Something i noticed on my colonial scout is that the"wings now have a more "sharp" look than how i remember (mostly using cockpit view here so i don't check the external often).

Is it just me or does the number of upgrades on a ship also affect it's look ?

Yes, some upgrades such as speed, boosters and hull hitpoints do have 'visual upgrades'. This doesn't happen every time, but it will say: 'Includes Visual Upgrade' when the next upgrade will change the look of the ship.

Note: The recent release did change some of the ships modelling, which may also be what you're seeing.