A klutzy design could be said of every 30 yo basic design. But that issue is only important to the ability to sell to its customers, something more attractive in their fleet plans
It appears that most of the recent news is about the safety of the intended modifications and for that the FAA does look at applicable history of the original design against all aircraft. This base history is now matched up against any obvious questions concerning what is proposed.
That is a public process and comments from experts in these comparisons are welcome within the regulatory process not withstanding all the hyperbole started in the press