diff --git a/lib/networkmonitor.js b/lib/networkmonitor.js
index ddb4e291..827f2710 100644
--- a/lib/networkmonitor.js
+++ b/lib/networkmonitor.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ function NetworkMonitor(eventBus, peer) {
   this.messages = new p2p.Messages({
     network: this.peer.network,
   });
+  this.ignoreInv = true;
   this.setupPeer(peer);
 }
 util.inherits(NetworkMonitor, EventEmitter);
@@ -45,6 +46,10 @@ NetworkMonitor.prototype.setupPeer = function(peer) {
     self.maxHeight = m.startHeight;
   });
   peer.on('inv', function(m) {
+    if(self.ignoreInv) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     self.emit('inv', m.inventory);
     // TODO only ask for data if tx or block is unknown
     peer.sendMessage(self.messages.GetData(m.inventory));
diff --git a/lib/node.js b/lib/node.js
index 85e689fb..a81da25b 100644
--- a/lib/node.js
+++ b/lib/node.js
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ var BitcoreNode = function(bus, networkMonitor, blockService, transactionService
   this.blockService = blockService;
 
   this.blockCache = {};
+  this.syncStrategy = 'rpc';
   this.initialize();
 };
 util.inherits(BitcoreNode, EventEmitter);
@@ -101,6 +102,8 @@ BitcoreNode.prototype.initialize = function() {
     var prevHash = bitcore.util.buffer.reverse(block.header.prevHash).toString('hex');
     self.blockCache[block.hash] = block;
     if (!self.blockchain.hasData(prevHash)) {
+      self.syncStrategy = 'p2p';
+      self.networkMonitor.ignoreInv = false;
       self._requestFromTip();
       return;
     }
@@ -218,10 +221,44 @@ BitcoreNode.prototype.sync = function() {
   var self = this;
   this.networkMonitor.on('ready', function(reportedMaxHeight) {
     self.reportedMaxHeight = reportedMaxHeight;
-    self._requestFromTip();
+    if(self.reportedMaxHeight === self.getCurrentHeight()) {
+      self.syncStrategy = 'p2p';
+    }
+
+    if(self.syncStrategy === 'p2p') {
+      self.networkMonitor.ignoreInv = false;
+      self._requestFromTip();
+    } else {
+      self._rpcFetch();
+    }
   });
 };
 
+BitcoreNode.prototype._rpcFetch = function() {
+  var self = this;
+
+  self.blockService.getBlockByHeight(self.getCurrentHeight() + 1)
+    .then(function(block) {
+      self.bus.process(block)
+      .catch(function(err) {
+        self.stop(err);
+      });
+    })
+    .then(function() {
+      if(self.syncStrategy === 'rpc') {
+        if(self.reportedMaxHeight === self.getCurrentHeight()) {
+          // We are synced
+          self.syncStrategy = 'p2p';
+          return;
+        }
+        self._rpcFetch();
+      }
+    })
+    .catch(function(error) {
+      self.stop(error);
+    });
+};
+
 var errors = require('./errors');
 BitcoreNode.errors = errors;
 module.exports = BitcoreNode;
diff --git a/lib/services/block.js b/lib/services/block.js
index 442870d7..0032897e 100644
--- a/lib/services/block.js
+++ b/lib/services/block.js
@@ -132,30 +132,14 @@ BlockService.prototype.getBlock = function(blockHash, opts) {
   }
   opts = opts || {};
 
-  var blockData;
   var self = this;
 
   return Promise.try(function() {
-      return self.rpc.getBlockAsync(blockHash);
+      return self.rpc.getBlockAsync(blockHash, false);
     })
     .catch(blockNotFound)
-    .then(function(block) {
-
-      blockData = block.result;
-
-      if (opts.withoutTransactions) {
-        return [];
-      }
-
-      return Promise.all(blockData.tx.map(function(txId) {
-        return self.transactionService.getTransaction(txId);
-      }));
-
-    }).then(function(transactions) {
-
-      blockData.transactions = transactions;
-      return BlockService.blockRPCtoBitcore(blockData);
-
+    .then(function(res) {
+      return bitcore.Block.fromString(res.result);
     });
 };
 
diff --git a/test/networkmonitor.js b/test/networkmonitor.js
index f7ed4e6f..412bac95 100644
--- a/test/networkmonitor.js
+++ b/test/networkmonitor.js
@@ -79,8 +79,9 @@ describe('NetworkMonitor', function() {
     nm.start();
   });
 
