Great ShiV, and finally some theory about it... i think you are right, in your videos the clones passed the rotating machine pretty smoothly, even more than my 18 run if i remember correctly.
Tried one size bigger and got 18. I think some more are possible for you guys, maybe the way I did in the last part of the level.
Something I came across that I totally forgot I took a screenshot from. Was while trying to get a higher score here a few weeks back, one of those Badland moments While trying to get the size-down only option in doing so was to trigger the mine, missed the 'straightaway' way. Bam, clone stuck, no possible option of course to get it out. Rrrrretry.