diff --git a/Python/codecs.c b/Python/codecs.c
index 1a3e457..be2e833 100644
--- a/Python/codecs.c
+++ b/Python/codecs.c
@@ -513,27 +513,25 @@
 
 PyObject *PyCodec_ReplaceErrors(PyObject *exc)
 {
-    PyObject *restuple;
-    Py_ssize_t start;
-    Py_ssize_t end;
-    Py_ssize_t i;
+    Py_ssize_t start, end, i, len;
 
     if (PyObject_IsInstance(exc, PyExc_UnicodeEncodeError)) {
         PyObject *res;
-        Py_UNICODE *p;
+        int kind;
+        void *data;
         if (PyUnicodeEncodeError_GetStart(exc, &start))
             return NULL;
         if (PyUnicodeEncodeError_GetEnd(exc, &end))
             return NULL;
-        res = PyUnicode_FromUnicode(NULL, end-start);
+        len = end - start;
+        res = PyUnicode_New(len, '?');
         if (res == NULL)
             return NULL;
-        for (p = PyUnicode_AS_UNICODE(res), i = start;
-            i<end; ++p, ++i)
-            *p = '?';
-        restuple = Py_BuildValue("(On)", res, end);
-        Py_DECREF(res);
-        return restuple;
+        kind = PyUnicode_KIND(res);
+        data = PyUnicode_DATA(res);
+        for (i = 0; i < len; ++i)
+            PyUnicode_WRITE(kind, data, i, '?');
+        return Py_BuildValue("(Nn)", res, end);
     }
     else if (PyObject_IsInstance(exc, PyExc_UnicodeDecodeError)) {
         Py_UNICODE res = Py_UNICODE_REPLACEMENT_CHARACTER;
@@ -543,20 +541,21 @@
     }
     else if (PyObject_IsInstance(exc, PyExc_UnicodeTranslateError)) {
         PyObject *res;
-        Py_UNICODE *p;
+        int kind;
+        void *data;
         if (PyUnicodeTranslateError_GetStart(exc, &start))
             return NULL;
         if (PyUnicodeTranslateError_GetEnd(exc, &end))
             return NULL;
-        res = PyUnicode_FromUnicode(NULL, end-start);
+        len = end - start;
+        res = PyUnicode_New(len, Py_UNICODE_REPLACEMENT_CHARACTER);
         if (res == NULL)
             return NULL;
-        for (p = PyUnicode_AS_UNICODE(res), i = start;
-            i<end; ++p, ++i)
-            *p = Py_UNICODE_REPLACEMENT_CHARACTER;
-        restuple = Py_BuildValue("(On)", res, end);
-        Py_DECREF(res);
-        return restuple;
+        kind = PyUnicode_KIND(res);
+        data = PyUnicode_DATA(res);
+        for (i=0; i < len; i++)
+            PyUnicode_WRITE(kind, data, i, Py_UNICODE_REPLACEMENT_CHARACTER);
+        return Py_BuildValue("(Nn)", res, end);
     }
     else {
         wrong_exception_type(exc);
@@ -671,10 +670,7 @@
     }
 }
 
-static Py_UNICODE hexdigits[] = {
-    '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7',
-    '8', '9', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'
-};
+static const char *hexdigits = "0123456789abcdef";
 
 PyObject *PyCodec_BackslashReplaceErrors(PyObject *exc)
 {