeddedTest{ID: "foo"},
+			&EmbeddedTest{ID: "bar"},
+			// TODO: until YAML is removed, this JSON must be in ascending key order to ensure consistent roundtrip serialization
+			&runtime.Unknown{RawJSON: []byte(`{"apiVersion":"unknown","foo":"bar","kind":"OtherTest"}`)},
+			&ObjectTest{
+				Items: []runtime.Object{
+					&EmbeddedTest{ID: "baz"},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	wire, err := s.EncodeToVersion(internal, "v1test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Logf("Wire format is:\n%s\n", string(wire))
+
+	obj := &ObjectTestExternal{}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(wire, obj); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Logf("exact wire is: %#v", string(obj.Items[0].RawJSON))
+
+	decoded, err := s.Decode(wire)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	internal.Items[2].(*runtime.Unknown).Kind = "OtherTest"
+	internal.Items[2].(*runtime.Unknown).APIVersion = "unknown"
+	if e, a := internal, decoded; !reflect.DeepEqual(e, a) {
+		t.Log(string(decoded.(*ObjectTest).Items[2].(*runtime.Unknown).RawJSON))
+		t.Errorf("mismatched decoded: %s", util.ObjectDiff(e, a))
+	}
+}
+
 func TestEmbeddedObject(t *testing.T) {
-	s := scheme
+	s := runtime.NewScheme()
 	s.AddKnownTypes("", &EmbeddedTest{})
 	s.AddKnownTypeWithName("v1test", "EmbeddedTest", &EmbeddedTestExternal{})
 
 	outer := &EmbeddedTest{
-		TypeMeta: runtime.TypeMeta{},
-		ID:       "outer",
+		ID: "outer",
 		Object: runtime.EmbeddedObject{
 			&EmbeddedTest{
-				TypeMeta: runtime.TypeMeta{},
-				ID:       "inner",
+				ID: "inner",
 			},
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/runtime/scheme.go b/pkg/runtime/scheme.go
index 3984eabd2d5..5227607555a 100644
--- a/pkg/runtime/scheme.go
+++ b/pkg/runtime/scheme.go
@@ -140,15 +140,77 @@ func (self *Scheme) rawExtensionToEmbeddedObject(in *RawExtension, out *Embedded
 	return nil
 }
 
+// runtimeObjectToRawExtensionArray takes a list of objects and encodes them as RawExtension in the output version
+// defined by the conversion.Scope. If objects must be encoded to different schema versions you should set them as
+// runtime.Unknown in the internal version instead.
+func (self *Scheme) runtimeObjectToRawExtensionArray(in *[]Object, out *[]RawExtension, s conversion.Scope) error {
+	src := *in
+	dest := make([]RawExtension, len(src))
+
+	_, outVersion, scheme := self.fromScope(s)
+
+	for i := range src {
+		switch t := src[i].(type) {
+		case *Unknown:
+			dest[i].RawJSON = t.RawJSON
+		default:
+			data, err := scheme.EncodeToVersion(src[i], outVersion)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			dest[i].RawJSON = data
+		}
+	}
+	*out = dest
+	return nil
+}
+
+// rawExtensionToRuntimeObjectArray attempts to decode objects from the array - if they are unrecognized objects,
+// they are added as Unknown.
+func (self *Scheme) rawExtensionToRuntimeObjectArray(in *[]RawExtension, out *[]Object, s conversion.Scope) error {
+	src := *in
+	dest := make([]Object, len(src))
+
+	_, _, scheme := self.fromScope(s)
+
+	for i := range src {
+		data := src[i].RawJSON
+		obj, err := scheme.Decode(data)
+		if err != nil {
+			if !IsNotRegisteredError(err) {
+				return err
+			}
+			version, kind, err := scheme.raw.DataVersionAndKind(data)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			obj = &Unknown{
+				TypeMeta: TypeMeta{
+					APIVersion: version,
+					Kind:       kind,
+				},
+				RawJSON: data,
+			}
+		}
+		dest[i] = obj
+	}
+	*out = dest
+	return nil
+}
+
 // NewScheme creates a new Scheme. This scheme is pluggable by default.
 func NewScheme() *Scheme {
 	s := &Scheme{conversion.NewScheme()}
 	s.raw.InternalVersion = ""
 	s.raw.MetaFactory = conversion.SimpleMetaFactory{BaseFields: []string{"TypeMeta"}, VersionField: "APIVersion", KindField: "Kind"}
-	s.raw.AddConversionFuncs(
+	if err := s.raw.AddConversionFuncs(
 		s.embeddedObjectToRawExtension,
 		s.rawExtensionToEmbeddedObject,
-	)
+		s.runtimeObjectToRawExtensionArray,
+		s.rawExtensionToRuntimeObjectArray,
+	); err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
 	return s
 }