As far as case I cannot answer that for sure, as I have not had the other version. I believe I count 5 blades in pictures of the version laying down. I do know there are two different blade amount versions I have a 4 blade, and am extremely happy with it. There is also the 5 blade version. They were able to get the same performance out of 4 blades would be my guess on change of case.
And as far as S2 nightmares I have seen picture's of that should not be any problem with these from my experience. It is shipped in a box that had a good styrofoam design around it that keeps it in the center of the box. They are not light with the quality. They are very sturdy, the quality of the heat-sinks is very heavy and do a great job with the fans. Mine made it with no problems, I did open it first before booting it up but it was great inside. I always recommend to open it up to check. But i think you will have a pleasant experience if you choose this group buy. And if you are worried about shipping you can always use the hosting option.
OK...got it. I like the version that you have though. It seems to have nice large exhaust vents. I would configure and orient it for V-Air (Vertical Airflow) by sticking rubber feet on the front panel (high enough to have room for the Ethernet cable and ample air intake gap for the fans) so that it now stands with the front panel down and the exhaust vents at the top, thereby resulting in a more efficient air cooling (hot air rises). Optionally, installing "pull" fans on the exhaust vents would further make it efficient. I hope they start manufacturing miners in this configuration.