heya; on the swan, the head was non-bendable, attatched to the curved neck segments. the head didnt seem to screw up the neck, although at some angles, it split at the seam between the head and last neck piece. to 'fix' this, i created some head morphs to extend and curve the back of the head to patch it somewhat. (i expect the hose pieces you're using are thinner than my neck, so the problem there is more aggravated.) also, changing the head's joint parameter center can help this somewhat, too. bend the head and neck/hose, then try moving the head's center around.