I think the head will pivot & possibly lower to spit out a "fireball" - dropping a ball from that height onto the playfield would cause havoc. Bet Gene made sure balls were coming out rather than going into his mouth.

Oh & hallelujah re the orange. Stern needs to engage a colour consultant earlier in the process - to make the LE the most "clashing" is bad 4 business. Hopefully they'll recall any red trim models - but hey we're talking about it so not all bad.