-  it('sends getdatas when receiving invs', function() {
+  it('sends getdatas when receiving invs and ignoreInv is false', function() {
     var nm = new NetworkMonitor(busMock, peerMock);
+    nm.ignoreInv = false;
     nm.start();
     peerMock.sendMessage.calledOnce.should.equal(true);
   });
diff --git a/test/services/block.js b/test/services/block.js
index 58f28141..4fd4ba79 100644
--- a/test/services/block.js
+++ b/test/services/block.js
@@ -36,19 +36,7 @@ describe('BlockService', function() {
 
       mockRpc.getBlockAsync = function(block) {
         return Promise.resolve({
-          result: {
-            hash: '000000006a625f06636b8bb6ac7b960a8d03705d1ace08b1a19da3fdcc99ddbd',
-            confirmations: 347064,
-            size: 215,
-            height: 2,
-            version: 1,
-            merkleroot: '9b0fc92260312ce44e74ef369f5c66bbb85848f2eddd5a7a1cde251e54ccfdd5',
-            tx: ['9b0fc92260312ce44e74ef369f5c66bbb85848f2eddd5a7a1cde251e54ccfdd5'],
-            time: 1231469744,
-            nonce: 1639830024,
-            bits: '1d00ffff',
-            previousblockhash: '00000000839a8e6886ab5951d76f411475428afc90947ee320161bbf18eb6048'
-          }
+          result: '010000004860eb18bf1b1620e37e9490fc8a427514416fd75159ab86688e9a8300000000d5fdcc541e25de1c7a5addedf24858b8bb665c9f36ef744ee42c316022c90f9bb0bc6649ffff001d08d2bd610101000000010000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000ffffffff0704ffff001d010bffffffff0100f2052a010000004341047211a824f55b505228e4c3d5194c1fcfaa15a456abdf37f9b9d97a4040afc073dee6c89064984f03385237d92167c13e236446b417ab79a0fcae412ae3316b77ac00000000'
         });
       };
 
diff --git a/test/services/transaction.js b/test/services/transaction.js
index 3e455834..d8fe1a27 100644
--- a/test/services/transaction.js
+++ b/test/services/transaction.js
@@ -85,9 +85,7 @@ describe('TransactionService', function() {
           key: 'txo-4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b-0',
           value: {
             satoshis: 5000000000,
-            script: '65 0x04678afdb0fe5548271967f1a67130b7105cd6a828e03909' +
-              'a67962e0ea1f61deb649f6bc3f4cef38c4f35504e51ec112de5c384df7b' +
-              'a0b8d578a4c702b6bf11d5f OP_CHECKSIG'
+            script: '4104678afdb0fe5548271967f1a67130b7105cd6a828e03909a67962e0ea1f61deb649f6bc3f4cef38c4f35504e51ec112de5c384df7ba0b8d578a4c702b6bf11d5fac'
           }
         }]);
         callback();
@@ -113,11 +111,11 @@ describe('TransactionService', function() {
         }, {
           type: 'put',
           key: 'txo-f4184fc596403b9d638783cf57adfe4c75c605f6356fbc91338530e9831e9e16-0',
-          value: '{"satoshis":1000000000,"script":"65 0x04ae1a62fe09c5f51b13905f07f06b99a2f7159b2225f374cd378d71302fa28414e7aab37397f554a7df5f142c21c1b7303b8a0626f1baded5c72a704f7e6cd84c OP_CHECKSIG"}'
+          value: '{"satoshis":1000000000,"script":"4104ae1a62fe09c5f51b13905f07f06b99a2f7159b2225f374cd378d71302fa28414e7aab37397f554a7df5f142c21c1b7303b8a0626f1baded5c72a704f7e6cd84cac"}'
         }, {
           type: 'put',
           key: 'txo-f4184fc596403b9d638783cf57adfe4c75c605f6356fbc91338530e9831e9e16-1',
-          value: '{"satoshis":4000000000,"script":"65 0x0411db93e1dcdb8a016b49840f8c53bc1eb68a382e97b1482ecad7b148a6909a5cb2e0eaddfb84ccf9744464f82e160bfa9b8b64f9d4c03f999b8643f656b412a3 OP_CHECKSIG"}'
+          value: '{"satoshis":4000000000,"script":"410411db93e1dcdb8a016b49840f8c53bc1eb68a382e97b1482ecad7b148a6909a5cb2e0eaddfb84ccf9744464f82e160bfa9b8b64f9d4c03f999b8643f656b412a3ac"}'
         }, {
           type: 'put',
           key: 'txo-f4184fc596403b9d638783cf57adfe4c75c605f6356fbc91338530e9831e9e16-0',