Wow, thanks for the great writeup! I feel like I'm on candlepowerforums!
Sounds like they overdrive the LED, and I assume this baby gets hot. I had also read the reflector was plastic, so it's good to hear yours is aluminum. (Less likely to melt...)
Have you opened the head? I saw reports it was glued closed, reminding of the good old Nuwai QIII days of soaking the head in boiling water.