Bug UM3 - Strange behaviour with a second blob being extruded before the print starts, and a nearly 4-inch filament retraction when aborting a print

[Duckminster 1]

I'm running Ultimaker 4.9.1 with a UM3 and I've been using UM3 firmware version 4.3.3.20180529 due to the autolevelling bug that was introduced in later firmware. 

For the first time since owning the printer for a couple years, I ran a print using a raft. Print setting set to Fine, with prime blob enabled. I had breakaway material as the raft in extruder 2, and PLA in extruder 1. After the raft was laid down, extruder 1 created the prime blob, lowered and smashed into the prime blob (as it always does, and also dragging the molten mess across the bed), and moved to it's starting position, whereby it then proceeded to extrude a second blob before starting to print. See the pictures, you can see the blob on the prime tower. The first time this happened, I didn't use the prime tower. My second print had the prime tower enabled in an effort to keep the blob away from the print.

The print eventually failed for other reasons, forcing me to abort the print, which resulted in the second odd behaviour I had never seen before. Upon abort, extruder 1 proceeded to retract the filament by nearly 4 inches. See pictures

Has anyone seen either of these issues before?
 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by Duckminster
improve clarity