diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/DeathWatchSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/DeathWatchSpec.scala
index f7a99443e7..a6640f2e3a 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/DeathWatchSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/DeathWatchSpec.scala
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 package akka.actor
 
+import akka.actor.Props.EmptyActor
 import language.postfixOps
 import akka.dispatch.sysmsg.{ DeathWatchNotification, Failed }
 import akka.pattern.ask
@@ -12,17 +13,48 @@ import scala.concurrent.duration._
 import scala.concurrent.Await
 
 class LocalDeathWatchSpec extends AkkaSpec("""
-  akka.actor.serialize-messages = off
+  akka.actor.serialize-messages = on
   """) with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout with DeathWatchSpec
 
 object DeathWatchSpec {
-  def props(target: ActorRef, testActor: ActorRef) = Props(new Actor {
+  class Watcher(target: ActorRef, testActor: ActorRef) extends Actor {
     context.watch(target)
     def receive = {
       case t: Terminated ⇒ testActor forward WrappedTerminated(t)
       case x             ⇒ testActor forward x
     }
-  })
+  }
+
+  def props(target: ActorRef, testActor: ActorRef) =
+    Props(classOf[Watcher], target, testActor)
+
+  class EmptyWatcher(target: ActorRef) extends Actor {
+    context.watch(target)
+    def receive = Actor.emptyBehavior
+  }
+
+  class NKOTBWatcher(testActor: ActorRef) extends Actor {
+    def receive = {
+      case "NKOTB" ⇒
+        val currentKid = context.watch(context.actorOf(Props(new Actor { def receive = { case "NKOTB" ⇒ context stop self } }), "kid"))
+        currentKid forward "NKOTB"
+        context become {
+          case Terminated(`currentKid`) ⇒
+            testActor ! "GREEN"
+            context unbecome
+        }
+    }
+  }
+
+  class WUWatcher extends Actor {
+    def receive = {
+      case W(ref) ⇒ context watch ref
+      case U(ref) ⇒ context unwatch ref
+      case Latches(t1: TestLatch, t2: TestLatch) ⇒
+        t1.countDown()
+        Await.ready(t2, 3.seconds)
+    }
+  }
 
   /**
    * Forwarding `Terminated` to non-watching testActor is not possible,
@@ -41,7 +73,7 @@ trait DeathWatchSpec { this: AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout 
 
   import DeathWatchSpec._
 
-  lazy val supervisor = system.actorOf(Props(new Supervisor(SupervisorStrategy.defaultStrategy)), "watchers")
+  lazy val supervisor = system.actorOf(Props(classOf[Supervisor], SupervisorStrategy.defaultStrategy), "watchers")
 
   def startWatching(target: ActorRef) = Await.result((supervisor ? props(target, testActor)).mapTo[ActorRef], 3 seconds)
 
@@ -142,10 +174,7 @@ trait DeathWatchSpec { this: AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout 
         val supervisor = system.actorOf(Props(new Supervisor(strategy)).withDeploy(Deploy.local))
 
         val failed = Await.result((supervisor ? Props.empty).mapTo[ActorRef], timeout.duration)
-        val brother = Await.result((supervisor ? Props(new Actor {
-          context.watch(failed)
-          def receive = Actor.emptyBehavior
-        })).mapTo[ActorRef], timeout.duration)
+        val brother = Await.result((supervisor ? Props(classOf[EmptyWatcher], failed)).mapTo[ActorRef], timeout.duration)
 
         startWatching(brother)
 
@@ -161,18 +190,7 @@ trait DeathWatchSpec { this: AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout 
     }
 
     "be able to watch a child with the same name after the old died" in {
-      val parent = system.actorOf(Props(new Actor {
-        def receive = {
-          case "NKOTB" ⇒
-            val currentKid = context.watch(context.actorOf(Props(new Actor { def receive = { case "NKOTB" ⇒ context stop self } }), "kid"))
-            currentKid forward "NKOTB"
-            context become {
-              case Terminated(`currentKid`) ⇒
-                testActor ! "GREEN"
-                context unbecome
-            }
-        }
-      }).withDeploy(Deploy.local))
+      val parent = system.actorOf(Props(classOf[NKOTBWatcher], testActor).withDeploy(Deploy.local))
 
       parent ! "NKOTB"
       expectMsg("GREEN")
@@ -181,7 +199,7 @@ trait DeathWatchSpec { this: AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout 
     }
 
     "only notify when watching" in {
-      val subject = system.actorOf(Props(new Actor { def receive = Actor.emptyBehavior }))
+      val subject = system.actorOf(Props[EmptyActor]())
 
       testActor.asInstanceOf[InternalActorRef]
         .sendSystemMessage(DeathWatchNotification(subject, existenceConfirmed = true, addressTerminated = false))
@@ -191,18 +209,8 @@ trait DeathWatchSpec { this: AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout 
     }
 
     "discard Terminated when unwatched between sysmsg and processing" in {
-      class Watcher extends Actor {
-        def receive = {
-          case W(ref) ⇒ context watch ref
-          case U(ref) ⇒ context unwatch ref
-          case Latches(t1: TestLatch, t2: TestLatch) ⇒
-            t1.countDown()
-            Await.ready(t2, 3.seconds)
-        }
-      }
-
       val t1, t2 = TestLatch()
-      val w = system.actorOf(Props(new Watcher).withDeploy(Deploy.local), "myDearWatcher")
+      val w = system.actorOf(Props[WUWatcher]().withDeploy(Deploy.local), "myDearWatcher")
       val p = TestProbe()
       w ! W(p.ref)
       w ! Latches(t1, t2)
@@ -213,7 +221,7 @@ trait DeathWatchSpec { this: AkkaSpec with ImplicitSender with DefaultTimeout 
       w ! U(p.ref)
       t2.countDown()
       /*
-       * now the Watcher will
+       * now the WUWatcher will
        * - process the DeathWatchNotification and enqueue Terminated
        * - process the unwatch command
        * - process the Terminated
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec.scala b/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec.scala
index 0bbf76b43a..ceb540b8a1 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec.scala
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import com.typesafe.config._
 import scala.concurrent.{ Await, Future }
 import TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec._
 import akka.actor.{ Deploy, ActorSystem, TypedProps, TypedActor }
+import akka.util.IgnoreForScala212
 import scala.concurrent.duration._
 
 object TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec {
@@ -46,11 +47,11 @@ class TypedActorRemoteDeploySpec extends AkkaSpec(conf) {
 
   "Typed actors" must {
 
-    "be possible to deploy remotely and communicate with" in {
+    "be possible to deploy remotely and communicate with" taggedAs IgnoreForScala212 in {
       verify({ _.getName }, remoteName)
     }
 
-    "be possible to deploy remotely and be able to dereference self" in {
+    "be possible to deploy remotely and be able to dereference self" taggedAs IgnoreForScala212 in {
       verify({ _.getNameSelfDeref }, remoteName)
     }
 
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/serialization/DaemonMsgCreateSerializerSpec.scala b/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/serialization/DaemonMsgCreateSerializerSpec.scala
index 05e5a81004..468be5099a 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/serialization/DaemonMsgCreateSerializerSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/test/scala/akka/remote/serialization/DaemonMsgCreateSerializerSpec.scala
@@ -5,13 +5,13 @@
 package akka.remote.serialization
 
 import language.postfixOps
-
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
 import akka.actor.{ Actor, Address, Props, Deploy, OneForOneStrategy, SupervisorStrategy }
 import akka.remote.{ DaemonMsgCreate, RemoteScope }
 import akka.routing.{ RoundRobinPool, FromConfig }
+import akka.util.IgnoreForScala212
 import scala.concurrent.duration._
 
 object DaemonMsgCreateSerializerSpec {
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class DaemonMsgCreateSerializerSpec extends AkkaSpec {
       }
     }
 
-    "serialize and de-serialize DaemonMsgCreate with function creator" in {
+    "serialize and de-serialize DaemonMsgCreate with function creator" taggedAs IgnoreForScala212 in {
       verifySerialization {
         DaemonMsgCreate(
           props = Props(new MyActor),